Greys Prodigy Klip On Unhooking Mat Medium

How well is it built?

So, the Prodigy is a simple flat mat with some clever extras, and for me the extras are what make it.

The mat itself is made from 210D waterproof fabric that Greys describe as super-soft and well padded, and there are pegging points at all four corners to stop it moving about on the bank.

The Klip-On straps are adjustable webbing with clips, and when you're using the mat they tuck away into their own storage pockets, so they're not flapping around under the fish.

There's also a shallow pocket for forceps or a disgorger, which is a small touch but a handy one, because your unhooking tools stay right where you need them.

I think it's neatly made and well thought out, but it's still a padded fabric mat rather than a thick foam one, which is why it sits a step below the likes of the Gardner Asylum here. For me, it's solidly built for the money.

Protection

Protection is decent, but it's the area where I'd be most honest about the limits. The well-padded fabric gives the fish a soft surface, the waterproof material helps when the ground is wet, and the corner pegging points keep the mat flat and secure while you unhook.

What it doesn't have is any walls, a cover or a deep foam base, so a big, lively carp has nothing to stop it rolling off the edge. Is that a problem?

For tench, bream, barbel and smaller carp, I don't think it is, but for big carp I'd want something like the Wychwood Walled or an inflatable instead.

Greys say it's roomy enough to kneel on without extra extensions, which is useful when you're handling a fish on uneven ground. Overall, the Medium gives you good basic protection for general coarse fishing, and that's what the score reflects.

Ease of Setup & Portability

Portability is the Prodigy's strongest point, and it's the reason I'd buy one. The adjustable Klip-On webbing straps fix it to Prodigy bags and rucksacks, so it rides along with the rest of your kit, and the two 30cm elasticated loops keep it tightly rolled when it's not in use.

Setting up is pretty much a case of unrolling it, tucking the straps into their pockets and pushing a peg through each corner if the bank is soft enough. There's nothing to inflate or assemble, and packing it away again is just as quick.

To be fair, the Klip-On straps make the most sense if you own Prodigy luggage, though the elasticated loops still keep the mat compact whatever bag you use.

Overall, for anglers who walk a long way or move swims often, I think it's about as easy to live with as an unhooking mat gets.

Is it good value for money?

So, is it good value?

I think so, because although it costs a little more than the Preston Fold Away and the Shakespeare SKP Roll, you get the Klip-On straps, the forceps pocket, corner pegging points and well-padded waterproof fabric, which is a lot of useful detail for a small outlay.

It doesn't compete with walled mats or inflatables on protection, and it isn't trying to. What you're paying for is a decent padded mat that's genuinely easy to carry and quick to use, and for a lot of anglers that's exactly what's needed on the bank.

Overall, I'd recommend it to roving coarse anglers, barbel and tench anglers and anyone who already uses Prodigy bags or rucksacks. If you mainly fish for big carp, I'd spend more on a walled mat with proper sides.