Carp fishing in France Fish Care
Fish care Handling big Carp
The whole reason you are fishing in France is to catch a big Carp, so it is of the upmost importance that you take care of and look after your quarry if you have managed to land one. This will keep beautiful big Carp to catch in the future for you and everyone else. If you drop the fish it will die and if you stress it out to much it will be floating on the lake surface a week or two after your holiday ended and this is not fair on the fish, the lake owner and other anglers so make sure you know how to handle and look after them.
Step 1 – Once you have landed the fish and it is in the net just let it rest for 2 or 3 minutes in the water, Its been fighting for its life and its going to be very tired , give it a chance to recover. As you do this you can make sure your camera is at hand , weight sling , scales , forceps, Carp care products / carp medical kit to treat hook holes and any other wounds.
Step 2 – Pour plenty of water from lake over the weight sling and unhooking mat , its very important that the unhooking mat etc is the same temperature as the lake water so there is no risk of burns to the fish from the heat or cold. Also make sure there is water to pour over fish so that no drying out of scale surface can take place once fish is out of the water..
Step 3 – You are now ready to lift the fish from the water. Check to make sure all the fins are laid back against the Carps body. Pull the arms of the landing net out of the pole and roll the net up so a good grip can be made for lifting the fish out ( by 2 people if possible ) and gently place on its side on the unhooking mat with the weight sling open in the mat making sure fins are still against fishes body. Then remove the hook / rig and get it out the way so it can not harm you or the fish. To get the landing net out of the way have the head of the carp over the end string of the net and slip the net down from head to tail fin and out from under the fish. Treat hook holes and any other wounds on the fish.
Step 4 – If for any reason you are not ready to weight and do the fish photos put the fish back in the water in the sling or landing net so it can breath. DO NOT just leave it in / on the unhooking mat for any length of time.
Step 5- When weighing the fish make sure fins are against its body and keep it as low as possible to the ground over the unhooking mat .
Step 6 – If the Carp is flapping about to calm it down either put your hand over its eyes / head and tail and hold in place or cover with weight sling . Most of the time if the Carp is in the dark it will calm down. Make sure it is wet at all times.
Step 7 – Fish Photo time When taking photos always have the fish over a unhooking mat and keep it as low as possible for the photo ( never stand up with the fish ) To hold the fish have your fingers or thumb and fingers either side of the carps front and rear fins on the camera side , don’t try to hold it out at arms length . To have good balance either have both knees on the ground or one knee and one foot on the ground. If the carp starts to flap around or if you feel you are losing grip then bring the fish into your body and place it down. Make sure you are not wearing anything sharp like rings or watches. Remember try to do this as fast as possible but as safe as possible. The fish can not breath out of the water.
Step 8 – Returning the fish to the water. The carp has given its all in the fight so when returning it to it’s habitat support the fish in a sling submerged in the water in a upright position and wait for it to kick off , this can take up to 10 minutes. Never just release it straight away into the depths give it a chance to recover and breath.
Happy fish = Big Healthy Carp
I have put a few Carp care products that we recommend for looking after the fish you catch in the future to make sure the fish you catch are safe, Just click on the link to purchase any of these items.