CHICHESTER & DISTRICT ANGLING SOCIETY
Additional Carp Handling Bylaws
Damage, especially mouth damage, is a serious problem, especially with large carp being caught on a regular basis. It can occur either from a snagged fish or unintentionally during the transfer from water to mat. Anglers can reduce this problem by following these simple rules.
If you are fishing Quarry, Whyke or Churchyard you must have a landing net with a minimum of 36-inch arms and a high-sided unhooking mat capable of holding a 40lb plus carp and an approximate length of 42 inches.
When fishing near snags, stay by your rods and lock up and ensure your rods can not be dragged from your rests. Don’t let the fish get to the snag in the first place. If a fish does get into snags, do not pull for a break. Hold steady but not excessive pressure for a few minutes if this fails slacken your line and wait for the fish to move and tighten up. You may have to repeat this a few times before the fish frees itself.
If possible, unhook your capture before lifting it from the water. This is not always possible if the fish is still relatively lively.
Before lifting, always ensure that your hook and lead are not snagged in the mesh and the lead is in the bottom of the net. Ensure the fins are flat to the carp’s body. Your mainline must be slack and the bail arm open before attempting to lift a carp from the water to the unhooking mat.
(Absolute best practice, but not compulsory, is to cut the hook link or mainline above the lead (or leader if using one. This ensures that no pressure can be applied to the fish’s mouth during the lifting from water to mat.)
Always collapse your net. Don’t roll the net around the arms if the mainline is still attached, as this will tighten the line to the fish. If possible, always transfer the netted fish into a recovery sling before lifting from the water and ensure all fins are flat to the body of the fish.
Ensure weighing, fish care, and photography equipment is ready to use before lifting the fish from the water. Do not leave the fish alone once it’s out of the water. Have ample water available to keep the fish wet and abide by Bylaw 21 regarding time out of the water and Bylaw 23.for retention after capture.
Avoid the carp hitting the edges of cradles, net arms, etc. As this can cause irreparable damage, especially to their tail section.
Moving a fish beyond the level area behind the swim for photos is not acceptable. Always keep the fish above the mat and as low as possible when taking photographs.
Always fish care treat the hook hold and any other damage before returning the fish to the water.
