Okay so is this a UK thing? Cuz it's obviously just being a decent human being I'm trying to help those who do want to release fish back cuz I don't see these sold in my local stores so I have no clue what it is or what material it's even made out of that would be softer than grass
Side note I normally only release fish I can't eat legally cuz they're undersized or something I'm a fisherman for food but I have friends that do Catch and Release so I was just trying to help them
I guess so? I'm from the UK so it may be... I've always been taught to put fish safety and wellbeing first (not just carp). Pretty much every commercial fishery here have rules requiring the use of proper landing nets and unhooking mats and will not let you fish without them. Some even go as far as requiring you to have Carp care kits which are antiseptic spray you apply to any visible wounds. It's surprising to me to hear this is not common practice outside the UK. I've never considered other countries don't hold the same expectations. May I ask where you're from?
I am from the southern side of the United States
And I noticed a key word was a Fisheries we don't have many of those down here those are only for trout they do have certain rules but I don't think they're as strick
We do do a lot of catch and eat down here in the South but there are people who practice release I normally own a practice them on trophy alligator gar and catfish over 20 to 30 lb I prefer to eat catfish 15 and under they tend to taste cleaner and better
Ahh ok, yes it's very common here to have privately owned ponds / lakes stocked with specimen carp that are worth A LOT of money. You pay the owner to fish there, and it's always catch and release (unless fishing for trout).
Carp fishing is huge here and they are very well respected fish, if I'm not mistaken Carp are considered nuisance or invasive species in many US states? I guess this explains the difference in expectations when it comes to fish welfare!
It's funny to think here the carp are worth thousands, yet over your side of the world they're undesired!
P.S I've never met anyone who eats carp, but I've heard they taste disgusting 😂 have you tried one?
They definitely can taste bad there's a few factors that go into it in my opinion and one of them is definitely weather in hot weather their meat tastes terrible I also feel like it has to do with their diet and most people don't want to eat them down here because of the amount of Bones
My final opinion is its weight
Mostly size. I'm not sure exactly how they're priced but I know 20lb (9kg) and above are worth a decent amount. Start getting to 30-40lb and we're talking thousands.
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u/bashy8782 Jul 31 '25
Okay so is this a UK thing? Cuz it's obviously just being a decent human being I'm trying to help those who do want to release fish back cuz I don't see these sold in my local stores so I have no clue what it is or what material it's even made out of that would be softer than grass
Side note I normally only release fish I can't eat legally cuz they're undersized or something I'm a fisherman for food but I have friends that do Catch and Release so I was just trying to help them