Is It Possible To Estimate Girth...

[BooyahMan]

...from photos and a video?

The reason I ask is because I am contemplating getting a replica made of my PB. The problem is I only took a rough length measurement but no girth measurement. I am LOUSY at remembering what a fish actually looked like (hence why I take a lot of pictures if given the opportunity), and thus I'm turning to the good fishers of BassResource for their infinite wisdom and experience with these awesome fish. So...if you guys even want to take a stab at guessing the girth I'm more than willing to hear it. I really wish I could go back in time to get an actual measurement but if there is some sort of agreement on a number then I'm more than willing to take it.

 

Some of you may remember seeing these photos before; they're not new but I'm putting them all in this thread for reference. The length of the fish is about 21 inches, might have been a smidge over. Oh, and I'm not a real big guy. I'm 5'5" if that helps any. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought this might help some more so I'm also including a short video of the fish. Please...excuse my fascination with the dorsal spines. I'm a little weird that way.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k29EEwZd8hk

 

 

Thanks for all input, even if you tell me that it's impossible and I just have to wait until I get another PB before I can measure it

Also, just would like to say that I hope no one misconstrues this post as me bragging about a fish. I know lots of much bigger fish have been caught and never replicated but this fish has some importance to me. Hope no one minds!

 

 

[corn-on-the-rob]

I think it would be extremely hard to "guess" a girth. But based on the length of your fish and in the pictures it looks very healthy and plump, I would guess the fish to be between 6lbs and 6.5lbs. So based on the the guessed weight and length calculate the girth using formulas that are around.

[F14A-B]

The fact you have a length is great, plus the pics. Scale some item in your pic.. ( reel handle, rod handle,( from the pic ) then measure the areas you need to know of the fish. You can use 1/100 or 1/10 you can decide the unit of measurement then convert... Should get you at least closer than a blind guess. That's a nice colorful pic as well. Maybe if you know of a great taxi/ replica maker that's done a lot of this work, I feel certain they could help isolate these numbers as well. Good luck. Nice fish!

[BooyahMan]

Thanks for the responses!

 

I do have a scale for the cork lengths as can be seen here:



I just wasn't sure how to go about doing the girth since the fish is three dimensional. 

[Sam]

Yes, I have done this before.

 

Since you have the photos of the fish next to your rod you can take the rod's measurements and use them to estimate the inches of length and girth.

[Catt]

Your problem will be figuring thichness

[Scott F]

Contact the taxidermist who will be doing the work, give him all the data and photos you have, and let him pick a mold from the available choices.

[A-Jay]

Having the exact measurements may not be that crucial.

 

 A replica can simply be a way for you to remember this special day & great bass.

 

As long as it resembles the original concerning its shape and appearance in a manner that you're happy & satisfied with, you will have all you need to meet that end.

 

As Scott F noted above, working closely with the individual you employ to do it, will go a long way. 

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

[WIGuide]

Do you know how much it weighed?

[Fisher-O-men]

You have all the info above that you need.  That is a beautiful fish.  In the first pic the flash has washed out the markings on the lateral line.  Those are what really distinguish any bass. A good artist will at least try to get that right.  Good thing they are evident in the last pic. 

 

I have seen replicas where an "artist" has just put a bunch of random splotches down the side.  No bueno!

[Dwight Hottle]

I'm guessing your fish has a girth between 16-18" inches.  

[WRB]

It is so simple to cut pieces of line for the length and girth if you don't have a scale to weigh or measure the fish.

the average LMB girth is 75% of it's length. Heavy body for a northern LMB would be 80%, over 90% for Florida strain LMB.

75% of 21" = 15.75"

My formula for LMB weight is L x L x G / 1200 = weight in lbs.

21" LMB average body = 5.79 lbs.

21" NLMB heavy body = 6.17 lbs.

L = length bass laying flat, mouth closed, tip of closed lower jaw to center of the tail.

G = girth around the widest area of the bass, closed dorsal fin.

Tom

[Senko lover]

Here's a little trick I learned: "measure" the fish-length and girth- with some mono, cut it off, and measure the length at home. Voila! Problem solved.

[Dwight Hottle]

Based on Tom's statistics your bass would have a girth of 16.8" classifying it as a heavy body meaning the girth is 80% of the 21" length.

[Raul]

Thanks for the responses!

 

I do have a scale for the cork lengths as can be seen here:

I just wasn't sure how to go about doing the girth since the fish is three dimensional. 

 

Just a question: why don´t you carry one of those when you go fishing ? no more "guesstimates" ya know.

[BooyahMan]

Your problem will be figuring thichness

 

This is what I was afraid of. It looks pretty flat in the pictures but when you see the belly in the video there's a lot of thickness there that isn't evident in just the photos.

 

Contact the taxidermist who will be doing the work, give him all the data and photos you have, and let him pick a mold from the available choices.

 

It looks like this will probably be my best option. Since they are professionals it'll more than likely be much more accurate (and less stressful) than me trying to figure out the exact girth measurements. 

 

Having the exact measurements may not be that crucial.

 

 A replica can simply be a way for you to remember this special day & great bass.

 

As long as it resembles the original concerning its shape and appearance in a manner that you're happy & satisfied with, you will have all you need to meet that end.

 

As Scott F noted above, working closely with the individual you employ to do it, will go a long way. 

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

 

I'm a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to this kind of thing as if this were someone else's fish and they were in my shoes, I would have said the exact same thing to them. I definitely will be happy if I get this done, regardless if it's exact or not. The only thing is I'm a little bit OCD about measurements when it comes to my own (personal trophy) fish. Which, I realize, kind of conflicts with the next few responses:

 

Do you know how much it weighed?

 

Unfortunately no scale. I'm guessing it's between 5-6lbs but that just from what others have told me and from online length-weight charts.

 

You have all the info above that you need.  That is a beautiful fish.  In the first pic the flash has washed out the markings on the lateral line.  Those are what really distinguish any bass. A good artist will at least try to get that right.  Good thing they are evident in the last pic. 

 

I have seen replicas where an "artist" has just put a bunch of random splotches down the side.  No bueno!

Thanks. I do have a few more pictures where the colours aren't as washed out so I should be ok with that. Definitely a gorgeous fish and I was more than happy to see it swim off to produce more of its kind. 

 

It is so simple to cut pieces of line for the length and girth if you don't have a scale to weigh or measure the fish.

the average LMB girth is 75% of it's length. Heavy body for a northern LMB would be 80%, over 90% for Florida strain LMB.

75% of 21" = 15.75"

My formula for LMB weight is L x L x G / 1200 = weight in lbs.

21" LMB average body = 5.79 lbs.

21" NLMB heavy body = 6.17 lbs.

L = length bass laying flat, mouth closed, tip of closed lower jaw to center of the tail.

G = girth around the widest area of the bass, closed dorsal fin.

Tom

 

I can't believe I haven't thought of that! Definitely will keep in mind using mono to measure. Although I now carry two tape measures with me (one soft and one hard), so if there is a next time I will use that equation. 

 

Just a question: why don´t you carry one of those when you go fishing ? no more "guesstimates" ya know.

 

To be honest, up until that point I didn't believe that that particular lake would have any bass of that size (even less so that I would be able to catch one), and I was already using my rod as a measuring stick for any fish 17 inches and under. I now carry two measuring tapes; one retractable one that will be used for length and one sewing machine measure to obtain the girth. In addition I will also be carrying around a small roll of spare mono for me to take quick measurements if I need it in a pinch. Now I just need to catch another one this size and I'll be golden.

 

 

Thanks again everyone for the input. I have a much better idea as to what I need to do now if I do get a replica of this fish. I guess the bait monkey will have to take a back seat for now so I can save up some big bucks!

[WIGuide]

My best guess would be anywhere between 14" and 16".

[Fishingintheweeds]

On 12/18/2014 at 7:47 PM, BooyahMan said:

Now I just need to catch another one this size and I'll be golden.

 

Well, 4 and a half years later...I gotta know. Are you golden?!

 

And did you get the replica? Do you like it?

[BooyahMan]

7 hours ago, Fishingintheweeds said:

Well, 4 and a half years later...I gotta know. Are you golden?!

 

And did you get the replica? Do you like it?

Aha, you got me! I'm betting you saw my other thread! I didn't have my scale on me but at least I got a better measurement on my new PB. 

Ended up not getting a replica, just couldn't justify the cost. Probably was a good thing in the long run as over the years I've gotten a much better idea of what is a trophy fish in my area. If I ever get an 8+ I will definitely get a replica of that as those are tough to come by here.

 

Thanks for pulling up this blast from the past though!

[jbsoonerfan]

Sorry, but this fish is still your PB. It's bigger than the one you just posted. But, buy a set of scales.