Fish Tales Funny And True!

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Okay this is getting kind of annoying! I was walking with my lovely wife at a park when we passed a fisherman throwing a jerkbait. So trying to be nice I ask "how's the fishing". The guy lights up and replies "it's amazing, I just caught a 5 lber". I said "wow, that's a good fish". To my amazement he asked if I wanted to see it. I was a little confused but agreed. The man walked over to his hidden stringer and pulled up a bass that was a little over 2 lbs. My wife started to say something and I gave her the look. I congratulate the guy and walked away using every bit of self control not to call him out. I explain to my wife, sometimes it's just better to walk away and just let him have his moment.

Where I work there is a little honey hole a bunch of people fish during lunch. We have a little intranet web page where pictures and stories are shared. One day all the people in the office were asking me if I saw the picture of the guy who caught the 8 pounder. Everyone in my office knows I fish everyday during lunch so they ask if I have ever caught one there that big. I say no, my biggest is 7.2. It is possible to catch that quality of fish there so I went to check it out. I was in true disbelieve when I saw a guy holding a 4 lbs fish.

I guess what I am getting at is if it is the biggest fish you ever caught don't show your ignorance and guess how much it weighs. Maybe not a big deal to some people but to others it's annoying.

Am I alone here? Am I looking at this all wrong? what is your experiences with this?

Jay

[Darren.]

Not alone, Jay. I've come across people who say they caught a 10 pounder, I engaged them enthusiastically, and in the conversation ask about how big they thought it was... On one instance I caught a 2 pounder (dock fishing) while in conversation, and the person said about that size.... LOL

 

For the most part, it has been kids. I take the opportunity to offer a little education on size, girth, etc. They're usually receptive when discussed kindly, encouragingly. Sometimes I just nod and say "way to go!" and avoid the situation all together.

 

Can't remember what the review was about, but there's a kid who posted a picture of a "7 pounder" on Bass Pro saying he caught it with whatever worm or lure. The fish couldn't have been more than 2 pounds.

 

In the church we call that "evangelastically speaking"....

[bmlum415]

I see it all the time, once actually I was fishing a tournament and some guy fun fishing asked me how I did and I replied that I caught two 5lbers and he looked in disbelief until I pulled them out of the live well, his facial expression was priceless!!!

[BassinLou]

Delphi_boyz I here what your saying. Some people know how to gauge fish weight pretty good. Others are way, way, off.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

I don't mind if it's kids but when they are older than I am, I just have to smile and walk away. Some people get a little touchy, when you question them!

Jay-

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Be happy that the guy didn't really have a 5lber on the stringer 

 

As for the photo, is it possible that foreshortening may have been the culprit. Nobody believes the true weight of my friend Edwin's Potomac bass. Care to take a guess at the weight? I'll post the actual weight if at least 1 person takes a guess (hint: it's the largest fish I've ever heard of being caught on this body of water.)

 

We weighed this fish on a Chatillon spring scale and had it checked immediately afterward (because we were in disbelief.) It was spot on.

 

 

 

[motodmast]

Ya i get exactly what your saying. I find it quite funny what some people thing is a "5lb bass". Another one that was real funny to me was when me, my cousin and his friend were out fishing, his friend asked what my pb was, i told him it was a 7.8, he went on to say that his friends dad is a pro angler in california(my cousin lives in sacramemto,im in WA state) and he cought a 28lb. Its funny how far some people can go with there made up stories.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Be happy that the guy didn't really have a 5lber on the stringer 

 

As for the photo, is it possible that foreshortening may have been the culprit. Nobody believes the true weight of my friend Edwin's Potomac bass. Care to take a guess at the weight? I'll post the actual weight if at least 1 person takes a guess (hint: it's the largest fish I've ever heard of being caught on this body of water.)

 

We weighed this fish on a Chatillon spring scale and had it checked immediately afterward (because we were in disbelief.) It was spot on.

You didn't mention how much it weighed.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

You didn't mention how much it weighed.

 

 

Be happy that the guy didn't really have a 5lber on the stringer 

 

As for the photo, is it possible that foreshortening may have been the culprit. Nobody believes the true weight of my friend Edwin's Potomac bass. Care to take a guess at the weight? I'll post the actual weight if at least 1 person takes a guess (hint: it's the largest fish I've ever heard of being caught on this body of water.)

 

We weighed this fish on a Chatillon spring scale and had it checked immediately afterward (because we were in disbelief.) It was spot on.

[Bankbeater]

I have weighed fish for people with my scale, and then they have told me that it must be broken. They know their fish is bigger than what my scale says.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

I don't trust spring scales they are very hit or miss.

Jay

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

I am going to be generous and say that fish is in the 5

lbs range. The way he is holding his arm out and the size of the mouth compared to his hand makes me think smaller. You mentioned it was big for the river and I have seen 8 ponders come out of the river I know it's not in that range.

Jay

[Snakehead Whisperer]

The fish went 8lb.4oz. 

 

Spring scales are absolutely the most accurate way to measure the weight of a fish. Not only are they more accurate than digital, but they can easily be calibrated. I'm not talking about the cheap ones for fishing. This scale was a Chatillon, and they do not make junk. The scale was calibrated weeks before catching the fish, and once again a few days after the catch. It was spot on.

 

Like I said, few people believe the weight of the fish (we snapped a pic, measured/weighed and let 'er go.) Him and I know the real weight, and that's good enough.

 

I believe you 100% about the 5lber that suddenly lost 3lbs. on the stringer. I've seen that lots of times. My only point is that it's nearly impossible to discern the weight of a fish from a photo.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

The fish went 8lb.4oz. 

 

Spring scales are absolutely the most accurate way to measure the weight of a fish. Not only are they more accurate than digital, but they can easily be calibrated. I'm not talking about the cheap ones for fishing. This scale was a Chatillon, and they do not make junk. The scale was calibrated weeks before catching the fish, and once again a few days after the catch. It was spot on.

 

Like I said, few people believe the weight of the fish (we snapped a pic, measured/weighed and let 'er go.) Him and I know the real weight, and that's good enough.

 

I believe you 100% about the 5lber that suddenly lost 3lbs. on the stringer. I've seen that lots of times. My only point is that it's nearly impossible to discern the weight of a fish from a photo.

Yeah I can see why no one believes that is a 8 lbs fish. Fish's mouth looks barely big enough for that guys hand to fit in. The 8 pounders I have caught and seen had a mouth big enough to almost put 2 fist in. I have a picture of a 6.60 that I caught and in my picture it looks big enough to eat the one in your friends picture.

The picture of the fish I was referring too in the OP was scrutinized by all the regular fishermen from work and we all unanimously agreed no way in bleep it was 8 lbs. Most of the guys I work with are tournament fisherman in their 50's. Lots of experience in judging weights.

Jay

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Yeah I can see why no one believes that is a 8 lbs fish. Fish's mouth looks barely big enough for that guys hand to fit in. The 8 pounders I have caught and seen had a mouth big enough to almost put 2 fist in. I have a picture of a 6.60 that I caught and in my picture it looks big enough to eat the one in your friends picture.

The picture of the fish I was referring too in the OP was scrutinized by all the regular fishermen from work and we all unanimously agreed no way in bleep it was 8 lbs. Most of the guys I work with are tournament fisherman in their 50's. Lots of experience in judging weights.

Jay

There's no way for me to be objective without seeing the photo, and honestly I know exactly what you're talking about. I've seen fish photos and just been blown away by the claims people make. It's not just in fishing either. People exaggerate pretty much everything to sound cool (e.g. my car's fast, I've got lots of money, etc.)

 

For tournament anglers a miscalculation like that can mean winning or losing. For most anglers though it just sounds better when bragging to say 8 instead of 4. I could care less except that Edwin and I had a tournament of sorts between us that morning, and needless to say I got slayed. I did have a legit 5lber and it didn't look 3 lbs. smaller than his fish, but it was. He then proceeded to boat a limit of fish over 4lbs in less than 90 minutes.

[JellyMan]

Hey... what can ya do.

 

It all boils down to ego. Most people need to feed this ego. If anything, I am short on my weights. When I caught my PB I called out 9.5. When the scale read 11.3, I flipped. I joined the DD club. But yeah, I see it ALL the time and I'm just like "whatev dude." 

 

Golf is VERY similar. I drive the ball at sea level around 280. I get paired up with guys howling about "Dude that was 310". No man, it wasn't. I pulled out my GPS on a drive that I made which I outdrove my playing partner by at least 30 yards and he asked me what yardage I had and I told him "I got 279". He responds with a surprised and angry "There's no way!". And on that note... drive for show but put for doe. Again, it's ego. People smash driver all day long on the range and I'm around the putting green 60% of the time working on my short game. It hurts when you go through life without the facts and feed your ego BS. You get conditioned to living this way and when the truth hits, it hurts.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Hey... what can ya do.

Ha, I read your original post and I can't help but imagine a bass fisherman saying that your 1lb. spider goes 12oz. tops

[wisconsin heat]

I get excited when i catch big fish I tend to over exaggerate but only when i catch a big one, I can judge a fish's size fairly well just get in the moment sometimes .For example my two PB's were exactly the same weight - 

The one I caught in 2011: OH MY GOD!! A SIX POUNDER!!! (20 seconds later)  Not a six maybe but AT LEAST A 5!!!!

weighed on a scale: 3lb 9oz LOL

2012: BABY!!!! THATS A 5!!! (20 seconds later) NOT 5 BUT A SOLID 4 POUNDER! WOO!!

weighed on a scale: 3lbs 9oz LOLx2

[JellyMan]

Ha, I read your original post and I can't help but imagine a bass fisherman saying that your 1lb. spider goes 12oz. tops

Yeah I saw the title and thought it was something else until I started to read more LOL.

 

my mistake. And no the spider wasn't 1lb but that is our joke. They do have some weight to em tho. Scary big. 

 

These things are EVERYWHERE in the canal. Skip to 2:40 to see the real size of these things. You can see their Molts on the trees too and they are massive.

 

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Yeah I saw the title and thought it was something else until I started to read more LOL.

 

my mistake. And no the spider wasn't 1lb but that is our joke. They do have some weight to em tho. Scary big. 

 

These things are EVERYWHERE in the canal. Skip to 2:40 to see the real size of these things. You can see there Molts on the trees too and they are massive.

Awesome spider. Do you think the bass back there eat them?

[JellyMan]

Awesome spider. Do you think the bass back there eat them?

Yu know... I never thought about it. I always saw them on tree trunks. They might!

[Tuckahoe Joe]

The fish went 8lb.4oz. 

 

Spring scales are absolutely the most accurate way to measure the weight of a fish. Not only are they more accurate than digital, but they can easily be calibrated. I'm not talking about the cheap ones for fishing. This scale was a Chatillon, and they do not make junk. The scale was calibrated weeks before catching the fish, and once again a few days after the catch. It was spot on.

 

Like I said, few people believe the weight of the fish (we snapped a pic, measured/weighed and let 'er go.) Him and I know the real weight, and that's good enough.

 

I believe you 100% about the 5lber that suddenly lost 3lbs. on the stringer. I've seen that lots of times. My only point is that it's nearly impossible to discern the weight of a fish from a photo.

 

I was gonna say 7lbs pushing towards 8.  I'm still working on my weight guess-timations.  I have a spring scale but I don't use it often unless its a decent fish.  Don't see much of a point in weighing 12 inch fish.  I recently started watching fishing shows on the Outdoor Channel like Major League Fishing and I try and guess the weights before the actual weight is given.  I'm actually getting pretty good at.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I was gonna say 7lbs pushing towards 8.  I'm still working on my weight guess-timations.  I have a spring scale but I don't use it often unless its a decent fish.  Don't see much of a point in weighing 12 inch fish.  I recently started watching fishing shows on the Outdoor Channel like Major League Fishing and I try and guess the weights before the actual weight is given.  I'm actually getting pretty good at.

I'm sure that like people, bass can have different tissue densities. There are some people who look much lighter than they actually are (muscle weighs more than fat.) Just a thought.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

I'm sure that like people, bass can have different tissue densities. There are some people who look much lighter than they actually are (muscle weighs more than fat.) Just a thought.

Very good point.  Didn't really think about that.

[prjavelin]

Yu know... I never thought about it. I always saw them on tree trunks. They might!

 

Dude my first day there I would have thought about it and tried it. Imagine that thing moving his legs in the water... Bass would rip them apart, you could start a feeding frenzy!!!