Korda Compac Hybrid Mat

Fish care is very important to us at Korda and we strive to design products that will help you to return your catch to the water in at least as good a condition as when you landed it.

After several years of development and testing, we believe that we have come up with the ultimate unhooking mat, which not only offers the maximum fish care solution for your catch when it's on the bank and the best for the carp wellbeing, but is also user friendly when it comes to weighing fish, taking photos, and transporting the mat to and from your swim.

The Korda Compac Hybrid Mat is made from top quality materials, which have been designed to last and to withstand the rigours of regular use out on the bank in all weathers, and is suitable for any carp that you are likely to catch in the UK, along with many of those that you might catch whilst fishing abroad.

During testing our Team Korda anglers used it extensively at home and abroad, including with some of the most prestigious carp in the UK. The Korda Compac Hybrid Mat has been developed by Team Korda to be the best possible fish care solution available today.

The Compac Hybrid Mat has a unique design

We wanted to design a mat that gave you all the benefits of a traditional flat mat, including being able to easily frame it out of photos – unlike many of the cradle style mats – but also offered the extra protection that those cradle style systems tend to give, in terms of preventing any chance of the fish flapping off of the mat.

The Korda Compac Hybrid mat features a 70mm thick medium density foam pad, for ultimate protection, so even the liveliest of carp stays on it, whatever type of ground you use it on.

But we also coupled this with a cushion of beans/polyballs in a ring around the edges of the mat, meaning that even the liveliest fish is unable to flap off of the mat and the carp stays in the central area of it, on the foam, inside the ring of polyballs.

Whilst this mat has been designed so that a carp can’t get off of it, you still should never leave a fish on it unattended.

The Hybrid unhooking mat floats and is ideal for water shots

The Hybrid Mat has been designed so that it will float, and will stay afloat without taking on loads of water, and this makes it ideal for doing photography of your catch in the water.

You can get the fish out and onto the mat – even with a 60lb-plus carp it will still easily stay afloat – and once it has calmed down (unlike other some types of mat designed for water shots, where the fish remains in the water and never tires or properly calms down), you can lift it up for some photos. Even better if you have someone to help with the mat as well as taking the photos, so they can pull it out of the way for the photos or quickly float it back into place if the fish starts to struggle and you need to put it back on the mat again.

The construction of the mat means that a fish can’t easily flap its way off of it, but it is still best to try and keep it under control, covering it with a weigh sling if necessary or placing your hand at the head end whilst the carp calms down.

The Korda Compac Mat is built to last

All of the materials selected for the construction of the Compac Hybrid Mat are of a high quality and are designed to last, including the foam and polyball inners.

The base of this unhooking mat is made from the same hard wearing 600D water resistant fabric that is used to construct our popular range of Compac premium luggage. The mat's waterproof base makes it suitable for use on rough or wet ground, without it absorbing excess water or the fabric wearing through.

The top of the mat, which the fish will come into contact with, has been made from a special carp-friendly material, which is hard-wearing but also won’t do any damage to the fish and helps to prevent the removal of slime and stops the fish from drying out, whilst also helping to prevent it from sliding around too much and making sure it stays on the mat and can’t damage itself.

Easy to transport

Despite it's size – overall dimensions: 125cm x 85cm x 14cm – the Compac Hybrid Mat is easy to transport on your barrow and to load into your vehicle, as it has been designed to be securely folded in half and fastened via a large central buckle, plus a Velcro strap on each side. Packed dimensions: 86cm x 56cm x 32cm.

This makes it relatively very compact when folded up and means that you are able to more than adequately protect any carp that you catch, but at the same time without compromising on your ability to be mobile if you need to be.

The mat has also been designed so that it doesn’t take on water, so if you haven’t had a chance to dry it out after use, or have even used it for water shots, it won’t be overly heavy when it comes to transporting it – nor will it leak water out all over the rest of your gear on the barrow or in the back of your vehicle!

What other features does it have?

This unhooking mat features four corner pegging rings, that enable it to be pegged securely to the ground and with no danger of it blowing away even in the strongest winds.

We know that treating any hook holds or damage on the body of the carp that you catch is important, so we have included a pocket that is specifically designed for the storage of a Korda Carp Care Kit, so you always know exactly where it is and it is easily accessible when you need to use it.

It is available in a choice of two colours - olive green or our signature Dark Kamo. The Korda Compac Hybrid Mat is perfect for use in conjunction with the Compac Retainer Slings, sold separately.