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Unhooking mat or not?

Paul Whiteing said:
There are lots of subjects where there are two sides of an "argument" some neither right or wrong; some have two camps; some could be viewed as "need educating" or guidance perhaps by those more experienced; some where the experienced might be (wrongly) seen as "holier than thou"

  • 11ft or 12ft rods
  • Centrepin or fixed spool
  • Arsenal or Spuds (well obvious really :) )
  • Chairs with arms or not
  • To pre-bait or not
  • Barbed or barbless
  • Triangular or round
and so the list can go on .........

But in my personal view (not that of BFW Team, albeit they may agree) is that the use of an unhooking mat should NOT have two sides - as per rules of my club, they should be mandatory. No matter whether the landing net can be laid on grass or vegetation, I believe an unhooking mat should be carried and used.

Ok, before I duck for cover, wi' my tin hat firmly buckled on tight, can anyone give a single reason NOT to use one?

exits hurriedly stage left ......... 😁😁
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Because they're not necessary?
 
I cannot believe someone revives a 3 yr old thresd - I guess weather's so bad BFW is a bend in your rod better than reaching for a games console thingy :D
 
Whilst anyone using barbless hooks may argue they can easily unhook a fish in a landing net and return it safely without the need for a mat, what if you're fishing from a high bank and can't get to the fish (at river level) once it's netted?
 
Paul Whiteing said:
There are lots of subjects where there are two sides of an "argument" some neither right or wrong; some have two camps; some could be viewed as "need educating" or guidance perhaps by those more experienced; some where the experienced might be (wrongly) seen as "holier than thou"

  • 11ft or 12ft rods
  • Centrepin or fixed spool
  • Arsenal or Spuds (well obvious really :) )
  • Chairs with arms or not
  • To pre-bait or not
  • Barbed or barbless
  • Triangular or round
and so the list can go on .........

But in my personal view (not that of BFW Team, albeit they may agree) is that the use of an unhooking mat should NOT have two sides - as per rules of my club, they should be mandatory. No matter whether the landing net can be laid on grass or vegetation, I believe an unhooking mat should be carried and used.

Ok, before I duck for cover, wi' my tin hat firmly buckled on tight, can anyone give a single reason NOT to use one?

exits hurriedly stage left ......... 😁😁
Click to expand...
'Both' on all categories with the exception of the football category which I will go with 'Neither'. As a Londoner who supports Burnley ( after Greavsie left the game I was swayed by Ralph Coates comb over-under 55s please switch off ) I can take no other stand.
 
Dave Bartell said:
'Both' on all categories with the exception of the football category which I will go with 'Neither'. As a Londoner who supports Burnley ( after Greavsie left the game I was swayed by Ralph Coates comb over-under 55s please switch off ) I can take no other stand.
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Bobby Charlton made many a jinking run with one hand on his head to protect his superb comb-over, ( this sent opponents the wrong way).
Sorry for the ‘diversion’.
G.T.
 
I haven't posted of late due to being laid up for 3 weeks with covid or whatever the latest import is...But have never felt so ill ...but on the mend.
I was always the one to defend mats, but seeing how they are used no longer can. The main function it seems is to take the Barbel out of the net, unhook, and prepare the gasping drowning fish for a selfie.
Witness the amount of dead Barbel I have seen belly up on the Severn and Avon just because the need for a piccy. Even a small out of water exposure can kill.
The alternative is simple really unhook in the net and weigh in the net and snap away if you need to...it may not be the best picture Kudos or even win you the Drennan Cup. But it might give the Barbel a life.
As long as this place rewards a hand held barbel as a trophy we might have a problem.
 
Neil Smart said:
I haven't posted of late due to being laid up for 3 weeks with covid or whatever the latest import is...But have never felt so ill ...but on the mend.
I was always the one to defend mats, but seeing how they are used no longer can. The main function it seems is to take the Barbel out of the net, unhook, and prepare the gasping drowning fish for a selfie.
Witness the amount of dead Barbel I have seen belly up on the Severn and Avon just because the need for a piccy. Even a small out of water exposure can kill.
The alternative is simple really unhook in the net and weigh in the net and snap away if you need to...it may not be the best picture Kudos or even win you the Drennan Cup. But it might give the Barbel a life.
As long as this place rewards a hand held barbel as a trophy we might have a problem.
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I don’t see a problem with people having hand held shots with the fish as long as it’s looked after. Personally after netting a fish I’ll let it recover for however long it takes before taking it out the water to unhook. If I think it’s worth weighing I’ll put it back in the water for a bit then unscrew the net and lift it back out to weigh in the net then back in the water. If I want a photo then after a few more minutes in the water I’ll take it back out, take 1 or 2 quick pics at most then back in the river to fully recover before being released. If my photos come out bad then so be it.
I’d say the dead fish you’re seeing belly up have probably been removed from the river straight away, kept out for weighing and photographing then instantly released. Some anglers need educating on fish care
 
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Jon Young said:
I don’t see a problem with people having hand held shots with the fish as long as it’s looked after. Personally after netting a fish I’ll let it recover for however long it takes before taking it out the water to unhook. If I think it’s worth weighing I’ll put it back in the water for a bit then unscrew the net and lift it back out to weigh in the net then back in the water. If I want a photo then after a few more minutes in the water I’ll take it back out, take 1 or 2 quick pics at most then back in the river to fully recover before being released. If my photos come out bad then so be it.
I’d say the dead fish you’re seeing belly up have probably been removed from the river straight away, kept out for weighing and photographing then instantly released. Some anglers need educating on fish care
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Jon you have described the exact process in faffing around that very much causes distress to such an oxygen dependant species. But you assume that all the belly up barbel are not what you do but other types of faffing around.
Surely NOT taking the barbel onto a mat and keeping in the net in the margins is the only safe option. It's pretty damn common sense really. Ask a salmon ghillie about handling a salmon to return.
 
Neil Smart said:
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Jon you have described the exact process in faffing around that very much causes distress to such an oxygen dependant species. But you assume that all the belly up barbel are not what you do but other types of faffing around.
Surely NOT taking the barbel onto a mat and keeping in the net in the margins is the only safe option. It's pretty damn common sense really. Ask a salmon ghillie about handling a salmon to return.
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THE safest thing to do is not catch the damn things, it’s an unfortunate truth but it’s the truth but we’re not going to do that are we so best practice is to be a mindful as we can. It’s a bit like crossing the road.

Limiting time out the water so that the fish remains wet, protecting its mucus coat and the gills is very important. If it’s safe and what you want to do, unhooking in the net in steady paced margin water is the best method simply because it takes away opportunity. Should you need/want, to remove the fish for data collection, photography, safer positioning for unhooking etc etc you should be quick. This means being organised and if that means returning the fish to water to extend the safety limit then so be it. There is no reason to retain a fish in the margin,beyond recovery, for more than a few minutes. Realistically limited exposure for a quick picture is likely far less stressful than the aerobic intensive and stress response of the “fight”. Lactic acid build up is as big of a concern as air ingestion. You could very well get that air exposure time very low, sub a minute at a time is not an unreasonable target.

Hauling a fish onto a warm and dry mat, rustling round your bag for the necessary while it flaps around, lifting it for 9 of the best pictures to show off your branded hat to then send it on its way, safe in the knowledge you sprayed some tincture you brought at the tackle shop on the hook hold is VERY different. As is trying to recover a fish in a stagnant puddle of warm margin water. This scenario or variation within is where things go wrong.

As far as I’m aware no one has experimented with the safe exposure to air time limit for this species, it is incredible how long most fish can survive out of water though but very varied. The survival rate of the stock at your local commercial fishery will tell you how resilient the poor buggers are. I lost a Wrasse once, unbeknown to me it jumped from an open aquarium, after fishing it out from behind the cabinet covered in dust and stiff I thought it was done. That fish lived out another five years!

Comparison of a Cypriniforme to Salmonids is not very reliable, granted Barbel are sensitive compared to their family members like Carp which are the opposite end of that spectrum but the difference between a Barbel and a Trout for example is like comparing a Cat and Bat, they are both mammals but they are very distant cousins.

In short. If you want to do your best, be mindful and organised.
 
Unhooking fish in the net wouldn't be safe in many of the places I fish.

So yes, an unhooking mat (or cradle) is needed when removing a fish out of the water. No debate necessary really. Anyone not using use one of the above when taking a fish out of the water is a selfish idiot in my book.

Whether fish should be photographed/weighed is a different debate.
 
As said how many of us yell at the telly after the presenter says to put him back asap and then holds it up for the umpteenth last look. The need for a selfie extended arms holding a moderate barbel to look like a record is very much a blight on our sport.
Knobheads.
 
Neil Smart said:
As said how many of us yell at the telly after the presenter says to put him back asap and then holds it up for the umpteenth last look. The need for a selfie extended arms holding a moderate barbel to look like a record is very much a blight on our sport.
Knobheads.
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I agree Neil, but ego-driven reckless handling on the bank shouldn't be a reason not to encourage the use of mats when barbel fishing.

If a fish needs to be taken out of the water for unhooking then it should be placed on a mat. One that has been out of the sun and has been given a good soaking. Certainly I've never fished anywhere that I could be certain of finding soft, damp vegetation free from stalks and twigs that don't have the potential to cause eye and scale damage, right on the waters edge.
 
Like a lot of discussion/debate in angling, there are so many different places and rivers we fish that it's is difficult to apply one logic or approach to all.
I fish the Hampshire Avon and I would consider an unhooking mat unnecessary for all of the long grass I am surrounded by. Anywhere else and I might consider it a necessity.
 
Well all river systems are certainly unique, but I can't think of any meadow grasses (except perhaps yorkshire fog?) which doesn't become rough, fibrous and stalky by around early July when left to seed. And then resembling something like standing hay by the autumn.
 
Neil Smart said:
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Jon you have described the exact process in faffing around that very much causes distress to such an oxygen dependant species. But you assume that all the belly up barbel are not what you do but other types of faffing around.
Surely NOT taking the barbel onto a mat and keeping in the net in the margins is the only safe option. It's pretty damn common sense really. Ask a salmon ghillie about handling a salmon to return.
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It’s not always possible to unhook the fish in the water. If I can I do. But if the banks too high off the water what option do you have but to remove it?
 
Damian Kimmins said:
Like a lot of discussion/debate in angling, there are so many different places and rivers we fish that it's is difficult to apply one logic or approach to all.
I fish the Hampshire Avon and I would consider an unhooking mat unnecessary for all of the long grass I am surrounded by. Anywhere else and I might consider it a necessity.
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Hey Damian.
I’ll be honest, this subject does grind on me a bit as I personally don’t like to see fish placed on the ground.
The argument of “not needed where soft long grass is about” isn’t one that's ever going to persuade me personally and the reason why is, you have no element of control regarding what’s there.
Small piece of broken glass, used needle, bottle cap, dog shit etc etc etc all of which can easily be hidden in the grass.

I wouldn’t run around these river banks without my socks n shoes on for the very same reason I wouldn’t lay a fish there.

The thing I don’t get is…. Mats are easily carried and deployed in seconds so if it must go on the deck it’s hardly a chore to use one and by doing so you have 100% control over what that fish is laying on.

It’s just a no brainer surely 🤷🏻
 
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