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Unhooking mats.....

Ian Woods

Ian Woods

Senior Member
So, there is a lot of controversy amongst anglers regarding the use of unhooking mats.
There are anglers who no matter what type of suitable ground is available to lay a fish on they insist on using a mat.

Personally, I am in the frame of mind that the use of a mat is down to commons sense, meaning there are times and places where a mat of some kind is a must, but then again, there are situations where the ground is the better option.
I have noticed a definate difference in how barbel react when placed on grass or placed on a unhooking mat.
When I lay a barbel on grass it very rarely ever tries to squirm about. If a fish does curl its head and tail up as a prelude to flaping about I place my hand on it for a moment where it may shivver slightly and then it relaxes and it lays flat and doesnt move again until I put it back in the water where I very rarely ever have to keep hold of a fish to revive it, infact I can't ever remember having to do that with a float caught fish.
Contrary to that, when I place a fish onto a unhooking mat it virtually always tries to flop about, and may try to do so for what feels like too long before it relaxes enough to lay flat and remains motionless.
Another thing I dislike about unhooking mats is the fact that the fish slide about on the material which also encourages them to flop about.
I have found that the fish seem less irritated on a dampened towel material rather than the smooth nylon material which unhooking mats appear to be made from.

The transfer of disease is also a concern of mine with the use of mats.
In reality how many people really do sterilise their mat between each fish they catch.
Thats another good thing about a towel type material, it is easily placed in the washing machine after a days fishing.

So, this thread is not posted to encourage any falling out amongst fellow bfw users, it's posted to hear of others opinions and their thoughts on the use of mats, the materials used to make mats and what better materials could be used to make them etc.
 
I would guess that very few anglers sterilise their mats after use . I can see the logic of a towel like material but have never seen a mat made of such material . As to grass , well if you can face the wrath of the mat police I don't see a problem with laying a fish on damp grass . The worse scenario , other than laying the fish on stone , concrete , rock hard mud etc ,is a bone dry mat . Fish do slide about on mats particularly on sloping ground , this can be averted by the cradle type mats with sides but they can be a bit bulky .In the end it's down to common sense .Mat made of artificial grass anyone ?
 
I have no choice on the matter as all the clubs i am in insist on a mat (& minimum landing net sizes) and enforce it with vigour, often asking people to stop fishing & leave if requirements are not met!
I do understand the reasoning behind it but am saddened at the lack trust that you have no common sense these days. Having said that, i’ve seen things that would make your toes curl when it comes to fishing & fish safety so perhaps it’s not a bad thing!
There are loads of rules usually put in place from a reaction at what someone has done in the past but with ‘common sense’ wouldn’t be needed.
 
As for the use of a Matt or grass? I’m of a generation where matts didn’t exist when I was a lad, we had to apply common sense! Something that appears to not to be in abundance these days? I have no issues with using fresh soft grass, provided that there’s no wood’y material I.e. twigs etc, or just leave the fish in the net and place on my lap, where club rules allow. The only possible issue with the grass is of wood’y debris twigs stiff dry grasses etc as the fish don’t have eye lids other than that I would advocate the use of a matt over a dampened towel because I wouldn’t want to remove the fishes protective slime possibly? But as said in the original post, the most important thing is the application of common sense!😉
 
i think your approach is sound Ian, at a minimum I always keep my fish in the net when laying on the ground. Mats don't work on sloping banks either so they are not the perfect solution in all cases. I wouldn't lake fish without a mat though, now we have man made "bivvy" swims with not a blade of grass in sight !!!
 
I have no choice as my club either requires one and even checks it in an induction at one venue or provides nets and mats at others, but totally get where you are coming from. I don’t sterilise mine but I do hose it off after a session, it lives outside hanging in the sunshine, and is always dry before my next trip. I make sure of that as being dry is important from a disease pov.

I actually use mine as a bag to carry stuff too as it’s a fold in half/zip up job with an extra pocket on one side and a shoulder strap (guru fusion), so I’d be lost without it from that point of view too.

It’s common sense as you say when rules dictate the choice, no real angler would ever risk damaging a fish, unhooking mat or not.
 
The majority of places I fish there isn't any suitably soft/lush grass by the swim, usually just rushes/reeds and tall herbs - nothing anyone would dream of placing a fish on. I always tried and position the unhooking mat in a hollow so the fish can't slide off.

And there is only one thing worse than seeing someone placing a fish on a bone dry mat and that is a bone dry mat that has been warming up in the sun. In the warmer months I make a point of stashing it away out of the sun before it gets used.
 
I can't advocate the use of a mat when river or lake fishing moor, or in my case I use a "fox cradle", other cradles available, the korum barbel cradle being an excellent product.
They are specifically designed for fish safety, and mine always has a bucket of water or if I'm roving a bait box full of water by its side.
When night fishing I'll have 2 pegged out one at the water for under 12 pounders for a quick return, and one up the bank in a Moor suitable area for photos etc.
Being a bailiff, I also see cringworthy efforts at fish welfare and try to educate anglers on the welfare of fish safety as much as possible...
I understand that roving anglers have enough to carry already and that the burdon of a mat only hinders their experience.
Come on guys they only weigh a couple of pounds at most , most have hoops for caribiner connection and are as an important bit of kit as your rod.
Fish welfare has come on leaps and bounds over the last 25 yrs and I will always strive to look after my quarry.....
So for me.
Cradle, mat, cradle, mat....
 
Not sure if ill get shot down for this .But i use a sports direct bag .I can lie the fish on the folded bag & then use it to weigh it .Its cheap, light & packs away easily
 
Steve Goff said:
Not sure if ill get shot down for this .But i use a sports direct bag .I can lie the fish on the folded bag & then use it to weigh it .Its cheap, light & packs away easily
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Steve, I’ve used a large orange plastic super market bag, the compact foldable version (Sainsbury’s other brands are available)😉 for longer than I can remember? I lay my net on top for unhooking then like you I can weigh the fish in it when needed? For the smaller species, chub roach perch etc.😁 I wouldn’t use it for weighing larger fish than the length of the bag though, because I don’t think 🤔 bending fish is acceptable. To quote Abraham Lincoln. “You can please some of the people some of the time, but can’t please all of the people all of the time”😉
 
Sports direct bags are really big so you can get a hell of a fish in it without bending .I may have a but of a problem if i were ever to catch that 20+ pounder though & they weigh just 6oz .But zero the scales first of course
 
If you don't have to follow club or syndicate rules, common sense is all that's needed. If you know the type of ground in the swims you'll likely be fishing, it's not rocket science to be able to provide sufficient protection when laying a Barbel ... or any fish on the ground or above it.
If you've got a fairly thick coat with you, all you need in addition is a bin liner, and you've got an unhooking mat.
If the grass is reasonable just the bin liner will do. If the grass is lush, and thick it's probably better than some unhooking mats out there, but I would take a few seconds ( and have done ) to run your fingers through the grass to make sure there's nothing sharp or prickly being hidden i.e. strands of dead or growing bramble, bits of plastic, even glass, maybe stones, just to be on the safe side.
What to some may seem as over the top rules on fish care equipment I think are made because, the rule makers have possibly had bad experiences in the past, and basically don't trust ALL members to use common sense, and I can well understand that.
I've always got an unhooking mat with me, and for Barbel fishing I use one of the quick draw type that's really well padded, that I can use flat if I want the extra area, or pull the drawstrings up to have 3" walls creating a 'bath type' mat, it rolls up, and is strapped to the top of my rucksack, and weighs ounces.
As long as the fish is well protected if laid on the ground, or held up for a piccy, what does it matter ?
 
Steve Goff said:
Sports direct bags are really big so you can get a hell of a fish in it without bending .I may have a but of a problem if i were ever to catch that 20+ pounder though & they weigh just 6oz .But zero the scales first of course
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I wasn’t having a pop at you Steve, just agreeing with you in my own little way buddy 😉👍🏻
 
Ian Grant said:
If you don't have to follow club or syndicate rules, common sense is all that's needed. If you know the type of ground in the swims you'll likely be fishing, it's not rocket science to be able to provide sufficient protection when laying a Barbel ... or any fish on the ground or above it.
If you've got a fairly thick coat with you, all you need in addition is a bin liner, and you've got an unhooking mat.
If the grass is reasonable just the bin liner will do. If the grass is lush, and thick it's probably better than some unhooking mats out there, but I would take a few seconds ( and have done ) to run your fingers through the grass to make sure there's nothing sharp or prickly being hidden i.e. strands of dead or growing bramble, bits of plastic, even glass, maybe stones, just to be on the safe side.
What to some may seem as over the top rules on fish care equipment I think are made because, the rule makers have possibly had bad experiences in the past, and basically don't trust ALL members to use common sense, and I can well understand that.
I've always got an unhooking mat with me, and for Barbel fishing I use one of the quick draw type that's really well padded, that I can use flat if I want the extra area, or pull the drawstrings up to have 3" walls creating a 'bath type' mat, it rolls up, and is strapped to the top of my rucksack, and ways ounces.
As long as the fish is well protected if laid on the ground, or held up for a piccy, what does it matter ?
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They should always be held above a mat for pics tho??
 
The main advantage of using a mat is the element of control you have regarding what the fish is laid on.

a patch of thick soft wet grass is a lovely thing and will house a fish just perfectly but unless you grew it from seed and stood and watched it grow there is no telling what it hides and a quick run through with your fingers is …….. well risky business really for two reasons.

1 you run the risk of sticking your fingers in whatever might be there and 2 it’s not a certainty that you won’t miss something.

The second you lay out your mat you are in full control of the whole environment that your fish spends the next minute or so on and that is the only reason I use them religiously

We are not the only people using the river banks and even some anglers have no problem cutting off the size 6 they used the day before and chucking it on the bank.

Anything could be discarded and missed in there from a discarded Stanley blade to a pile of dog sh*t and it’s not really something i want to run my fingers or lay a fish on personally.

Now that said a mat is only as good as the man that uses it. They can be miss used and neglected and then obviously they are no longer effective or safe things to use.

It’s not difficult though. Mine gets an occasional blast with the karcher and hung to dry. A hose pipe would probably do the same thing it just needs a blast in the corners and more importantly to be let to dry then they don’t go mouldy and bad.

I don’t preach to be “mat police” people will do what they do and that’s up to them but all this talk of common sense…… a mat is common sense. It doesn’t need to be bulky or expensive or even a dedicated fishing brand. It just needs to give you the control over what it is exactly that you lay a fish on. Nothing more.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
I don’t preach to be “mat police” people will do what they do and that’s up to them but all this talk of common sense…… a mat is common sense. It doesn’t need to be bulky or expensive or even a dedicated fishing brand. It just needs to give you the control over what it is exactly that you lay a fish on. Nothing more.
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My first mat (probably mid 80’s) was a piece of foam nicked from a 25 year old bench seat in my Mum’s kitchen. I stuck it inside a green plastic 25kg pellet sack and it worked just fine.

BTW the 2mm pellets from BP Nutrition were brilliant. Pity you can’t get them anymore.
 
I can catagoricly say i've never had any issues with dog muck etc where i've been fishing.
I'm quite positive it would be very visible if there were any on the grass, and if i'm honest i'd be more concerned about getting it on my hands and tackle than the fish. In reality dog muck would not damage a fish anyhow.
Regarding spent hooks wazzed into the banks, I very much doubt one would ever latch into a fish, but, we do purposely strike them into fish in order to catch them, and very often fish are foul hooked!
Over thinking people can often sensationalise things and make up scenarios in their heads about what might happen, when the chances of those things actually happening are less likely than someone who doesn't do the lottery winning the lottery!

At the end of the day "imo" common sense should be used, not the..... maybe this will happen, maybe that will happen etc type of thinking.
"Imo", if a person is so worried about the "extreme" possabilities of what may happen to a fish when fishing for them, then the person may be better taking up another hobby because in reality we have no control over where a fish will be hooked, what snag it may get entangled in, what it may be dragged against etc etc.
Many years back I do remember playing in a chub of about 4lb and it was hooked directly in its eyeball ! I have foul hooked lots of fish, in their eye sockets (which is not as bad as it sounds) in their sides and pretty much all of their fins! Thankfully all were returned no worse or very little worse for wear.

So, at the end of the day common sense prevails, if a mat is the better option then use a mat, if there is a better option then use that....all the above is my own personal opinion, and not meant to cause any aggro.
 
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