playing and weighing your carp

we,ve talked about carp care and really this starts right form the intial run in my opinion its one of the best adrenalin rushes in carp fishing in is when the bite with the indicated screaming out and the bait runner hissing as line it taken out by the now attached carp ,especially if you have waited a long time for any action so you don,t want to blow it now .
now you don,t have to run out to the rod and strike like a madman all you need to do is pick the rod up and bend into the fish ,(but under the surprise of the bite we sometimes tend to forget and rush to the rod) .
so once you are into the carp you will want to play it carefully (as it might be a PB) so don,t just winch it in it could end in tears such as the hook pulling from the carps mouth or your line giving way under the strain.
now the carp will go on powerfull runs and there are two ways you can play it one is to have your reel in the anti reverse position and backwind or you can use the clutch on the back of your reel or on the front depending what reel you have .
i use the clutch but i don,t set mine before like some angler will advise but i loosen it after i have made contact with the carp then once i,m into the fight i will then tighten or loosen it .
you should at all time keep the line tight to the fish and gentle wind down and lift the rod gently and keep doing this to slowly bring the carp closer in .
now once the carp is close you will have to be care full because although it will be tired it can and some time still go on a power full runs putting added pressure on your tackle and especially the hook so be care full when its close.
now your landing net should be to hand and now this is the time to place it in the water .
now the fish should be tired enough and this is normally shown by the carp when it lays on its side, you can now draw it over the net carefully but be ready as some time when they see the net they tend to get another lease of life and try and run off again so take it slowly .
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once the carp is in the net make sure its safe (when on my own i use a bank stick in between the spreader block)
as you will need to leave the fish for a minute while making sure you have your weighing gear ready and your camera ,
once this is done you are now ready to weigh your fish .
firstly you will need to make sure your scales are zeroed with the wetted weigh sling attached now place your fish into the weigh sling making sure it pecks are against its body .
now you are ready to record your carp weights .
some time when weighing a suspected heavy fish it can be quite difficult to lift the fish up with out having your eldows tucked into your body and i,ve seen some anglers lift the scales up from the underneath of the scales this give an inaccurate reading so don,t do this .
what i use is a hook that attaches to the end of my landing net and it very easy to use and get a accurate reading of your prize
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what you do is attach it to your landing net pole then hook your scales onto the hook and with the bottom of the pole placed into the side of your boot you can now lift up until the sling is clear of the floor you can read the weight of the fish far more easerly .
now you are ready to photo your prize
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regards
kevin

Wo oo big betty bam a lam, Thats a fair fish there kevin.
Do you mainly target the carp, or fish for whatever you can get?

no i fish for all species but my favourite fish i persue is ZANDER followed closely by carp then all other species after that

regards
kevin

Good info again Kev and a smashing picture at the end!

good advice that kev, but i put my hands up because it has happened to me in the past, its a matter of controling the adrenalin rush
aswell, its hard to do but it is possible........

something im yet to experience but hopefully its going to be my year for pb s this year.

Top job Kevin turned it into a Sticky

yeah top write up kev i also don't set my clutch until i'm into a fish once i'm playing it and judge how hard it's fighting then i will loosen or tighten it up to the fishes playing needs.

mint write up kev,
i wathced a guy over the other side today and he put his clutch on after the strike,so i thought i can do that,YES! it felt great playin them,the fella even shouted over tips,nice bloke.
can't wait to get a target Carp of over 5LB.
cheers,
Brian