Carp Care Tips
This is a subject which gets pulled up regularly on the forum and we should really address carp care and rig safety as this is vital in the survival of the fish we are targeting and the survival of our sport in general.
In my personal opinion carp-care lands in two main categories, these are rig safety which is designing rigs with the fish's welfare in mind when they are in the water and carp care once a fish is being brought out of the water.
Let us look at rig safety for a moment. A rig should be constructed in such a manner as any components which could allow a fish to become tethered should any component of the rig break, namely the main line then the fish should be left attached to the minimum amount of terminal tackle possible. With the vast array of terminal tackle in the market now there is no excuse for a badly designed or constructed rig and if you are any doubt as to the safety of the rig it shouldn't end up in the water...simple. One of the fundamental mistakes is pushing on tail rubbers to lead eject systems too hard which prevent the lead ejecting.
Preparation is key
Have everything ready before your lines even touch the water, you should have a good quality unhooking mat laid out ready (and secured down if it's a windy day) with some locking forceps and a carp-care kit to hand. Have your scales and weigh sling ready by the unhooking mat. Make sure you've also removed any jewellery such as your watch, any rings etc as when handling fish these can easily cause damage.
In the Fight
Guide the fish....don't bully it, use a light clutch setting where possible as this will allow you to keep the pressure on but will compensate if the fish suddenly lunges without causing excessive mouth damage. Once towards the net and in the shallows carp will make sudden lunges as I am sure you are already familiar with, this is the time when damage is more likely to occur so if you have to lighten that clutch off a little more and use your finger to regulate the spool turning.
On the bank
Once you've netted the fish, preferably beforehand if you have someone else with you, thoroughly wet down your unhooking mat and weigh sling as this will help to prevent the mucous covering the body of the fish being removed. Once the fish is in the net carefully break down the landing net at it is far easier to lift the net and cause less damage than risk damaging the fish and breaking your landing net by listing it still assembled. Get the fish straight onto the wetted unhooking mat making sure all fins are flush to the body so as not to damage them and make sure you have wetted your hands before touching the fish. remove the hook using your forceps and put it well clear of the fish and yourself as accidents can happen, make sure you are careful when removing any line and terminal tackle from the landing net so as not to damage the fish. Once the hook is removed, carefully lift the fish and move the landing net clear and the weigh sling into position and make sure its thoroughly wetted, gently lay the fish into the weigh sling in an upright position again making sure all fins are flush to prevent damage. Fully secure your weigh sling and only lift the minimum height needed to take the weight. If you do decide to have a photograph taken then make sure you wet the fish down with some lake water and remember NEVER STAND UP HOLDING A FISH, always keep the fish as close to the ground as possible and over the unhooking mat as should it struggle you can place it back safely on the unhooking mat, or worst case scenario and you drop the fish it will hopefully land fairly safely on the unhooking mat with minimal damage. Carefully carry the fish back to the water using the weigh sling and allow the fish to reacclimatise itself in the water and rest a little before gently releasing it back.
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