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Unhooking mat or not?

Tone Smith said:
Paul my dear friend. Have you been waiting for me?
If a woman asks you to use a c#####m, use one. If a law says do/ do not do something, you should probably follow it ( discretionary 😬), if it’s better for the planet to recycle and reduce your carbon footprint then please do. Drive electric, go vegan, don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, love thy neighbour ( but don’t get caught if you love his wife as well 😱). Do unto others as they do unto you.
If your conscience tells you to use an unhooking mat, please do so. If the situation demands it, please do, if it’s 50/50 whether you should, be safe and use one. If you are confident that the fish safety is paramount to you and you are completely happy that you are acting with empathy for the welfare of the fish in all situations, and are competent, continue and rest easy.
Competence. Is the unhooking mat secure? Not going to slide down a bank and deposit a fish that requires recovery, into the river in a dangerous state? Is the mat wet before the fish is laid on it? ( and before you all say yes obviously, is it?) and is it done by everyone every time? Is the mat sufficient to support the fish or is it the cheapest, most convenient Implement to conform? Ad infinitum. I love my fish ( more than I do most people 😳). I would never personally, or recommend to anyone, anything that endangers the health of such. I use what I need to, when I need to, and my conscience is clear. If, at any time I feel that I am lacking ( personally, not via social media criticism, diatribe from bandwagon or ill informed opinionists) then I shall change my methods instantly and with full vigour. Until such times trouble my conscience, I wish you all a lovely winters fishing, whatever ethical methods you may choose to employ. I hope to share your pictures of your lovely fish and give as many congratulatory messages as possible. And I hope there are many of them. Please, do as you must to satisfy your conscience. And above all, everyone ENJOY your fishing. Happy Christmas, and a happy, successful winters barbelling to all!! Ho ho ho!
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tony that`s a replay and a half and certainly put a smile of my face on this dreary wet day. 😁 :D
 
Paul Whiteing said:
I'm sorry Richard, but your ability in this respect would put you way down the list compared with me. I'm the master of the useless self-takes :D:D:D

clickety-click
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Ha! I doubt that
Last one I attempted caught my feet and the fishes pectoral fins only.
If you see a photo with my mug in it I can guarantee you 2 things.
Someone else took the photo and I won’t be gormlessly staring at its tail 🤣
 
Tone Smith said:
Paul my dear friend. Have you been waiting for me?
If a woman asks you to use a c#####m, use one. If a law says do/ do not do something, you should probably follow it ( discretionary 😬), if it’s better for the planet to recycle and reduce your carbon footprint then please do. Drive electric, go vegan, don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, love thy neighbour ( but don’t get caught if you love his wife as well 😱). Do unto others as they do unto you.
If your conscience tells you to use an unhooking mat, please do so. If the situation demands it, please do, if it’s 50/50 whether you should, be safe and use one. If you are confident that the fish safety is paramount to you and you are completely happy that you are acting with empathy for the welfare of the fish in all situations, and are competent, continue and rest easy.
Competence. Is the unhooking mat secure? Not going to slide down a bank and deposit a fish that requires recovery, into the river in a dangerous state? Is the mat wet before the fish is laid on it? ( and before you all say yes obviously, is it?) and is it done by everyone every time? Is the mat sufficient to support the fish or is it the cheapest, most convenient Implement to conform? Ad infinitum. I love my fish ( more than I do most people 😳). I would never personally, or recommend to anyone, anything that endangers the health of such. I use what I need to, when I need to, and my conscience is clear. If, at any time I feel that I am lacking ( personally, not via social media criticism, diatribe from bandwagon or ill informed opinionists) then I shall change my methods instantly and with full vigour. Until such times trouble my conscience, I wish you all a lovely winters fishing, whatever ethical methods you may choose to employ. I hope to share your pictures of your lovely fish and give as many congratulatory messages as possible. And I hope there are many of them. Please, do as you must to satisfy your conscience. And above all, everyone ENJOY your fishing. Happy Christmas, and a happy, successful winters barbelling to all!! Ho ho ho!
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I was really enjoying that comment and nodding in agreement until the last two sentences!!
 
Neil Smart said:
But two minutes out of the water is enough to turn a Barbel into a zombie state, and then becomes a 'mug' fish.:oops:
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Whilst accepting the fish needs to be kept out of the water for as little time as possible, do we actually know that 2 mins is the cut off, and that the resultant effect is a zombie/mug state?

Is there a proven link between being kept out of the water for too long and supporting Spurs or Arsenal?

As an aside, I think a lot of anglers do not give the fish sufficient time to rest up in the net before lifting it out of the water.
 
Paul Whiteing said:
I'm sorry Richard, but your ability in this respect would put you way down the list compared with me. I'm the master of the useless self-takes :D:D:D

clickety-click
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Yeah just clicked your link. Your as crap as me Paul 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
DBF8D3DC-34AF-4EDC-B548-D86A6FFF919B.jpeg
 
Religiously always take a mat.When out and out Barbelling it's the splendid Fast mat and if on a sloping bank staked down which is when they really work well and a heads up to korum for for that one.When I have a day floatfishing for silvers then it's always a rolled compact one and usually take a quiver tip feeder rod along.Nothing worse than wrestling with a deeply hooked eel in the net,so it's on the mat where I can get a good grip and perform the operation 😀
 
Dave Brooksbank said:
Religiously always take a mat.When out and out Barbelling it's the splendid Fast mat and if on a sloping bank staked down which is when they really work well and a heads up to korum for for that one.When I have a day floatfishing for silvers then it's always a rolled compact one and usually take a quiver tip feeder rod along.Nothing worse than wrestling with a deeply hooked eel in the net,so it's on the mat where I can get a good grip and perform the operation 😀
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The Fastmat is a brilliant bit of kit Dave isn’t it?
 
Joe Winstanley said:
Whilst accepting the fish needs to be kept out of the water for as little time as possible, do we actually know that 2 mins is the cut off, and that the resultant effect is a zombie/mug state?

Is there a proven link between being kept out of the water for too long and supporting Spurs or Arsenal?

As an aside, I think a lot of anglers do not give the fish sufficient time to rest up in the net before lifting it out of the water.
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Joe Winstanley said:
Whilst accepting the fish needs to be kept out of the water for as little time as possible, do we actually know that 2 mins is the cut off, and that the resultant effect is a zombie/mug state?

Is there a proven link between being kept out of the water for too long and supporting Spurs or Arsenal?

As an aside, I think a lot of anglers do not give the fish sufficient time to rest up in the net before lifting it out of the water.
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The Zombie Barbel link to keeping them out of the water for two minutes was first aired by Ray Walton, not that he used the term Zombie, but I do think he is a Gooner.

My comment was tongue I in cheek, but oxygen depletion in the brain of the Barbel can apparently make them a bit docile, and prone to recaptures.

Yes I scream at the videos that show Barbel being lifted out too soon after a long fight, by so called experts too.
 
Andy Bebbington said:
Don't use a mat unless club rules state i need to. Also dont feel the need to use one just put some thought to where you put the fish when unhooking i usally find some soft grass and have never had a problem in over 30 years of fishing. If you want to use one go for it what ever suits each individual is fine by me but don't preach that i need to use one please.
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I think they were invented when the influx of instant anglers turned up. Anyone with any knowledge or respect for their particular quarry shouldn’t need one, but unfortunately, we are at the stage in angling that the idiots prevail, and the real anglers have to follow suit
 
Jamie Warren said:
I think they were invented when the influx of instant anglers turned up. Anyone with any knowledge or respect for their particular quarry shouldn’t need one, but unfortunately, we are at the stage in angling that the idiots prevail, and the real anglers have to follow suit
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I don’t agree with this either.
the ground is the ground. Your level of experience doesn’t make it any less ground like.
It was the experienced anglers that invented the mat by laying their catches out on whatever they could to protect their catches from the ground. My great uncle had an old coat he’d lay out. Whether mats were invented then or not I don’t know but he would use this old coat as his unhooking mat. Not acceptable now but at least he did something I suppose 🤣
 
Hi men ,

They are cheap , types for barbel mean they can be carried easy , and as pointed out make a good mattress for your chair as the temps drop . For donkeys years I fished for carp without one , as they did not make them 😃 , and those fish survived , but why when they are living creatures would you want to take a chance . There are many people against angling , don't give them any more ammo .


Hatter
 
I take a mat, but I rarely use it.

I unhook in the net, using barbless hooks its an easy process. Supporting the landing net, suspending the fish in the net, and unhooking that way. Most of the fish I catch will be out of the water for a few seconds. Personally, I don't see the point of photographing/weighing every fish. And I feel the way I unhook fish keeps them out of the water for shortest time possible.

Plus, some of the pegs I fish are really tight/steep, so practically it is difficult to set up a space for an unhooking mat and unhook fish safely.
 
In trying to answer Paul’s original question, I have a reply.
When I target river roach by trotting, I never take an unhooking mat. If the roach is of a size that I want a picture, I look around for the most suitable place. Last year I was lucky enough to land a 13lb barbel on my roach gear, 2lb hooklength and size 18 etc and I took a few snaps of this surprise catch. Low and behold I got targeted by the mat police who obviously didn’t read the circumstances of capture. In my opinion that was/is an acceptable occasion to NOT use an unhooking mat.
Just to add, I don’t think any less of roach! It seems totally unnecessary when trotting specifically for them to carry a mat. We have to draw a line somewhere otherwise we would be carrying paraphernalia for all eventualities despite the probability.....
 
Andy Bebbington said:
Don't use a mat unless club rules state i need to. Also dont feel the need to use one just put some thought to where you put the fish when unhooking i usally find some soft grass and have never had a problem in over 30 years of fishing. If you want to use one go for it what ever suits each individual is fine by me but don't preach that i need to use one please.
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🙂👍.
 
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