Portable Fish Scales

[Inoah88]

I have heard good and bad things about portable fish scales, and how the don't weigh right.  What is a really good portable fish scale that is very accurate and at a good cheap price for the average person.  I know bogagrips are the best but they are really expensive.  Are spring scales accurate and at a good price or electronic scales.  

 

Thanks,

 

Inoah88

[papajoe222]

I'll tell you what I use and it's extremely accurate.  It's a digital luggage scale.  I picked it up online for under $15 with shiiping.  I checked it out against known weights of 1,5 and 8lb. and it was dead on.  the hook used to attach the item for weighing is a little small, but I haven't lost a fish when weighing.  here's one for under $10  http://www.ebay.com/itm/50kg-10g-Portable-LCD-Digital-Fish-Hanging-Luggage-Weight-Electronic-Hook-Scale-/371050558209?pt=US_Pocket_Digital_Scales&hash=item5664563301

One word of caution. When you first start using a scale it's a little deflating to your ego to find out a fish you estimated at 5lb. actually being 3.5, but you will become better at estimating weight and your ego will survive just fine.

[Fish Murderer 71]

I can tell you that the tourny choice from Academy is trash...  I got one of the rapala 50 lbs but have yet to put batteries in it.

[einscodek]

Unless yer going for a record I dont think truely accurate scales matter too much.

Scales need to be recalibrated and re-zeroed to be truely accurate.. you buy a scale which reads clearly in digital numbers does not mean its accurate.. it just means it reads clear.

Most scales are like strain gauges and they change and creep over time and temperature requiring re-adjustment

[livetofish28]

The rapala 50 pound one is good thats what we use 

 

  tight lines 

 

      Andrew

[tbone1993]

I have the rapala 15lb tourney scale. its a good scale but kind of hard to use really quickly. Make the investment and get a boga grip

[Brian Needham]

yep the rapala with the touch screen is what I like, $50 and has neat features

[paul25]

yep the rapala with the touch screen is what I like, $50 and has neat features

x2

[WRB]

Digital scales are only as accurate as the batteries used. I use Jennings Ultra Sport 30 (66 lbs) accurate within .01 lbs.,cost about $23. Scale includes a tape measure, can be certified by weights & measures.

Tom

[Loop_Dad]

I use Rapala® Mini 25 lb. Digital Fish Scale. I bought if for the size being so tiny. When I got it, I checked against the exercise weights of various size and found it to be accurate enough for me.

[pondhopper]

Because of where I work, I was able to "lab test" my rappala 50 lb. She was right on at 5lb, a little more than two ounces low at 10lb, and right on again at 15. Then a few days later she died. d**n thing.

[NorcalBassin]

I use the Berkley Lip Grip digital scale they used on MLF last season. Strangest thing though... seems to underweigh all of my fish by at least 25%.

[SirSnookalot]

Unless yer going for a record I dont think truely accurate scales matter too much.

Scales need to be recalibrated and re-zeroed to be truely accurate.. you buy a scale which reads clearly in digital numbers does not mean its accurate.. it just means it reads clear.

Most scales are like strain gauges and they change and creep over time and temperature requiring re-adjustment

This couldn't be more true.

 

Can't comment much about fish scales but I have owned scores of scales from postage to 100k# truck scales. The most accurate scales are spring, quite often there will be a digital display but the scale is spring.  The more sensitive the more it needs to be recalibrated.  The most accurate scales are probably triple beam used for precious metals, they are usually mechanical not digital.  Anyone that has owned a business that uses scales knows that the Weights and Measures department comes in and does random checks and they recalibrate them.  In most states a legal scale is +/-1%.  

 

I threw this out only to say that a digital scale may not be accurate, then again it just might be, but it should be checked from time to time and reset if needed.

[Bluebasser86]

I've been really happy with the Rapala scales. I check them against the weight of known objects for accuracy and they're always pretty close.

[Jig Man]

I tried every digital I could buy and none of the gave a consistent reading so I bit the bullet and bought a boga.  Not only is it good, it makes it easier to land a good fish with treble hooks in its mouth.

[NathanW]

I ran cheap Rapala/Berkley scales at first but my fish kept getting bigger and bigger. One day I got called out on it and started to realize just how bad some of these scales were. I have a boga grip now but I think back to several years ago and question my personal best smallmouth of 6.25 lbs weighed by a $15 Berkley spring scale... Maybe it was just a 4 pounder...I will never know.

[SirSnookalot]

I ran cheap Rapala/Berkley scales at first but my fish kept getting bigger and bigger. One day I got called out on it and started to realize just how bad some of these scales were. I have a boga grip now but I think back to several years ago and question my personal best smallmouth of 6.25 lbs weighed by a $15 Berkley spring scale... Maybe it was just a 4 pounder...I will never know.

maybe it was an 8 pounder and the scale weighed it light, lol.

J/k, but it's possible an inaccurate scale could be wrong either being too light or too heavy.

[Jrob78]

I've been really happy with the Rapala scales. I check them against the weight of known objects for accuracy and they're always pretty close.

Me too

[Choporoz]

I've got one of the Rapala minis.  Fits well in small tackle box and dead-on-balls-accurate -- however, it's a pain to use.  I highly suggest getting one with a gripper

[NathanW]

maybe it was an 8 pounder and the scale weighed it light, lol.

J/k, but it's possible an inaccurate scale could be wrong either being too light or too heavy.

Haha...yeah it probably was 8lbs!! Really though I have yet to see one, that was properly zerod weigh too light. I know its possible but they almost always tell you the fish is bigger than it is unless the thing is brand new. I am mostly talking about the real cheap berkley/rapala/bps scale that I used to use and my buddies seem to buy over and over again.

[jignfule]

 

I ran cheap Rapala/Berkley scales at first but my fish kept getting bigger and bigger. One day I got called out on it and started to realize just how bad some of these scales were. I have a boga grip now but I think back to several years ago and question my personal best smallmouth of 6.25 lbs weighed by a $15 Berkley spring scale... Maybe it was just a 4 pounder...I will never know.

 You mean to tell me that the 28 pounder I caught the other day may not have been a world record!!

[Goose52]

I use Rapala digital electronic scales. I've had five of them - four "50lb Mini Digital" and one "50lb Sportsman's Digital."  All have been accurate to within two ounces at the 10-pound weight range.  The only problem I've had has nothing to do with accuracy - it's had to do with the on/off switch getting dodgy then failing on one of the Mini Digital models.  So, I've tossed one of the five but still have four in service (1 in the boat, 1 in the bank-fishing pack, 1 in the car, 1 as a spare in the house).

 

Great service for around $20. 

 

Test report here:  Rapala Mini Digital Scale - Load Test Report

[Jrob78]

I use Rapala digital electronic scales. I've had five of them - four "50lb Mini Digital" and one "50lb Sportsman's Digital."  All have been accurate to within two ounces at the 10-pound weight range.  The only problem I've had has nothing to do with accuracy - it's had to do with the on/off switch getting dodgy then failing on one of the Mini Digital models.  So, I've tossed one of the five but still have four in service (1 in the boat, 1 in the bank-fishing pack, 1 in the car, 1 as a spare in the house).

 

Great service for around $20. 

 

Test report here:  Rapala Mini Digital Scale - Load Test Report

This is the scale I have as well.  It's actually the 2nd one.  The first worked great for about 5 years and then just wouldn't come on one day, I think it got drenched in a rain storm once though.  Its on/off switch was a little iffy also.  Sometimes it wouldn't come on immediately.  This new one has a better switch.  Both were very accurate and well worth the $20 or so that I paid for them.  I would buy another if I needed another scale.