Girth and using the weight estimator...

[Ratherbfishing]

Caught a nice bass yesterday.  (A REALLY nice for me).  It was 22 inches long but I have no idea whatsoever what the girth was.  It was neither a steroid freak nor anorexic-just a good solid fish (unlike my last 22 incher that was all head).  What would a good approximation for a bass fitting this description be?  (in girth or in actual weight)?

[TnRiver46]

I would guess over 6 lb maybe 7

[fishballer06]

I would ballpark 5.5 to 7 pounds.

[Turtle135]

for an example this 22" largemouth was 6 pounds 10 ounces

 

 

[Ratherbfishing]

19 minutes ago, Turtle135 said:

for an example this 22" largemouth was 6 pounds 10 ounces

 

 

Mine was about that size.  For the sake of staying honest, I'll shave off 5 ounces and even then, I can still say it was my second largest fish to date.

[Jar11591]

NY DEC says an average 22" largemouth bass should be roughly 6 lbs 6 oz.

[jr231]

No... see you're supposed to take the length AND girth of the fish . That will give you a good ESTIMATE of the weight. There is no way we can estimate the girth of your fish. 

I caught weighed and measured a 24" largemouth with a girth just shy of 16 inches.  this year. My scale said 8.2lbs. the fish weight estimation calculator told me the fish should be 8.75lbs being 24" long with a 15.5 inch girth . Is my scale a half pound off ? No.. but the estimation tool is fairly close.. not ultimate but it would keep you from thinking a thick 4 lber was a 6lber. 

[Ratherbfishing]

Since I don't have the girth, it's all academic anyway.  I'm just happy to have caught it.  It practically tore my rod out of my hands-I'm not used to having THAT big of a fish on the other end of my line.

[the reel ess]

Use this: L x L x L/1600. So your fish should be around 6.65 lbs. Nice fish.

Here's a handy chart: http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/catchrelease/bass_length_weight.phtml

[jr231]

Nice ! That one's closer. Almost within a quarter pound for me. 

[soflabasser]

4 hours ago, Ratherbfishing said:

Caught a nice bass yesterday.  (A REALLY nice for me).  It was 22 inches long but I have no idea whatsoever what the girth was.  It was neither a steroid freak nor anorexic-just a good solid fish (unlike my last 22 incher that was all head).  What would a good approximation for a bass fitting this description be?  (in girth or in actual weight)?

  A typical 22'' bass is in the 4-6 pound range, with some bass below/above this weight. It is best to bring a scale with you to weigh bass since internet bass weighing calculators can be very inaccurate. For example, I caught a bass earlier this year that was less than a ounce away from being +10 pounds on my digital scale, yet a certain online bass calculator says my bass weighed 11.31lbs...way off to say the least!

[MassYak85]

I used to measure length but after getting a scale those charts can be way off depending on the fish. I used to consider a 20" fish a 5lber...if I ever measure a fish now just for reference, most fish I catch around the 20" mark are high 3's.  If it wasn't too thin but not that bulky I would probably put it in the mid to upper 5's.  Maybe low 6's. 

[shimmy]

I had a trip this summer where 3 of our fish were 22 inches and not one of them was over 5. The 20 inches was over 5. So....length tells you nothing. Don't get caught in the trap of trying to justify how the fish was bigger than it may have been. As for the length estimator, just dumb. Don't fall for those shannanigans either. This one has my PB off by almost 3 pounds. Keep a scale with you at ALL costs! If you care enough to ask the weight, than you should have a scale. Good habit to have.

 

And...don't get me wrong, my PB would have gained 3 pounds if I stuck with the calculated weights, but I stick with the scale!

 

[Ratherbfishing]

1 minute ago, shimmy said:

. Keep a scale with you at ALL costs! If you care enough to ask the weight, than you should have a scale. 

Mmmm...it's not really THAT big of a deal.  Was just curious really.  Don't fish tourney's and it clearly was not a state or world record.  Just wanting a ballpark figure so when I brag to friends (and you know I will), I'll at least be close.

[shimmy]

Just now, Ratherbfishing said:

Mmmm...it's not really THAT big of a deal.  Was just curious really.  Don't fish tourney's and it clearly was not a state or world record.  Just wanting a ballpark figure so when I brag to friends (and you know I will), I'll at least be close.

It is more important than you will ever know

[A-Jay]

35 minutes ago, Ratherbfishing said:

Mmmm...it's not really THAT big of a deal.  Was just curious really.  Don't fish tourney's and it clearly was not a state or world record.  Just wanting a ballpark figure so when I brag to friends (and you know I will), I'll at least be close.

Just show them the picture.

A-Jay

[WRB]

Any formula that doesn't include girth must conclude all bass are equal in girth.

You can use a average girth of 75% of the length where 75% of 22 = 16.50

22 X 22 X 16.5 / 1200 = 6.65 lbs. change the girth and the weight changes and it should because the mass changes.

Tom

[Ski213]

Based on what you described I would think you should probably be comfortable calling it around 5 to 6.5. Could've been more but probably wasn't less.

Regardless of its actual weight it's a dang good fish and congratulations on catching it. 

[Bluebasser86]

Sounds like a very nice fish. It's impossible to guess a weight without a girth though. A few years ago I had a 24.5X14 fish that only went 7.5, then a couple months later I caught a 22x17 fish that went 7 3/4. 

If you want to get the girth you can always measure with a piece of line and cut it to length and measure when you get home. 

[j bab]

11 hours ago, Yeajray231 said:

Nice ! That one's closer. Almost within a quarter pound for me. 

Off by over a pound for me. My 11.12 was 27" long.

Just buy a scale off amazon for less than $10! (Not directed at you, just a general statement for this thread)

27 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

If you want to get the girth you can always measure with a piece of line and cut it to length and measure when you get home. 

Don't forget to cut another piece for the length if you don't have a ruler...

[jr231]

@j bab yea wow. Interesting. Agreed. 

[IndianaFinesse]

13 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Just show them the picture.

A-Jay

Yep, no one believes you when you tell them the weight anyways.  If you have a scale and a camera, something I've started doing is taking a photo of the bass while on the scale, so that you can see the weight reading. 

[Ratherbfishing]

13 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Just show them the picture.

A-Jay

No one will believe me when I tell them my index finger weighed 6 lbs.  :  )

[Bankbeater]

I need a scale.  My math skills make that formula useless.

[soflabasser]

The only real way to know how big a bass is by measuring it correctly(weighed on a scale,measuring the length and girth). A picture alone is not a reliable way of measuring a bass, since there are people who love to long arm a bass or take pictures of bass at a angle that makes the bass look much bigger than it really is.There is also people who take bad pictures and make a big fish look small,but that is rare compared to the long arm fish pictures.