• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Korum Fast mat

Richard Isaacs

Senior Member & Supporter
£40, folds up into a small pouch, clips on my luggage and most importantly offers the side wall support to the fish so......... who’s got one? Looks a superb device can anyone give me a reason not to buy it?
My mat is also a Korum but it’s days are numbered and it’s a basic flat mat design. When a fish is laying on my mat you run the risk of it flapping itself off if you take your hands off it. The huge carp cradles are completely impractical for my style of light travel fishing so this looks like a game changer for me. Opinions would be great
 
Hi - don't have one but I have bought one for a friend - they work well, they are a little bulkier that they look but it will definitely replace the one I currently have when it expires!
 
Cheers Garry
My fishing is all about 4-6 hour evening or morning sessions. I travel light but would never entertain a session without a mat. My current mat rolls up and clips to the bag. It looks like the fastmat does exactly the same but allows me to turn my back on a fish without the risk of it bouncing off. Mines got a tear in it too so due replacement.
 
It’s a great bit of kit...very useful for sloping banks so fish doesn’t slide of standard mat, it isn’t that bulky. For short sessions it could double as a padded seat. Very quick to put up
Attached pic when clipped to ruckbag (large) for scale
816C57BC-D2A7-4CF9-BD62-F9762CCC6C12.jpeg
816C57BC-D2A7-4CF9-BD62-F9762CCC6C12.jpeg
 
Yes can be used as a padded seat. I like the protection of the cradle style too. I am unsure how long the integrity of the spring out sides will last being folded and unfolded, will it lose tension etc? Time will tell...
 
It’s a great bit of kit...very useful for sloping banks so fish doesn’t slide of standard mat, it isn’t that bulky. For short sessions it could double as a padded seat. Very quick to put up
Attached pic when clipped to ruckbag (large) for scale
View attachment 8633View attachment 8633
You’ve sold it Alan. Perfect information just what I needed and the pics are great because I believe we have the same rucksack so I can get a good scale of it.
Thanks for that.
 
I’d like to think it would stay quite springy
So long as you don’t take it past the point of permanent deformation
 
I’ve had mine for over a year now and it’s still super springy. It’s really useful on the sloping banks of the Trent but could probably benefit from a couple of pegging loops as it will slide downhill with a lively fish in it. That said you can put a peg through the spring loops.
 
Agree with Neil, I think Korum missed a trick there leaving out the loops ( unusual for them as a lot of their gear is well thought out ). NGT do one similar but slightly bigger and a slightly less dense mat section. However, it has the peg loops, a mesh drainage section in the base and a natty little pocket on the outside for storing the pegs




.
8647
 
Last edited:
I’ve replaced my Shimano roll mat to the korum one, it’s brilliant for fish care , could of done with pegs , but happy up to now .
 
I use a Korum multi mat, mat/weigh sling/ bag, all in one. Just have that with a few bits in, chair & rod bag. Only thing I would have liked is it to zip up, but so far nothings fallen out on my travels.
 
I have one love it first thing I did was write to Korum and complained it did not have any pegging tabs ? on a windy day it could ene up in the river easily so put a loop of paracord on it sorted
 
Mines arrived this afternoon and I’ve already had the chance to base some opinions on it.
Starting off it’s typical Korum quality. Material is very thick and seems hard wearing. The responsiveness of the spring in the bars is impressive I can’t see those failing any time soon, clips straight into my bag no problem and I particularly like the fact it’s a completely sealed unit. Any water I put in there is staying there which is a great little touch.
It is definitely more suited to commercial carp mind. The overall length at 30inch is probably not quite long enough for a fully grown female barbel to lay completely flat in. Plenty wide and high enough but honestly could do with being another 4-6 inches longer. I’ve caught 12-13lb fish that would exceed its internal length no problem and in this case the fish would have to lay slightly curved. Wouldn’t harm it I’m sure but not ideal really. Where as a 20lb carp would nest in there quite nicely being a dimensionally shorter and deeper species.
Picture shows size compared to my rollup matt. Overall I’m gonna give it a good bash and see how we go. Pegging it down isn’t difficult at all. There are two central points you could very easily just stick a loose cable tie round and peg it down so that’s certainly nothing to worry about.
 

Attachments

  • A6D37054-049C-4F51-91AB-FDE258DDE617.jpeg
    A6D37054-049C-4F51-91AB-FDE258DDE617.jpeg
    253.1 KB · Views: 638
Any idea of the weight of these mats Richard? The Fox ones are stated as being 2.5kgs, which seems excessive to me (almost as heavy as my usual chair!)
 
Wow that is heavy. Yeah my chair is only 3kg.
I don’t know the exact weight Terry but no where near the 1kg mark.
I’ll weigh it later for you mate and give you an exact figure.
 
Thanks for that Richard ... am thinking of getting one if it'll fit down into the web/pocket of fabric that stretches behind the top/headrest bit of my usual chair. The width should be ok, it's just the thickness of it that might be a problem.
Thanks again.
ATB
Terry
 
Thanks for that Richard ... am thinking of getting one if it'll fit down into the web/pocket of fabric that stretches behind the top/headrest bit of my usual chair. The width should be ok, it's just the thickness of it that might be a problem.
Thanks again.
ATB
Terry
It’s quite squishy,
Overall thickness is probably 2 1/2 inches but you’d easily squash it into a space of quite a bit less.
 
Back
Top