Unhooking mat!

rayner · Sep 9, 2016

Yesterday I was having a nice day fishing with paste.
I was plugged into my ipod happily fishing and for a change the float was going under every drop with a fish being hooked almost every time.
I was interrupted by a chap prodding my shoulder because I didn't hear him.
I turned around on my box and he with a curled lip asked where my unhooking mat was. My reply was **** ***. He said "not good enough where's your mat".
This turned into a very heated debate regarding fish safety, he asked where I kept my fish first aid kit.
The rest of the argument you can guess. I was dumb founded and didn't care for his tone.
If I had put any fish on the ground to unhook or take a picture I could understand his gripe but I unhook fish in the net and return them straight away. I never take a fish from the net ever.
Without doubt this clown would have gotten wet had I been able.

steve2 · Sep 9, 2016

Jobs worth bailiff don’t you just love them.

I had the same problem last season, he also said my landing net was too small, my fish were being laid on a folded tarpaulin. I never carry a fish first aid kit can’t see the point in repairing fish I have just damaged by hooking them. Might as well give up fishing if I am that worried about fish welfare.
Also been accused on this water by a different club bailiff of not fishing the swim correctly he said there is a rule that states you can only fish the water in front of you and not to the side. Have also been accused of pike fishing out of season when lure fishing for perch.
Have reread the rule book since and there is no rule against lure fish for perch or fishing to the side of your swim.

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Sep 9, 2016

There are some very good bailiffs out there who give help and advice but the odd one or two gives them a bad name

terry m · Sep 9, 2016

This individual does sound like an over zealous individual.

However I do think there is potential value in the fish treatment kits that you can buy. Not really to treat the hole left by the hook hold, (unless of course the mouth is torn), but sometimes scales are lifted or there may be injuries, lesions or sores from events unconnected with the fish capture. I have no idea how effective the kits are, but I occasionally use them in the spirit they are intended, and if that gives a fish a better chance of recovering from its ailment then I am OK with that.

seth49 · Sep 9, 2016

One of the carp I caught on Tuesday had been foul hooked at sometime and still had the hook stuck in its side, the skin around the hook looked inflamed so I removed the hook and dabbed some klinic jell on with a cotton bud.

Don't know if it will help but I did the best I could for it. Do use it on missing scales etc.cant do any harm.

thecrow · Sep 9, 2016

Is it in the fishery rules that these items are required?

I don't believe that fish on the whole need our "medical" interference, they get a lot of knocking about during spawning and most recover quite happily from that. It does no harm though I suppose as long as the treatment is fish friendly.

There seems to be a group of people that have elected themselves to being the unhooking mat police, 99.9% are idiots, common sense should prevail when deciding if one is needed or not.

Keith M · Sep 9, 2016

If it is in the rules for the water that unhooking mats must be used then fair enough. Both clubs that I belong to stipulate that an unhooking mat is a requirement by all anglers who fish its waters simply because they've had some idiots in the past that haven't looked after large fish and have let them flap about on hard ground; but anti bacterial lotions are not a requirement and its up to the anglers themselves whether they carry any.

Unfortunately a lot of rules are only there because of the minority of idiots.

Keith

ken more · Sep 9, 2016

If it's fishery rules then probably fair enough. I would much rather use a nice grassy area than an unhooking matt, providing there is nothing sharp etc in it. Check it first of course.

seth49 · Sep 9, 2016

It was a rule about using unhooking mats, on the last fishery I used to go too, the one I joined last year doesn't have the same rule, but now I've got one I might as well use it.

It lies on the bottom of my barrow when every thing is packed on, so I always have it with me.it always get dried after use, but I don't really fish anyware else nowadays, I have six different lakes to go at on this fishery,all slightly different so plenty of choice.

mikench · Sep 10, 2016

I use one in fact I use two! I bought a cheap but perfectly good NGT mat but it is thin and as my catches improve , I felt I needed a thicker mat. I bought a Nash which is 3cm thick and seems very well made and only cost £9.95!

I place both on the peg and the original stops floats, hooks and weights dropping into the gap between the boards!

rayner · Sep 10, 2016

The fishery concerned has no rules regarding mats or medication.
The two bailiffs at the fishery are both very good at their jobs and will help anyone who needs it.
Just to put one thing right, the clown who prodded my shoulder was new to me, he is certainly not a bailiff.
His moan may well have carried weight if I had put my net on the floor, it's hard standing there with not much grass.
When I catch any fish the net is laid across my knee to remove the hook.
There was quite a few anglers catching far more than I at the time using the same method of unhooking, one chap in particular likes to photograph every fish. This pilchard didn't confront anyone else.

thecrow · Sep 10, 2016

rayner said:
The fishery concerned has no rules regarding mats or medication.
The two bailiffs at the fishery are both very good at their jobs and will help anyone who needs it.
Just to put one thing right, the clown who prodded my shoulder was new to me, he is certainly not a bailiff.

Then my answer to him would have been the same as yours with no more communication with him.

Unhooking mat!

rayner

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steve2

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Lord Paul of Sheffield

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terry m

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seth49

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thecrow

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Keith M

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ken more

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seth49

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mikench

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rayner

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thecrow

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