Colin the Carp

When You Catch

UK carp fishing is catch and release. The law, the ticket, and the culture all point the same way for a proper fish. Plan the mat before he hits the net.

The law

Rod licence if you’re 13+ in England and Wales. On rivers, streams and drains you may take coarse fish only within the national bag: up to 15 fish, and each must be 20 cm or under (carp is on that list). An adult Colin from a river goes back — that’s the byelaw, not a mood. GOV.UK freshwater byelaws.

On stillwaters you need the owner’s written permission to remove any fish. Almost every UK carp lake is catch and release. Keepnets are often banned for carp. Rivers close 15 March to 15 June inclusive.

On the mat — then back

Wet the mat, wet the sling, wet your hands. Keep him low. Unhook. Treat the hooksite. Photos: him in the water or just above the mat — not a vertical hold that dumps his guts. Time on the mat is a minute, not a photoshoot. Hold him in the edge until he’s strong. Warm water plus a long fight is how carp die after “a good release”.

If a ticket ever lets you keep one

Rare. Some commercials allow a take-home on specified stock. Follow that board and nothing else. Priest, not a slow bucket. Then ask why you did it. Don’t cook a lake carp because a bass recipe was on the next page.