The Rodslinger: Chub Extra Protection Carp Cradle

I recently decided to upgrade some of my Fishing gear as some of my old gear was starting to look a bit dilapidated after years of hard use ! One of the more pressing items I had to replace was my unhooking mat as my old Chub compact Beanie mat was no longer providing the support and protection it used to due to my using it to sit on when I was stalking ! So it was time to look around for a new mat, and with the recent development of the cradle type mats that offer the best in fish protection, I decided this was the type of mat I would look into getting. After considerable research and considerations regarding the practicalities of the various types of Cradles and Mats available to suit my own needs I decided to take a punt on the Chub Extra Protection Cradle Mat. As I only fish very short day sessions, I needed something that was compact and easy to transport, and the Chub Cradle fits this criteria very well. The mat folds down to a very compact size thanks to the use of zips on the four corners of the mat that form the support of the padded side panels. When unzipped the sides collapse and you simply fold the mat into itself to make a very compact package that fits neatly into a drawstring carry bag. Padding wise the mat is very well padded and there is a separate padded base that velcro's into the bottom of the cradle. there are drain holes n the bottom of the main section to allow excess water to drain away. Other features include a small fold away kneeling mat, side pockets for your Carp care kit, and a fold over flap to keep any fish secure should you need to leave them unattended whilst preparing weighing gear etc. So far the mat has proven itself to be a good investment and has lived up to my expectations well and fits nicely into the niche that I require for my angling. Obviously I will have to see how it performs in the long term as regards durability, but it appears to be very well made and robust and as long as the zips aren't mistreated I see no reason why it should not last a long time. All in all I think this is a great product from Chub and in my opinion one of the best designed mats on the market.