Fish care - a step-by-step guide to landing, weighing, using carp care kits, and returning your catch

You've already done the hard bit and landed a carp, but now you need to weigh and photograph it, and most importantly ensure that you return it in as good as condition as it was in before you caught it, and you don't cause further damage.

As long as you have the right equipment and follow some basic procedures, every fish you catch will go back without any unnecessary damage, and for other anglers to enjoy in the future, if you follow this step-by-step guide to fish care.

Step 1 - in the landing net

You should be using a landing net of a sufficient size for the carp that you are likely to catch, and carp nets such as the Korda Kaizen Green Net or Spring Bow Net come in various different sizes to cater for any carp, and with deep enough mesh for them to happily sit in for a short period of time.

Where it is safe to do so, you can leave the carp in the net, but you must make sure that it is in deep enough water that it won’t damage itself if it starts to thrash around, and also that your net is secure and the fish can’t swim off in it. Both types of the Korda nets have a stainless steel spike on the end of the handle, which can be pushed into the ground (or lake bed if the water is shallow and you need to position the fish further out), and will secure the net whilst you sort out everything you need to deal with it.

At this point you can also recast your rod if you wish to, and to potentially take advantage of short feeding windows.

Step 2 - get your unhooking mat ready

Before getting the carp out of the water, make sure you have everything ready to go and close to hand.

You should position your unhooking mat where you are going to take your photos, and make sure that you have poured some water on it to make it wet all over the surface.

The Compac Water Bucket has been specially designed for this, and unlike a hard plastic bucket, if the fish does kick when you are pouring water onto it, and hits the bucket with its body, there is no danger of any damage. A full bucket of water should be left within easy reach of your unhooking mat so you can pour more onto the fish once you have it on the bank – especially so during hot weather, but at any time of year you need to keep the fish wet.

Step 3 - get ready to weigh the fish

If you are going to weigh the fish then you will need to have made your weigh sling, such as the Compac Weigh Sling, wet – the same applies if using something like the Compac Retainer Sling, which can also be used to weigh fish in.

Once your weigh sling is wet it can be zeroed on your scales and then put to one side – you will be using it to transport your fish from the lake to the unhooking mat, which is why it is essential that it is of sufficient size and also has strong carry handles that allow a good grip on it, as you don’t want the fish hitting the ground as you walk up the bank with it.

You also want to get your Carp Care Kit ready and close to hand for treating hook holds, or any marks on the fish such as lifted scales, split fins or sores and ulcers, via its antimicrobial properties.

Step 4 - set up your camera

If you are planning on photographing the fish then this is the time to either call a mate round – or an angler in an adjacent swim – to come and give you a hand and to take the photos, and to get your camera out, on the correct settings, and ready to go.

If you are on your own, or just prefer to do self takes, then set up your camera on a tripod and take a few test shots until you are happy that the framing, lighting and focus are correct, and it is all ready to go once fish is on the mat.

When the fish is out of the water you should never leave it unattended on the unhooking mat, so everything needs to be ready in advance and close to hand.

Step 5 - getting the carp out of the water safely

Once everything is ready on the bank, now it is time to get the fish out of the water, and the way that you do this is essential. Lifting a fish out in the landing net can split fins, or worse, cause them to snap, and if any part of the rig is caught up in the net then it can rip out of the mouth and cause significant damage.

Ideally, and where it is possible to do so (such as shallow margins) you will remove the hook prior to taking the fish out of the water.

Carefully break down the arms of your landing net from the spreader block, and then roll the net up.

Then slide your weigh sling/retainer sling underneath the fish, so it is positioned in the middle of it (this will make it easier and safer to carry it). Feel along the fish to make sure that all of the fins are lying flat alongside the body and aren’t bent in a way that could damage when pressure is applied to them.

Then zip up the sling at both ends so the fish can’t slide out, get a good grip on the handles of the sling, and carefully lift the carp out of the water – being careful not to bash it against anything as you do so. Then carry it to the unhooking mat and place it in the centre of it – it is easier to do this if the fish is unhooked, or you have cut your line just above your Dark Matter leader, or whatever else you are using, or de-attached your hook link from a quick change swivel, otherwise you have to try and carry the rod as well.

Step 6 - transferring the fish into the weigh sling

Unzip the sling and open it up then unroll the net so that you can get to the fish, and if not already unhooked, carefully do so now and put the rig out of the way.

Check for any damage in the mouth, or on the body – if you are photographing the fish it is better to treat these wounds afterwards, as the fish care liquids will show up in the photos otherwise, on the fish. If you aren’t photographing it, you can treat any wounds/damage now.

Now carefully slide the landing net out from under the carp, making sure it doesn’t get caught on the fins, gills etc, and you will be left with the fish laying on top of the open sling.

Step 7 - easiest way to weigh the fish

Now zip up the sling at both ends and check that the fins are all still lying flat against the body of the carp, and that the tail isn’t bent at all. Also make sure the fish is in the centre of the sling, otherwise it could slide to one end of it when lifted and cause damage.

Pick up your scales – these should either have a weigh bar or be attached to a Compac Weigh Staff which makes things even easier. To get an accurate weight the scales much hang vertically from the hook on the top of them – never weigh a fish holding the scales underneath as this will give a false reading.

A weigh staff is by far the easiest way to weigh carp, especially big ones, as you simply push the spike on the end of it into the ground, position the weigh straps of your sling on the bottom hook of the scales, and then carefully lift, and once clear of the ground it is easy to hold everything steady and get an accurate weight – versus using a weigh bar which can be struggle with a big fish.

Always make sure that your sling is properly attached to the scales and is zipped up at both ends, and weigh the fish over the unhooking mat, only lifting it as far as you need to for the entire sling to be clear of the ground.

As long as you use the same sling, your scales will still be zeroed in the position that they were when you got them ready before getting the carp out of the water.

Once the scales have settled and you have the weight, carefully lower the fish back onto the mat and put the scales and weigh staff out of the way.

Step 8 - retaining the fish safely

Once the fish is back on the mat it is a good time to pour some water onto it, ideally with the sling open.

Or if you are putting it straight back without a picture, or are planning on retaining it (such as if you have caught it close to dawn and are waiting for sunrise before doing the photos), then check the fins are flat and carry it back to the lake, before carefully lowering it into the water – making sure the water is sufficiently deep.

If you’re releasing it you can simply unzip the end of the sling, and once the fish is ready, let it swim off.

If you are retaining it, then make sure it is sitting upright and is happy, before securing the retainer sling to the bank (or a bankstick in the water if the margins are shallow) via the cord it comes with.

Make sure that the sling can’t be blown into shallow water where the fish could become damaged, or worse still beached, and that the cord is secure. If the worst happens and somehow the cord comes unattached and the sling drifts off out into the lake, make sure you tell the lake owner, bailiff etc as soon as possible so that a boat can be used to find and rescue it (a floating retainer sling can be located and won’t sink)  – otherwise the fish will eventually die.

Never leave a fish in shallow water for a long period of time, and especially so at times of year when the water temperature is high and there might not be much oxygen. The same goes for leaving a fish in a retainer for any length of time in the middle of the day in direct sunlight, when temperatures are high.    

Step 9 - photographing your catch

If you are photographing your catch then your camera should already be all ready to go, and either in the hands of your chosen photography, or on the tripod so you can set the self-timer going for your self-take photos.

Slide your hands underneath the belly of the fish, with one hand gripping under the pectoral fin, and the other down by the anal fin. Make sure you have a good grip before carefully lifting the carp clear of the unhooking mat – you should always be kneeling or crouching down, and the fish should always be held over the mat.

If you feel the carp tensing or it starts to struggle, leave it a minute or two, pouring some more water onto it.

If it starts to tense up or flap when your holding it up, then simply let it roll back in your arms and lean over the top of it with your body, before carefully lowering it back onto the mat, and trying again once it has calmed down.

You don’t want to keep the fish out of the water longer than necessary, but as long as you keep it wet, it is best to let it calm down rather than risking dropping it when taking the photos, even if that takes an extra couple of minutes.

Once you’re happy that you have enough photos, lay the fish back down on the mat, on top of the sling, checking that none of the fins are bent before you let go of the full weight of it.

If doing self-takes, then at this point you can lay the sling back over the top of it and quickly check the photos have come out – assuming of course that you have a mat that the fish can’t flap or slide off of, such as the Compac Hybrid Mat or a Basix Carp Cradle.

Step 10 - use a carp care kit for open wounds

Before returning  or retaining the fish (as described in Step 8), now is the time to use your Carp Care Kit to treat any damage that might be on the body, as well as the hook hold.

For damage to the body, such as cuts, abrasions and ulcers that you can see, then the first step is to use Ulcer Swab to clean and disinfect those wounds. Once cleaned, you can then apply Propolis to them to seal the wound – making sure to splash some water onto the Propolis liquid and leaving it long enough to set.

Propolis is also used to treat the hook hold in the mouth of the fish, and any other damage that you can see, such as that caused by other anglers, and again, you will need to wait for it to set before returning the fish.

Doing this will ensure that the fish goes back in good condition, and you are also helping to repair any damage it might have, whether naturally occurring or caused by anglers.