Predator Fish Care

Any angler knows that fish care is essential when fishing for predatory freshwater fish as any damage the fish might take during the battle of hooking to landing in your net can seriously affect its life expectancy and growth. We here at Angling Direct have a collection of fish care equipment that makes weighing and unhooking pike, perch, zanders and more.

We have a vast range of product that caters for the larger size fish you tend to catch when predator angling in the UK waters. Stocking up on a decent unhooking mat, weigh sling or some of our fish care accessories will ensure that fish return to the water as healthy a condition as we removed them.

With both weigh slings and unhooking mats, there is a range of brands to look out for such as Fox Rage, Aqua, and fish-care fanatics Chub. We’ve also created our own-brand range of fish care products; Advanta.

Unhooking Mats

When setting up a temporary sanctuary for you catch to rest in between weighing, removing hooks and taking pictures with, make sure to get an unhooking mat, cradle or crib to ensure there is a thick enough layer of protection between the fish and the bank terrain. Some in our range are extra-large to cater for anglers catching huge catfish in from European waters.

Unhooking a fish isn’t always as simple as it sounds, especially predators that tend to have some nasty sharp teeth. You may need from forceps to remove a hook safely and then it’s a good idea to check the fish over for any damage the removable of the hook may have caused to its mouth. This is much easier to accomplish with a mat and we stock a wide range of generously sizes unhooking mats that have room for the fish. Many mats have an additional piece of material that is used to cover the fish from sunlight such as the Fox Easy Mat Camo. Other mats have another piece of fabric for you to rest your knees on so both angler and fish are taken care of.

Also, remember to keep the mat wet– preferably with cold water directly from the lake. This is because a dry mat will strip the protective mucous layer from the fish, placing the fish at risk to diseases and damage and always dry out the mat properly after use and between sessions to avoid spreading of fish diseases.

Weigh Slings

Predator anglers love to catch a huge predator and then check its weight to see if it’s a new PB. It is important to weigh these large fish as safely as possible and that is where a weigh sling comes in. You can get a variety of weighing slings that have drainage holes to ensure an accurate reading.

For many anglers, accuracy of the weight is a big deal so you can use a weight sling that attached to your scales and weight pole make sure all products can hold the weight of a predator and are strongly reinforced to safely and securely weigh the fish. Many of the weigh slings double up retention or flotation slings. This means that they not only give you somewhere safe to hold your fish but they also provide a safe place for your fish to recover in the water before you release it back to its home.

Fish Care Accessories

We also stock water buckets to hydrate predators, antiseptic spray and accessories for slings.  This section is always expanding as there is the need to protect large pike and catfish from damage whilst out of the water. Angling Direct aims to bring you the world’s best fish care products at the lowest possible prices – as protecting your fish need not cost the earth!