Fish care is of paramount importance and should be at the forefront of a carp anglers’ thoughts, protecting our best specimen fish is the goal here. The best way to guarantee a safe capture and release is to be well prepared on the bank, armed with the right gear to get the job done safely and efficiently.
One of the more difficult areas of fish care to negotiate is the photo opportunity, we all want evidence of our most recent catch to show our mates, post on social media or a forum, but doing so whilst taming a wild fish that just wants to flail in the direction of the water from which it came, even for a few seconds, can be difficult.
Traditionally, a landing net is used in order to keep a specimen fish undamaged whilst on the bank, but with a shear size and weight of some of the UKs specimen fish, landing mats are no longer appropriate for the job. The best way to ensure the safety of larger carp is with the addition of a carp cradle to your bankside setup.
Essentially a padded bed for your catch to be housed in whilst you snap a few photos, with the cradle lifted off the ground, via four adjustable legs with mud feet, if the fish were to struggle it is very easy to quickly return the carp to the relative safety of the Fox Carp Master Cradle.
The 210 soft-touch PVC fabric protects the carp as best as possible, the cradle also features two drainage holes at either end of the bed, so when you’re keeping the carp wet, it won’t be laying in a pool of water.
The supporting frame is strong and sturdy regardless of how rugged the bank may be, the bars also don’t extend the length of the cradle as this has been known to cause damage to the fish at the head and tail end.
The Cradle is supplied with a heavy duty 500 denier carry bag, which is surprisingly compact once the cradle is folded down, it is also supplied with a retention flap with Velcro securing tabs and finished in DPM camo fabric.