Best Carp Care Kits

Two 30ml bottles make up the Korda Carp Care Kit, with Ulcer Swab to clean and disinfect wounds and ulcers on the mouth or body, and Propolis to seal the area afterwards.

Propolis, a natural bee product, goes on hook holds, lifted scales, sores and damaged fins, and both bottles zip into a small mesh pouch with a bright green zip, so the kit is easy to find in a rucksack.

It suits any carp angler who wants the full clean-and-seal routine without buying bottles one at a time. Next to the Gardner Intensive Carp Care Pack, it swaps a gel and spray for a cleaner and a propolis sealant, and for me that two-step approach gives it the edge on coverage.

To be fair, two steps take a little longer than a single spray. For a complete kit that keeps both treatments together, though, I think it's the best all-round choice for carp care.

Gardner's Intensive Carp Care Pack pairs a 30ml Intensive Care Gel and its applicator swabs with a 60ml Intensive Care Spray, and all three are zipped into a compact DPM camo pouch.

The spray gives quick antibacterial and antifungal cover for hook holds and lifted scales, while the gel goes into deep wounds and ulcers after you've gently dried the area.

Carp anglers who want an answer for both everyday hook holds and the rarer deep wound should look at it. Next to the Korda Carp Care Kit, it relies on a gel and spray rather than a propolis seal, and against the Catfish Pro Fish Care Kit, it gives you two treatments rather than one big bottle of gel.

To be fair, drying the area and using a swab makes deep wounds a slower job. For carp anglers who want a gel and a spray in one pouch, though, I think it's a very complete kit.

Catfish Pro's Fish Care Kit is built around a 100ml bottle of fish-specific antiseptic gel, coloured light blue so it shows clearly where it's gone, and developed with Steri-7 Guard Pro.

You also get swabs to apply it and hand sanitiser for yourself, all kept in a Catfish-Pro rig pouch, while the gel's snap-open lid works one-handed as you steady the fish.

Big catfish and big carp are its natural territory, as you're carrying more than three times the gel of a 30ml bottle. Against the Gardner Intensive Carp Care Pack, it's one treatment rather than two, while the Korda Propolis Carp Care All In One is a much smaller single bottle for anglers who travel light.

To be fair, working gel on with a swab takes longer than spraying. For anglers who handle big fish and want plenty of easy-to-see gel close at hand, though, I think it's a smart, well-stocked kit.

Korda's Propolis Carp Care All In One is a single 30ml liquid for hook holds, cuts, sores and abrasions anywhere on the fish, so there's no need for two bottles.

The concentrate clings to the fish and forms a waterproof seal that can last up to five days, while an easy-twist cap and a long shelf life suit a bottle that lives in the bag.

Coarse and carp anglers who travel light will get the most from it, since it suits all coarse species. Compared with the Catfish Pro Fish Care Kit, it's a much smaller single bottle without the swabs or sanitiser, and against the Gardner Intensive Care Carp Spray, it's a liquid sealant rather than a quick spray.

To be fair, you lose the separate cleaning step of a full kit. For one compact bottle that covers the whole fish from lips to fins, though, I think it's a very smart buy.

A 60ml medicated spray that suits every freshwater species, Gardner's Intensive Care Carp Spray is antibacterial and antifungal, with a pump atomiser cap that aims it straight at the affected area.

It covers the routine hook holds and lifted scales as well as ulcers, sores, spawning damage and predator wounds, and a deep wound or ulcer wants a light drying before you spray, so the treatment can soak right in.

Anglers who want the fish back in the water fast will like it most. Against the Korda Propolis Carp Care All In One, it trades a long-lasting seal for sheer speed, while the Carp Care UK Acute Antibacterial Swabs give more control near the eyes, nasal passages and gills, where a spray risks overspill.

To be fair, you need to keep it well clear of the gills. For quick, simple cover on everyday hook holds and lifted scales, though, I think it's hard to fault.

Carp Care UK's Acute Antibacterial Swabs come 30 to a pack, and each holds a measured dose of solution for wounds around the eyes, nasal passages, gills and inside the mouth.

Snap the bud with the orange line, let the solution soak into the cotton end and dab the area, with no spray drifting where it shouldn't. Keep them out of the gills and off the eyes themselves, though.

Careful anglers who want a precise tool for the head and mouth should keep a pack in the bag. Compared with the Gardner Intensive Care Carp Spray, these treat a much smaller area but give far more control, and the Korda Ulcer Swab is the bottle to choose for open wounds and ulcers on the body.

To be fair, they're single-use and too small for a big patch of lifted scales. For controlled, mess-free treatment in the awkward spots, though, I think it's a clever little pack.

Open wounds, ulcers and damaged skin are what the Korda Ulcer Swab is made to clean. It's a 30ml antiseptic that helps prevent infection by bacteria or fungus, and it can go anywhere on the body.

There's one bottle and one job, so there's no order to follow while a fish waits on the mat. It also comes as one of the two bottles in the Korda Carp Care Kit, so it sits happily alongside Korda's Propolis if you want to add a seal later.

One bottle for general wounds suits carp anglers who like a simple routine. Against the Carp Care UK Acute Antibacterial Swabs, single-dose swabs for wounds near the eyes, gills and mouth, it's one bottle for the whole body, and next to the Carp Care UK Phase 1 Antisepticize it cleans without being part of a three-step system.

To be fair, it's one of the dearer single bottles, and it cleans rather than seals. For a simple, trusted antiseptic that lives in the bag, though, I think it's a sound buy.

First in the Carp Care UK system, Phase 1 Antisepticize is a non-toxic disinfectant spray in a 30ml bottle. It's for mouth damage, small body lesions, cuts, open wounds and ulcers, and it always goes on before Phase 2 Propolis.

Dry the area first and then spray it. Mouth damage needs only a single spray aimed away from the throat, and a deep hook hold gets a fingertip of spray massaged in. Keep it clear of the eyes, nasal passages and gills.

Building the three-phase routine starts with this bottle, but it also works as a cheap disinfectant spray for mouth damage and small wounds. Compared with the Korda Ulcer Swab, it's part of a system rather than a standalone cleaner, and Carp Care UK Phase 2 Propolis is the step that goes straight on top.

To be fair, it's only the first step, so you'll want Phase 2 as well for a full treatment. For a cheap, pocket-sized clean before anything else goes on, though, I think it's well worth having.

Phase 2 of the Carp Care UK system puts bee propolis in a 30ml dropper bottle, for use on both mouth and body. Its formula includes pinocembrin, a flavonoid with antifungal properties, plus amino acids, vitamins A, C and E, potassium and magnesium.

It goes straight onto areas already sprayed with Phase 1. Lake water then seals it, and the colour lightens as it does, unless Phase 3 Wound Membrane is going over the top, in which case you leave it unsealed.

Within the system, it sits between Carp Care UK Phase 1 Antisepticize and Phase 3 Wound Membrane, with the spray cleaning first and the powder covering bigger body wounds afterwards. For anglers who already carry Antisepticize, it's the obvious next bottle to buy.

To be fair, it isn't a standalone treatment, as it needs Phase 1 first. For anglers running the full system, though, I think it's a thoughtful, well-stocked middle step.

Wound Membrane closes out the Carp Care UK system. This 28g bottle holds a powder adhesive for covering cuts, wounds and ulcers on the body, and it isn't meant for the mouth.

Dust it over Antisepticize and unsealed Propolis, then add lake water. As the powder takes up the water it darkens and forms a thick film, a plaster that holds the treatment in place and protects the area from further damage.

Larger body wounds are where it earns its place. Where Carp Care UK Phase 2 Propolis is the treating step, this is the protective layer on top, and next to the NGT Fish Aid Antibacterial spray it's a far more involved routine for far more serious damage.

To be fair, it's the fiddliest of the three phases and it's no use on its own. For bigger body wounds, though, I think it's a cheap and genuinely useful finishing step.

Cheap and simple, the NGT Fish Aid is an antibacterial antiseptic for larger fish in a 50ml pump spray. Use it on hook wounds and damaged scales after unhooking, before the fish goes back.

A one-touch pump means there's no order to follow and nothing to mix or seal. It's a bigger bottle than the usual 30ml treatments, so it should last a good while, and it's small enough to keep in every bag.

It's a sensible first treatment for newer carp anglers or anyone counting the pennies. Next to Carp Care UK Phase 3 Wound Membrane, it's a quick spray rather than the last step of a three-part routine, and it covers far fewer kinds of damage than the Gardner Intensive Care Carp Spray.

To be fair, it's a basic antiseptic with no gel, sealant or mouth-specific treatment. For a cheap spray that handles everyday hook holds, though, I think it's the best budget buy going.