Culling Techniques

[Felix77]

Looking for ideas for culling more efficiently. Last year I tagged and weighed each fish as I caught them. It's effective but not very efficient.

How do you guys manage your culling?

[BrianinMD]

I use a set of culling balls which has dials so you can put the bass's weight on it. But for time sake I just put an estimated length, when its time to call I do a quick comparison to do my cull. Worked for me so far...

 

 

[quanjig]

I think if you want to be efficient, you have to be accurate. Get a scale that will keep track of your weight "as you go." This way, when the time comes to get the dink out, it's quick and simple. Don't skimp on a culling system, it might take an extra minute to do it correctly, but doing so will keep you from having to guess when you cull.

[Hanover_Yakker]

I've often wondered the same thing, but in my mind length is not the concern, since you will only be culling keepers anyways.  Therefore weight is the only factor to consider.  The best method of comparing apples to apples so to speak is the culling system that uses a balance to weigh one fish against another.  The lighter one is released and the heavier one stays.  If you do this throughout the day after you have your limit, then you should only be culling one fish.  Right?  So, only one fish would actually need the culling identifier.  If you don't have your limit, then you shouldn't be culling at all if they are all over the legal minimum size.

[J Francho]

For whatever reason, I always use the pink tag for my smallest fish.  Pink = dink, and that's the first one to go.  As far as comparisons go, a balance is the way to go.  Faster and easier than any scale. 

[jhoffman]

FYI you can find a balance on ebay cheaper then everywhere else.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CULLN-STICK-HANGING-SCALE-BASS-TOURNAMENT-FISHING-NEW-/130849446156?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e773c190c

[jbsoonerfan]

I use a digital scale and a colored rope style culling system. I put a dry erase board into the hole where my factory fish finder was (I will attach a pic when I get home) Then I weigh a fish and put a tag in it, color doesn't matter as long as I write the weight in the correct spot on the board. If I catch a fish that will cull, I just look at the board and know which color to grab and replace that fish and write the new weight on the board.

[Felix77]

I use a digital scale and a colored rope style culling system. I put a dry erase board into the hole where my factory fish finder was (I will attach a pic when I get home) Then I weigh a fish and put a tag in it, color doesn't matter as long as I write the weight in the correct spot on the board. If I catch a fish that will cull, I just look at the board and know which color to grab and replace that fish and write the new weight on the board.

 

This is exactly what I do now.  In retrospect it seems to take too long compared to what I have seen others do.

[Teal]

I use a digital scale and a colored rope style culling system. I put a dry erase board into the hole where my factory fish finder was (I will attach a pic when I get home) Then I weigh a fish and put a tag in it, color doesn't matter as long as I write the weight in the correct spot on the board. If I catch a fish that will cull, I just look at the board and know which color to grab and replace that fish and write the new weight on the board.

X3. I dont mind taking a few extra seconds to do that. If im on the fish, then then they will bite again. In the grand scheme of things its not that time consuming to quicklt wiegh a fish after unhooking him and looking at the board, putting him in the livewell and writing down his weight on the board. I like it because it is accurate as long as you write the numbers by the right color.

[Felix77]

X3. I dont mind taking a few extra seconds to do that. If im on the fish, then then they will bite again. In the grand scheme of things its not that time consuming to quicklt wiegh a fish after unhooking him and looking at the board, putting him in the livewell and writing down his weight on the board. I like it because it is accurate as long as you write the numbers by the right color.

 

This is making me feel better about my method.  I should mention that I am a co-angler and also have a fear of mixing up fish with my boater.  

 

One tournament my boater was culling and pulled the divider right out with the fish.  Luckily I was anal about tagging and weighing each fish so we could tell my fish from his.  Otherwise we would have had to clear the livewells.

[Hanover_Yakker]

I see your point about being a co-angler.  My recommendation there would be to discuss that with your partner the night before or before the launch and come up with a system you both can follow easily.  Basically, whichever method the front angler chooses will be the modus operandi for the day.  It is his/her boat anyway and most likely their culling system.

[J Francho]

 This is making me feel better about my method.  I should mention that I

am a co-angler and also have a fear of mixing up fish with my boater.

 

Definitely mark your cull tags uniquely!

[Felix77]

I see your point about being a co-angler.  My recommendation there would be to discuss that with your partner the night before or before the launch and come up with a system you both can follow easily.  Basically, whichever method the front angler chooses will be the modus operandi for the day.  It is his/her boat anyway and most likely their culling system.

 

Believe it or not our league is each person for themselves.  That means I compete with all others in the league including the boater I am with.  With that being said he is responsible for his fish and his culling methods.  I am responsible for my own.

 

This brings me to why I even posted this in the first place.  Most of the boaters I fished with even bothered to tag their fish at all.  They seem to cull by eye only.

 

That's what made me wonder if I was being too technical with my approach and losing valuable fishing time in the process.

[J Francho]

It'sa lot easier to handle the fish with cull tags.  Otherwise, you're chasing them around the well, and and possibly harming them in the process.  I also don't like to separate the fish between the boater and non.  I prefer to keep the bigger fish in the starboard side, and fish likely to be culled in the port side well.  There's less commotion to the final keepers that way.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

What is this "culling" you speak of?

 

Totally foreign concept to me as I am happy to catch 5. LMAO

[Felix77]

What is this "culling" you speak of?

 

Totally foreign concept to me as I am happy to catch 5. LMAO

 

Trust me ... there were days when any advice on this thread would be totally unnecessary.  

 

LOL

[quanjig]

J, my smallest gets a white tag (white out!)

[wnybassman]

My smallest gets black.    Black balled.

 

Tags get put on fish as they go into the well.    Usually the first couple culls or so are pretty obvious ones.  After that, you may have to look at them all to see the smaller one.  After that everything gets beamed.

 

Don't skimp on a cull beam.  I've used a lot of cheap ones in other boats to appreciate my more expensive one.  Good to have the built in level in it also.

[ww2farmer]

Weighed and tagged with the ardent smart cull tags.  Beam the close ones...............of course I usually have to borrow Wnybassman's beam. When we are fishing together, I bring the scale and my cull balls,  I do the weighing and tagging, his 80 year old tags are too confusing to a dummy like me. Light blue, dark blue, funky color..............bahhhhh..............2lbs 2 oz vs 2lbs 12 oz is much easier.

[lmoore]

One method I used (and trust me, I only used it once). I weighed all the fish I had after I had my limit, and wrote the weight on my arm in the color that matched the cull-clip the fish was attached to. It was only a 3 fish tournament, so I only had 3 colors I needed to use, which was great, because I only had 4 colored markers....the 4 that come in a pack of Spike-It Garlic Scent markers. Didn't take much of the drive home for me to stop and scrub, and I ordered a balance shortly after.

[jbsoonerfan]

Here is my rig I came up with

 

 

[james 14]

Check the Bassmaster website. They have an article on this exact subject. I actually thought this thread was just a reposting of the article before I viewed it.

[Felix77]

Check the Bassmaster website. They have an article on this exact subject. I actually thought this thread was just a reposting of the article before I viewed it.

 

I assume you meant this article.  Thanks.  

 

http://www.bassmaster.com/tips/unlocking-bass-better-culling

 

It also validates to some extent that what I was doing was correct with one exception.  He uses the balance beam as opposed to using a digital scale.  That seems to still be up for debate.  I guess I have to try it to see which one works better for me.

[tbone1993]

Have two systems for culling. The marker balls and also the floating strings. If your boater uses balls then use the string and vice versa. This way you know which fish is yours. You can use a digital scale to get the exact weight but you can also do this by eye. It is more important to have a system for your tags than it is knowing each exact weight. A beam is the most effective tool to use. If your scale breaks then you will have to fall back on your tag system. Do not rely on electronics , they fail at the worst possible times.

[gar-tracker]

For whatever reason, I always use the pink tag for my smallest fish.  Pink = dink, and that's the first one to go.  As far as comparisons go, a balance is the way to go.  Faster and easier than any scale. 

 

I do that too only white, white aint right.

 

Just a stupid little thing to help me remember.

 

I just eye them up, If I'm dealing with ounces I'm usually not doing any good.