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New ESP Quickdraw Mats

Yep
 

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Quite like them myself, not too bulky when rolled, have secure sides to help stop rolling fish escaping , easy to return catch to water and can also be used as a weigh sling I would think if the drawstrings were tightened up.

Not keen on the camo at all, I would probably lose one on the river bank.

And probably costs a mortgage as well.


David
 
£50 / £70 for the carpy ones . . .that specimen one looks v similar to the ESP compact . .?
 
nice features but your not going to be using them like a carp angler would.
I ain’t gonna be transporting a barbel around the swim In a Mat.
I ain’t gonna be releasing a tired barbel from a Mat.
I lay my fish in the Mat by lowering them down in the net. They are weighed and photographed directly above the net in the Mat then lowered back in the net over the Mat and returned to rest.
looks a good product and it’s definitely a suitable place to lay our fish but I don’t think those nice extra features would really be a benefit for us barbel guys.
 
. . .do exactly as yourself but can see the raised sides as an advantage on steep banks / tight swims / uneven ground etc. Would rather be doing this as close to the water as poss rather than transferring up the bank just for a photo etc. I use a fox compact and for most situations it does the job (in terms of protecting the fishes scales / mucus from bankside detrius) but fish can / do flap and having sides just adds further protection and security during the process, especially if you are fishing solo and sorting self takes etc . . .having sides also means you are retaining a 'mini pool' of water within the mat itself which can only ever be a positive thing in terms of fish care . . .
 
Richard Isaacs said:
nice features but your not going to be using them like a carp angler would.
I ain’t gonna be transporting a barbel around the swim In a Mat.
I ain’t gonna be releasing a tired barbel from a Mat.
I lay my fish in the Mat by lowering them down in the net. They are weighed and photographed directly above the net in the Mat then lowered back in the net over the Mat and returned to rest.
looks a good product and it’s definitely a suitable place to lay our fish but I don’t think those nice extra features would really be a benefit for us barbel guys.
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Agree wholeheartedly Richard on all counts except the benefit to us Barbel guys, like Chris I like the idea of a mat with sides which is easily collapsed and can be clipped to my ruckall or seat for ease of transportation 👍
 
Chris Belcher said:
. . .do exactly as yourself but can see the raised sides as an advantage on steep banks / tight swims / uneven ground etc. Would rather be doing this as close to the water as poss rather than transferring up the bank just for a photo etc. I use a fox compact and for most situations it does the job (in terms of protecting the fishes scales / mucus from bankside detrius) but fish can / do flap and having sides just adds further protection and security during the process, especially if you are fishing solo and sorting self takes etc . . .having sides also means you are retaining a 'mini pool' of water within the mat itself which can only ever be a positive thing in terms of fish care . . .
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Yeah side wall protection is a god send. I use the Korum foldamat at that’s the same apart from the way the walls are put up.
 
Bill Walford said:
Agree wholeheartedly Richard on all counts except the benefit to us Barbel guys, like Chris I like the idea of a mat with sides which is easily collapsed and can be clipped to my ruckall or seat for ease of transportation 👍
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Yeah I agree with that but that’s the one feature about the esp mat that isn’t unique or new. Korum, fox, ngt, all offer a cradle type mat with side wall protection. What I was referring to was the things esp have done differently. Ie carry handles and a fish release system. These are the things I wouldn’t gain any benefit from.
 
Bill Walford said:
Agree wholeheartedly Richard on all counts except the benefit to us Barbel guys, like Chris I like the idea of a mat with sides which is easily collapsed and can be clipped to my ruckall or seat for ease of transportation 👍
Click to expand...
With Bill on this - its the right size (for decent, bigger than average kippers) has sides, rolls up smallish and clips to the rucksack that I already own!
 
It looks a great product and fair play to ESP if that is their first attempt at a “fast Mat” type device then they’ve done what looks like a sterling job of it.
I don’t have any criticisms from what I saw I was just saying that the key differences in that particular Mat are only going to be found useful to specimen carp anglers because of their arrangements and the way carp can deal with things a bit more hardy than barbel. they like to have the Mat sitting behind the bivvy so everyone on the lake can see the catch of the day and they like to get that last photo of the fish sliding head first into the lake as they support it in 3 feet of water in their shorts. 🤣.
unfortunately our desired species wouldn’t tolerate it and shed be pretty hacked off if I was to wonder her around like carrying a tarts handbag and then decided to strip down to the undercrackers, jump in the river nene with her and just turf her down the slide while attempting a selfy.
sounds like very hard work to me let alone the poor fish 🤣
So all in all...... great carp Mat with some useful barbel features too 👍🏻
 
Richard Parsons said:
I guess (over) elaboration of existing products is something the tackle companies see as evolution, whereas I just see it as extra unnecessary weight. A flat mat is adequate and I have, somehow, functioned like this for many years. God knows how.
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Like you Richard I’ve used a flat mat since I got back into fishing a dozen or so years ago. Back in the 70’s and 80’s I used to use wet hessian sacks on the deck but since I caught the Barbel bug in 2009 I’ve been fishing rivers with unforgiving banks and have had trouble keeping my catch on the mat sometimes so personally think these mats with sides are a vast improvement. I’ve not seen the ESP yet to assess the weight, the Korum which I had bought me is heavier than my old flat mat for sure but that’s probably down to the high density foam base cushion that inlays. Watch this space, if the ESP/Drennan affords less weight and a bit longer load deck I for one will invest. My Korum will then either get sold, given away or used when I use a barrow (infrequently).
 
Richard Isaacs said:
It looks a great product and fair play to ESP if that is their first attempt at a “fast Mat” type device then they’ve done what looks like a sterling job of it.
I don’t have any criticisms from what I saw I was just saying that the key differences in that particular Mat are only going to be found useful to specimen carp anglers because of their arrangements and the way carp can deal with things a bit more hardy than barbel. they like to have the Mat sitting behind the bivvy so everyone on the lake can see the catch of the day and they like to get that last photo of the fish sliding head first into the lake as they support it in 3 feet of water in their shorts. 🤣.
unfortunately our desired species wouldn’t tolerate it and shed be pretty hacked off if I was to wonder her around like carrying a tarts handbag and then decided to strip down to the undercrackers, jump in the river nene with her and just turf her down the slide while attempting a selfy.
sounds like very hard work to me let alone the poor fish 🤣
So all in all...... great carp Mat with some useful barbel features too 👍🏻
Click to expand...
you jumped in the nene to play a 3 lb pike 😂😂
 
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