Avid Carp have a fantastic new range of ‘carp care’ products designed and tested with the assistance of their consultancy team. We examined two of them at the Tackle & Guns Trade Show – the Carp Couch and the new Retaining Sling. Both looked the absolute bees knees in both design and materials used.
Ian Russell demonstrated the Avid Carp Couch and I have to admit, as far as fish care goes, this is 5-star. Some will consider the Carp Couch as a little over the top as an unhooking mat, but this level of sophistication isn’t bulky with the design that has been developed here. The whole thing folds away to a manageable size without compromising on fish comfort or strength. While at first glance it shares some elements with the cheap folding chairs that are everywhere this year, the materials in the finished product are much better. In testing, the Carp Couch safely cradled carp of up to 70lb! It’s a great product with a catchy name – we can see these catching on. Comes complete with a canvas bag.
Next up is the Avid Carp Retaining Sling. Again, this product is all about quality and nice design features to make your life easier. Designed to be the ultimate in short term fish retention, the Retention Sling features a full foam top for buoyancy and closes completely shut. Avid have used a super soft mesh that’s kind to your catch while allowing water to flow freely through the sling. There’s also a more substantial material used on the base of the sling to protect the fish. Perhaps the neatest feature is the magnetic closure between the two top floats. The magnets used give just the right amount of closure to temporarily seal the sack for weighing purposes, etc. It felt really good when we tried it at the show. The Avid Carp Retaining Sling measures 130cm by 70cm.
Price on the Carp Couch is around £90 and £45 for the Retaining Sling.