Carp care!!!

[Guest Noknot]

This piece is not my work,

But an excellent piece by my friend Dom from a top UK Carp forum.

I thought I would post this up to see if it could give CAG members some ideas and thoughts!

I hope this is of intrest and of some help, Enjoy and feel free to add comments:

From Dom:

Introduction

This is not a guide, it is written by one angler and outlines that anglers personal opinion on things. That angler doesn't pretend to be a great authority on any matters mentioned and other anglers will no doubt have differing views. It is however written with the express intention of stirring both thought and responsibility into all levels of angler not necessarily through instruction but even through disagreement it will no doubt make people think about their own methods of fishcare and that has to be good!

What is Carp care and why should I practice it?

Quite simply the Carp we catch do not belong to us! Someone once wrote in their forum signature; 'The Carp we catch are not ours, they belong to our children and our children's children' I think this is very fitting and indeed it sits in-line with the way I myself like to look at the subject. The carp are indeed not ours and factually not anyone's. They belong to a massive, very powerful force called 'Nature' although its power is seemingly no match for Human beings, this is why we must all do our utmost to preserve it for the benefit of the unborn. We enjoy the pursuit of Carp amongst other species and it is a small thing to ask that we repay them with respect so that they might return unscathed to bring joy to others in the future whilst all the while living a long healthy life with as little stress as possible. To put it another way the Carp is our adversary and we hunt him, we try to outsmart him and then duel to outfight him, it's only fair then that when we beat him we respect him.

When we take a Carp out of it's natural habitat we must make allowances, he is in our world now and no longer does the water cradle him, protect him and support him, we now must strive to fulfil these criteria ourselves. The bigger a carp gets the more delicate it becomes and the more gravity takes effect on it's delicate structure and internal organs and in-turn the more gentle we should be when we handle it.

It is unfortunate that many carp show signs of angler neglect and although it is very rare it is also pretty much permanent. Mouth damage is perhaps the main visual aspect but there are far more problems that are caused mainly by lack of experience in anglers handling. For example, have you ever wondered how that Carp got the lump that gives it the name 'Lumpy' or 'scar'? Okay so it might well be down to spawning damage or even predation but its worth stopping for a minute and thinking about it. We often see fish that look very fat, often due to holding spawn and this maybe perfectly natural but what's to say its not a result of internal damage, Stress or poor diet which believe it or not we as anglers hold immense control over. Another big cause of this in my opinion is the constant stocking of new fish, often completely different strains and from far away ecosystems. This can effect not only the ecology of the host water but also the hierarchy and settlement of the existing stock. they also carry completely different genes and completely different bacteria.

To put it bluntly, if you love Carp angling then you should be thinking of the long term effects your actions are making and if you respect the carp then the longer your enjoyment of them will continue.

Tackled up to care?

The tackle we use and the situations we use it in have a massive bearing on how much potential risk we put our quarry at. Most available items have a place in our kit but its how its used, when its used and in what combination we use things that makes the big difference to any risk we may impart.

Rigs, Line and Lead Arrangements

Perhaps the best example is when fishing weedy lakes, in this situation it is of paramount importance that the lead can part company with the line, leader and hooklink. Not when the carp gets ‘weeded up’ but immediately, on the take! When the carp realises it is hooked and shakes its head the lead should come loose if there are any dense weedbeds in the vicinity. When you hook a Carp in a weedy lake you can bet it will head straight for it and losing the lead gives nothing for the weed to ‘grab’ onto. It also helps you to lift the fish to the surface, even at range.

When fishing in snaggy waters it is my opinion that helicopter style rig/lead set ups are the safest, as if you should snap off, or if a fish should become ‘snagged up’ the rig should be able to leave the leader and theoretically the Carp will be left only with the rig, hooks, we are told, are easily shed and it’s almost impossible for a Carp to become tethered with just a rig. It may not be totally safe to fish in snags but at least it is much safer if the carp is less likely to become tethered.

When applying any type of Hit and hold style to your angling, like you would in snags or heavy weed then strong hooks are a must, not only for strength but for safety. Larger hooks have more hold and will not rip out so easily and therefore be less prone to cause mouth damage. Hooklinks are also of concern, braided rigs can cut a Carps mouth when put under pressure and this is exaggerated when movement is applied to it, to combat this how about using heavy mono type rigs. It goes without saying that a mainline breakage in any of these situations is hopefully going to be less than a once in a lifetime occurrence as you will of course be tackled up with the correct breaking strain and you will have checked it for signs of wear and tear and changed it regularly. In heavy weed or snags a breaking strain of at least 15lb (.35) and in this situation a mono line should be employed

When using a braided mainline it is important to remember that there is no give/stretch in it, and all force you impart will be transferred straight to the fish. Strong hook lengths are needed with braid and large strong hooks are advisory. Some sort of leader or tubing will be required as braid will damage a fishes flanks during the fight and will also lift scales. Braided lines are very thin and are expensive so higher breaking strains (30-40lb) are the order of the day to give more longevity and also make it less tangle prone. Breaking strains are also often 'overstated' on braided lines.

Nets, Mats, Sacks and Weigh Slings

If you are fishing for carp then you should have an appropriately sized net, 42’’ is the recommended size but on commercials where the carp are all under 15lbs then a 32’’ will suffice. The mesh should be soft and fairly deep and the arms of the net should be easily detached from the spreader block. The handle should be of around 6 feet in length and for ease of use it should be light and rigid.

A quality unhooking mat is a must, so many shops sell small thin ones but these are only any good for Roach fishing! A Carp mat should be at least 50mm/ 2” thick foam and should be large enough for specimen Carp (approx 4ft x 2.5ft) or alternatively of the polyball type, there are no poor polyball type mats on the market to my knowledge so these would seem a safe choice.

Weigh slings should be supportive and secure, the rigid pole type ones are ideal and should always be zipped up at each end to prevent the fish from sliding out, they should feature a special material inside that prevents mucous loss but not always. These are ideal for use with weigh crooks and are perfect for returning the fish to the water

The use of forceps is often recommended to the beginner or novice but in my opinion this is unwise for it takes much more skill to use forceps without causing damage than it does to use your fingers or in extreme cases, side cutters to cut the hook . When the use of forceps becomes the norm there is the risk of imparting too much force and damaging the soft mouthparts of the Carp, much more control is gained by using the fingers and if it takes a while so be it, it is never wise to rush

Treatments for wounds to the body or mouth of Carp are commonplace in anglers kit and although there is no record of these ever causing harm to a Carp I believe that it is perhaps better to let nature run its course. There are many times during a Carps life when it will receive much the same injuries in the wild, for example Spawning will remove scales and cause lesions much more severe than most anglers would cause and the Carps natural diet of shelled creatures will regularly rip its mouth to shreds. We are anglers not vets or doctors and I personally believe it unwise to interfere. Personal Verdict: Personal choice.

Playing it safe

In the majority of Carp fishing situations the angler receives a ‘Run’ and thus the carp will be hooked or at least lightly hooked, subsequently when the angler lifts the rod there will be no need to ‘Strike’ to set the hook, a tightening of the line until the rod has a steady bend will ensure the hook is driven home with firm but limited force. When the rod continues to bend as the fish powerfully tries to evade capture the correctly set ‘Clutch’ or ‘Drag’ of the reel should allow line to release in a manner that is balanced between the tackle being used and the power of the fish. When using heavy tackle more force may be applied on the fish in order to control it quicker and steer it from snags or weed where they will inevitably head for, but when using light tackle it is required to go easier on the fish and let it run a little more thus lighter tackle should only be used when the risk of a fish finding snags or weed is significantly low. When using heavy tackle a strong fish also requires an element of freedom as more of the power exerted will be transferred directly to the hook hold and in turn could cause damage to the fishes mouth.

The anglers choice of mainline has a profound effect on the amount of pressure is exerted on the fish, ‘Braided’ lines have almost zero stretch and so will transfer virtually all force directly to the fish. It is wise to only use braided lines in the situations where they are essential or at least very much needed. The reels drag settings will be in constant alteration to succeed in landing any fish hooked using braid. In my opinion braided lines should only be used by experienced anglers. Monofilament or ‘Mono’ lines have a degree of stretch that will increase as the distance between angler and hooked fish increases and gives an often vital cushion against the often very spirited fight of the Carp, it is still very wise to alter the drag settings during the fight to optimise the balance between tiring of the fish and pressure on the hook hold.

It is vitally important to net a Carp in water that is deep enough so if this means getting wet then so be it, the net should be in place before the Carp is drawn towards it. There should be as much line between the tip of the rod and the fish as possible and when the Carp is drawn into the net it should do so on its side with only its mouth slightly out of the water. As the net is lifted around the fish take a break, there is no rush if the water is deep and well oxygenated and a little breather will help you to concentrate on what comes next.

Short term retention

When you net a carp You should have all the things needed to deal with it ready and waiting on the bank. However if like me you are disorganised and lazy there is nothing wrong with leaving the fish in the net for a short time, it is quite probably of benefit to the fish after a hard tussle. It is however not always possible and there are certain criteria to be met that will decide whether or not short term retention is a good idea in any given situation.

The water should be deep enough to fully cover the fish, ideally deep enough to ensure it needn’t make contact with the mesh.

The marginal water should be cool and well oxygenated, on hot sunny days I certainly wouldn’t recommend retaining a fish for very long if at all.

The net should be firmly secured to the bank, I use a bankstick through the spreader block to ensure the fish cannot swim off with my net and quite possibly meet an unfortunate end.

Ensure with regular checks that the fish remains upright at all times but refrain from lifting it out unnecessarily to show other anglers/passers by. It should NEVER be left unsupervised.

There should be no large rocks/structures that could lead to the fish damaging itself if it should become eager to attempt to escape the net.

The fish should sit there quite still and calm if undisturbed but if it does become agitated and struggles then its retention should be cut short.

Long term retention

This practice is known as ‘Sacking’ and whilst I do believe that it can be carried out with pretty much zero risk to the fish I also strongly believe that it is unnecessary in 99.9% of Carp fishing situations. It involves a specialised and dedicated ‘Carp sack’ which the carp is placed into and secured inside in very deep margins or a suitable distance out into the lake. It should be firmly secured to a bankstick or a tree etc by a strong rot proof cord/rope. Basically there should be absolutely no way that the carp can pull itself loose as if that happens it is certainly going to mean curtains for the carp. I have never used a sack myself and don’t think I would ever need to.

I firmly believe that only very experienced and serious anglers should retain a Carp in this way and only then for very important reasons, it certainly shouldn’t be done for the sake of something as ridiculous as a daytime photo or to show an expected visitor.

When removing a Carp from a sack after a considerable time it is also important that your handling skills are extremely well honed as the fish will be refreshed and very lively after such a long rest, poor handling skills could very well lead to a badly damaged fish in this situation. Personal Verdict: Unnecessary.

Removing a Carp From the water

Ok so you have caught a carp....Well done!..It's sitting in the net or sack and you have that warm fuzzy feeling. Of course you do! And why not, its what you came for after all! Retention whether short term or long term as stated earlier CAN benefit the carp IF done properly. So why not take the time to relax yourself and enjoy the feeling that success brings.

So everything is to hand around the mat, you have situated the mat on even ground with a nice backdrop for your picture, the weighsling, scales and other bits and bobs are all well within reach...why not have a nice bucket of lake water handy too? In hot weather this is essential as the fish will dry off quite rapidly. The photos look better if the fish is nice and wet and free of dirt, leaves and white foam. The white foam incidentally may be a sign that the fish is starting to dry out so we slosh this off with nice cold lake water at regular intervals, i like to do so between every photo.

I'm taking it for granted that you have a photographer ready as self takes are definitely not a good idea for beginners and those confident enough to do it won't need to be reading this! Get him to pull his weight! As you will now need to make sure EVERYTHING is wet, mat, sling, EVERYTHING the fish touches should be wet, this includes your hands and possibly even your clothes! Talking of hands it would be a good idea to remove wristwatches etc that may damage the fish as you hoist her up for a mugshot

Right all is wet and all is to hand you can now start to think about removing the fish from the water. The mat area should be as close as possible to the lake to limit any mishaps when carrying fish and there are several thought processes that i normally have at this time. Firstly i will make sure there is no unnecessary obstructions between lake and mat and secondly if there are natural obstacles then you must decide how you will go about navigating them whilst carrying a heavy and delicate fish.

If the fish is in a sack then you simply MUST get in to remove it, its not good to be dragging a fish out of the water. You must make sure the fish is in an upright position with all fins laying flat to its body. It must be in the bottom of the sack with its head into one of the bottom corners. Now you must take up all of the excess sacking by rolling it down till you meet the top of the fish's back. Sacks can and do break so you will need to either put the sack into a weigh sling or if its a stronger type sack you should think about gently supporting the fish underneath its body. Personally i wouldn't carry a sack, i'd rather use a weigh sling to transport the fish about should i ever sack a fish.

If the fish is retained in a landing net then the same is best, remove the arms from the pole and roll them down to the fish and take the same care when carrying the fish to the mat.

On the mat

Right then the carp has been placed on the mat and if shes lively she might flap about a bit. There is no excuse for a carp that leaps off the mat, preventing this should be you very first priority. Second priority is damage limitation, The mat may well be soft and deep but it ain't as soft and supportive as the water the fish came from. Some anglers seem to think its OK for the fish to flap about as long as it is on the mat! I feel this is ignorance as the fish can still damage itself both externally and internally. So i like to prevent the carp flapping about by keeping it covered by the wet mesh or the flaps attached to the mat, I'm almost certain it is the sunlight that causes this as the don't seem to go quite so bonkers at night and covering the head (and eye) does seem to help quite considerably. If the carp does start to twitch or writhe i simply apply pressure to both ends of its body. Never push down on the middle of the carp, one because you could cause damage and two because it seems to make them flip even more! I think the second point proves the first!

Another thing to remember is never sit the fish upright on the mat, its organs are delicate and they really seem to dislike this, I'm not 100% sure how risky this is to be honest but i know when something looks wrong! Also keep a good eye on the fins to make sure they are not put under any pressure.

It is important to be confident about handling a carp as confidence gives a cool head and allows more rational decision making, its no good going all 'butterfingers' and 'scatterbrained' when you are responsible for a magnificent fish!

Dom "Welsh80"

[carpaholic125]

I am forcing every so called carp angler/ carp savior that I know to read this just to see the other opinions such as this and to stop being so stubborn and close

minded I agree with your opinion 1000% my friend

[Guest Noknot]

Thank you Sir!

If the post changes at least one Carp angler into thinking, then it will have been well worth the effort posting it!

[Zoomie]

Fantastic read.

Recently, I went to Chub's new carp care cradle. It costs a fortune, but to me, it's the finest piece of gear on the market to keep a banked fish safe.

[Guest Noknot]

Fantastic read.

Recently, I went to Chub's new carp care cradle. It costs a fortune, but to me, it's the finest piece of gear on the market to keep a banked fish safe.

I'm loving your attitude!

Sod all the top rods reels and tarty stuff, the Carp is No1! So let's look after them as much as we can

A mat costs 30$ !

[Zoomie]

I'm loving your attitude!

Sod all the top rods reels and tarty stuff, the Carp is No1! So let's look after them as much as we can

A mat costs 30$ !

This is the cat daddy of carp care right here. A number of CAG vendors carry them. It even has a mesh lid so you contain the fish if you need to step away from it for a moment, without fear of the carp injuring itself.

And don't be silly. I love my semi tarty reels and will never give them up !

Edited June 9, 2010 by Zoomie

[Guest phonebush]

Noknots,

You won't like my attitude so much. I think CAG sporting anglers should pay close attention to your friend's post. It simply is "what we do", or should do as an organization. However, I'm wondering if Dom has any prespective on what BILLIONS of wild carp would look like? I'm wondering if he's ever seen 5 metric tons go down the shoot at the catfood factory in St. Louis Mo. I think CAG sporting anglers are far to critical of the meat hunters here in the US. I think they are far to critical of the "catch anything" C&R crowd who mishandle the occasional carp they catch. You know, on occasion, we see a picture of a CAG guy who catches a bass or a striper or bluegill etc. They almost alway display the fish in a vertical view. If carp are to be displayed horizontal why not other species? We, and especially the Brits are horses a$$es when it comes to being critical of fish handling. We "keep score" with pictures and stories of weights. I want those to continue. They, carp and the stories are fun. Carp fishing is fun. Do pictures and weighing kill carp? Probably. So what, they are just fish.

Phone

(Equally, I understand why CAG guys and gals should try to "protect" any particular swim from the meat hunters. It makes me sad to loose the "bankspace" to folks who will "clean out" an entire venue because of CAG's angling skills. Bank space in the US - even as much as we have - is becoming more and more pressured.)

[classiccat]

phone, does that mean that we should bring a wood-chipper to our swims to emulate Purina's fish-handling methods? jk

as a multispecies angler, I try to hold all of my fish horizontally regardless of species. I became more conscious of general fish handing through Carp angling. It is my understanding that large striper are especially at risk of impairing their jaw function by using boga for weight and the hollywood veritical pose.

[Guest Noknot]

Sorry Phone,

And to all CAG members.

I did not post this up to try to preach to anyone, but as a guide to Carp care. As I stated, a "Guide" It's for you to act on.

CAG is about C&R and the welfare of the Carp we love to catch! I see not that it matters one iota if you fish in the USA, UK, France ect ect! And at the end of the day they are all Carp, and in my eyes deserve the best possible care, It's not difficult after all, is it.

NK.

[Guest phonebush]

Noknot,

I agree, and I think EVERY CAG member should review and practice Dom's fine reminder. Thanks for posting it. It's the non- CAG angler we should - first - try to help - then cringe and go on our way if they do not accept our help. We, CAG, beat a dead horse on this subject - A LOT!

Classic,

It's hard for the Brits across the pond to put "carp", as a species in prespective. I'm sure my theatrical comment chills their blood. They are, after all "CARP" you know. I too have to say I've learned a lot from this board about sensitivity and carp angling. These guys and gals really DO care. (I notice they are up to $0.17 per pound (on the hoof)).

Phone

[Guest Noknot]

Phone,

Read the Heather the Leather thread, thats what Carp care can achieve! And yes I can buy them in the market for pennies, but that is not the point is it!

And you think educating US anglers is difficult? I live in CHINA! But we still do our little bit, just to try, and people do listen when you take a moment to explain, and they give you some sort of respect for your passion, or madness

Edited June 9, 2010 by Noknot

[mr_fitzz]

my latest item for carp care