Measure or Weigh?

[J Francho]

Converting physical dimensions to mass is rarely accurate.  Doesn't hold any water with me.  You catch a fish up here over 20", and I'm like, "Yeah! Nice fish!"

[HeavyDluxe]

Usually, neither... If I think a fish is somehow exceptional, I'll measure or weigh depending on what's around.  I do have a bump board I keep on my kayak.  As has been mentioned, most kayak tournaments are catch-measure-photo-release, so I went that route.  Also, our state's angling citations are measure/photo, too...  

If I'm with a friend who has a scale and think I have something exceptional, I'll weigh it.  

In the end, I'm not competing against anyone except myself... and I'm more concerned with figuring the fish out and catching than I am with weight at this point.

[Turtle135]

I will measure good bass on the hawg trough and take a photo. I own a scale but I just never seem to bring it with me.

[A-Jay]

I weigh most smallies that I think may be over the 4lb mark and LMB over 5 lbs - which is a decent fish north of the 45th parallel.

I also get a length if it seems like an overly long fish.  A clean, safe & healthy release is important to me. 

This is easier to manage in a larger vessel especially with a live well.

I like to get the weight & length and also guess before putting the fish on the scale - just to see how much my optimistic eyes are clouding reasonable judgement. 

A-Jay

 

[J Francho]

18 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I like to get the weight & length and also guess before putting the fish on the scale - just to see how much my optimistic eyes are clouding reasonable judgement.

That's cute, A-Jay.  I'm 100% accurate judging the ones that get away.

[Fiske]

On ‎9‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 7:37 PM, punch said:

Weight! Bass fisherman should always talk in terms of weight, IMHO. As bass fisherman in Minnesota we are in the minority due to all the Walleye anglers, they go only by length. When they catch a bass they NEVER weigh it (most of them don't carry a scale) It's funny when you casually talk fishing at the dock with someone in Minnesota you can immediately tell if they are a "Walleye guy" or a bass guy simply by how they describe their catches. 

Heeeyyy punch,,,
Didn't know the walleye guys meaure their fish vs weighting.

Anyway, in the last few years I've measured if I think a fish will go 15" or better.
I have a scale {bump board) screwed to the top of a cooler so I simply have to turn around, stoop a bit,
measure, and release.
If I think the fish will go 17" or better,,, I'll often take a quick cell phone shot
for my fishing log app before measuring.
I only weigh if the bass is 20" or better just in case it might come in at 5 lbs,,,,
the holy grail of the MN bass fisherman,,,at least in my neck of the woods.

So measuring vs wighting?
I guess either is fine,,,it all depends on how you generally handle the fish that counts.

[Team9nine]

I only weigh a bass if it looks like a legitimate 4lb. plus bass, otherwise, just eyeball it. Will occasionally measure a fish or two out of curiosity as to whether it exceeds legal length limit if it looks close. Large majority go back quickly to where they came from

-T9

[WRB]

Weight is the simplest measure to make and accurate as the scale being used. Scale weight can be altered and heavy objects can increase weight, nothing is fool proof.

Length and girth measurement vary depending on several factors like mouth open, mouth closed, flat surface cupped surface, end tail, center of tail V, etc. The bass on the lap board for example has mouth open to hold the bass in place, what is the fish length?

Displacement doesn't factor in air/gas, fats etc. Bass have big air bladders that vary in size in the same fish depending on the depth it was caught and brought to the surface.

LMB body mass vs length varies greatly depending on species northern vs Florida, available prey source, etc, etc. Walleyes don't vary greatly in body mass vs length. Length and girth measurements helps to average or estimate the body mass. Several girth points would be needed for a more accurate calculated along with a complex formula. I came up with a modified IGFA formula* for LMB based on weights of a few hundred bass that didn't come close using the IGFA formula. Length X length X girth divided by 1200 is fairly accurate within about 10% based on closed mouth length end of tail, girth around the widest area with dorsal fin down.

Tom

* IGFA formula L X G X G/800 = weight in pounds.

[A-Jay]

4 minutes ago, J Francho said:

That's cute, A-Jay.  I'm 100% cynical.

There ya go.

A-Jay

 

 

[Raul]

15 hours ago, gimruis said:

When some people post on here about fishing reports they often are very vague about the quantity and size of the fish they catch (as anglers tend to be).  Some people tell me about their day on the water the same way in person.  I'll read "got a 3.6 and a couple 2 pounders" or "caught my personal best a 5.6 pounder" just as examples.  Do you guys weigh these fish out when you catch them or are you just guessing?  Rarely do I weight the fish I catch.  I used to do a lot of walleye fishing and there was always a restricted harvest slot for keeping them and it was always governed by length, not weight, so I am accustomed to measuring the fish I catch, not weighing them (unless I catch a very fat one).  Obviously, in a tournament there is a minimum but the standings are done by weight.  So, when you catch a bass, do you normally weigh it or measure it?

I´m just guessing ths one is a lil over 1 lbs

 

[Dreadhead47]

Personally I use a bump board because I fish from a kayak. I always carry a scale in my bag, to get the weight of any fish over 20 inches, or if they are abnormally fat. I started out just using a digital scale, and now I predominantly use a bump board to measure length.

[Josh Smith]

I do both. I measure success in how healthy the bass is, and I feel it's our duty to examine each fish for disease or malnutrition.

Each bass I catch gets a physical.

Josh

[LVLDVL]

It makes sense to weigh black bass because once they hit a certain mark (in my opinion, I'd say 18"), their lateral length growth slows down a lot in relation to their maximum mass. To put it in perspective, the Minnesota lmb record has a length of just 23.5" but weighs 8lbs15oz. I've caught bass that were 18" but surprised me with being just a few ounces short of 4lbs. And then I've caught 22" bass that were just barely a few ounces over 4lbs, shaking my head. And yet, the state record is just 23.5" in length. That's just bass genetics. 

Whereas with walleye and pike, they have a higher max potential lateral growth in relation to their maximum mass. So a 23" walleye will almost always be heavier than a 20", a 27" will almost always be heavier than a 24", etc.

["hamma"]

  Nowadays, I weigh any largemouth that looks to be over 5 lbs. and smallies over 3. I ask others fishing with me if they want their catch weighed, no matter how big it is.,..  My daughters want to weigh them all, ,.(lol ,.and can do so themselves now),... fishin buddies used to follow much the same criteria as myself.,...

 And when I do weigh them I do so pretty quickly. A truly big fish can actually break its jaw being weighed by the lower jaw, clipped on a scale, and hung there for an extended period of time. I may weigh it, but be chop chop about it. And while I hold a big fish I make sure one hand is under its belly holding its weight more there, than by the lip, while someone else gets the scale. And when I release it I will make sure its revived enough. Insuring theres adequate water in its gills, when closing its mouth making sure it closes all the way, till it decides to swim off on its own. If you are reviving a fish and its gills are flared and its mouth wont close 100%,...it may have a broken jaw.

  My fishing buds have either moved, or died. So when I finally do get back on the water?,.. its gunna be a trick weighing fish being alone. I do like Blues idea to use the livewell, and get the scale/phone ready... Thanks Blue 

[WRB]

The Bill Dance formula L X L X L /1600 = weight in lbs works IF the the bass is a Smallmouth or LMB with a girth equal to 75% of the length. IF the girth is less or greater the 75% of the length the formula doesn't work very good.

20" bass with 75% girth to length is 15" girth weighs 5.0 lbs with BD and my formula, 5.63 lbs with IGFA. 85% girth my formula is 5.66 lbs, IGFA is 7.22 lbs

24" bass with 75% girth to length is 18" girth weighs 8.64 lbs with BD and my formula, 9.72 lbs with IGFA. 85% girth my formula is 9.74 lbs, IGFA is 12.48 lbs.

Length and girth are both important and only as accurate as the measurement method..

Tom

[Further North]

On 99% of the fish I catch, I neither weigh, nor measure...they just go into a filing system in my head:

• Little Fish
• Medium Fish
• Bigger Fish

If I'm curious, I might measure one out of 100, just to see what it is to satisfy my curiosity.

I'm not even sure where the scale I bought years ago is...or if it's even in the boat.

I'm really impressed by the folks who weigh and measure everything...then do something with their data...that's just cool...but I do enough of that at work, don't wanna mess up free time with it.

I don't fish tournaments, BTW.  No issue with them, just not my thing.

[GORDO]

When it comes to bass, I weigh them. Their length is irrelevant to how "big" the fish is.  As for walleye, unless its a giant, measure only to make sure its legal. For Pike/Musky Ill measure and weigh for satisfaction. I like to see that 20+lb on a digital scale

[papajoe222]

I kept a log for years and very rarely entered more than a measurement. For three years, on a private lake,I tagged every fish I boated over 14in. in an effort to determine growth rate in inches.  Although I no longer keep a log, I still have the habit of unhooking a fish, lying it along a measuring tape permanently mounted on my boat for a quick measurement and then releasing it.  Anything over 18in. is considered a good fish, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm guilty. I can catch a dozen fish and if asked will say nothing good.

[Paul Roberts]

I, too, track fish in the small waters I fish. And I measure. Since fish weights vary -up and down- over the course of the year, I feel that frame size tells me the most in terms of potential.

Since I'm interested in potential growth rather than what's legal, to be consistent I measure from the premaxillary to end of the open tail. Some fish have long tail fins and others extended lower jaws. Don't need to measure that stuff. 

I may weigh large fish, using a calibrated scale.

 

[Rick Howard]

It's about my personal knowledge juding my fish against my fish on that body of water and in that area.  I'm not comparing my fish to someone else's.  I'm not worried so much if my method is accurate but rather how consistent. 

[JustJames]

I dont carry neither scale nor ruler with me when bank fishing so I dont weight. But i do use rod length to compare the bass size. On my old rod I make a mark at 1'6" and 2" so at least I know how big the bass.

On both I got both but weight only if it is a big fish.

 

[tkunk]

Go by weight if it's short and fat and length if it's long and skinny.

[J Francho]

3 minutes ago, portiabrat said:

Go by weight if it's short and fat and length if it's long and skinny.

So, do you end with two personal records?

[NYWayfarer]

Measure and weigh. I tend to measure and weigh fish that are 12" and over.

Yesterday for instance, my fishing partner and I caught 20 smallmouth bass, 1 sunfish and 1 rock bass. We only measured and weighed 3 of the smallies as the rest were clearly under the legal size limit. best catch yesterday was a 2.5 lb bass on a senko followed by a 2.3 also on a senko and my 2.0 on a  dropshot roboworm.

The dinks were caught on califonia craw colored TRD ned rig,  drop shot roboworms and biospawn plasma tails.

The sunfish went after a red hook that was hanging in the water while my partner was getting out a senko.

[clh121787]

Weigh the big ones and measure if I'm on a slot lake (don't know why don't keep them anyhow) only to say I caught an over while I'm back at the marina.