Scale to weigh fish

[waymont]

My old Rapala scale gave out on me, so I'm looking for a new one.

I made the mistake to looking at reviews of scales online. Confusing.

Some people say it broke looking at it, and others say it's like gold.

Does anyone have a recommendation for an accurate scale that won't break when I look at it?

Under $30-$40.

[OnthePotomac]

I picked up a simple analog scale in WalMart, as I recall under $10.  Just the plain old spring needle white face indicator dial about 4" in diameter..  I don't know how it would test for accuracy, but I do not tournament fish and I only serves to satisfy that I really have a 5 pounder LOL.  It did come with the typical metal hook and I swapped it out for a small  plastic grip shop clamp. It works great.

[NorthE97]

$6 luggage scale. Been recommended by many on here. Does a great job. More reliable and accurate than a $60 scale I bought.

 

[scaleface]

15 minutes ago, NorthE97 said:

$6 luggage scale. Been recommended by many on here. Does a great job. More reliable and accurate than a $60 scale I bought.

 

I use that scale in conjunction with a fish gripper .

[TBAG]

3 hours ago, scaleface said:

I use that scale in conjunction with a fish gripper .

I assume grip the fish with gripper and use scale hook thru gripper lanyard?

[NorthernBasser]

I just ordered this. Seems great.

 

 

[scaleface]

1 minute ago, TBAG said:

I assume grip the fish with gripper and use scale hook thru gripper lanyard?

yep

 

[Russ E]

I like the Berkley digital fish scale. It costs around $20.00 at Wal-Mart.

I replaced the hook with a fish gripper.  It cost about $8.00 at Cabelas.

Here is one thing I do to make sure my scale is still reading accurately.

I bought a cheap  5lb  dumbbell at Wal-Mart.  Cost about $2.50.

I asked the walmart deli counter  to weigh the dumbbell on their certified scale.

It actually weighed 5lb. 2oz. 

At least once a week during fishing season I weigh the dumbbell with my scale to make sure it is still accurate.

For 3 years now it has always been within 1 ounce.

For about $30.00 I have a very accurate scale and a way to check its accuracy.

 

I had a $50.00 rapala digital scale that was inconsistent and broke the first year I had it.

 

 

I was just at Walmart they now sell the same scale with the fish clip included and a portable tape measure for $18.00. I couldn't resist. I bought another one. checked it at home with my 5lb. weight. It is just as accurate as the one I bought 3 years ago, but $10.00 cheaper.

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2019 by Russ E
addition

[NorthE97]

12 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

I just ordered this. Seems great.

 

 

That's the one I originally had, though it was Gambler branded. Exact same scale though. It was a very sensitive scale. When you pick it up it immediately shows negative numbers for some reason and when you weigh a fish the weight would fluctuate up to a lb in weight. I thought it was a lemon and returned it for another but the exact same thing happened. I read the instructions carefully and tried figuring it out but I could never get it dialed in. Hopefully it works well for you. 

[BigAngus752]

If you buy one of the cheap digital scales, keep in mind that the majority of them do not weigh in ounces.  They weigh in tenths of a pound.  You have to convert by multiplying everything after the decimal point by 16.  So if your scale says "5.2" then you multiply .2 x 16 and your fish weighs 5 pounds and 3.2 ounces.  I just had a buddy that thought he caught his PB at 6 pounds 7 ounces and I pointed out his new PB is actually 6 pounds 11 ounces.  

[NorthernBasser]

1 hour ago, NorthE97 said:

That's the one I originally had, though it was Gambler branded. Exact same scale though. It was a very sensitive scale. When you pick it up it immediately shows negative numbers for some reason and when you weigh a fish the weight would fluctuate up to a lb in weight. I thought it was a lemon and returned it for another but the exact same thing happened. I read the instructions carefully and tried figuring it out but I could never get it dialed in. Hopefully it works well for you. 

Dang. Well, I can always send it back if that's the case. Thanks for your review. 

[Tennessee Boy]

There are a lot of inexpensive digital scales on the market that give the illusion of accuracy because they provide precise and repeatable readings.  If you don't care that the scale says 4.34 lbs when the fish actually weighted 4 lbs 7 oz then you will be happy with these scales.  If you want some degree of accuracy then you will probably need to spend more than your budget.  I have the Brecknell Electro Samson Scale.  This is the same scale used by Major League Fishing.  It is very accurate but is not water proof and there are many complaints online about how fragile they are.  I carry this scale but I keep it stored and in it's case to protect it.  I only pull it out when I want a second opinion on a big fish. The scale I use regularly is Chatillion IN Series Linear Fish & Game scale.  These are expensive but they are very accurate and require no batteries.  They can take a beating during a lifetime of fishing and then can be passed on to your grandchildren.  They are made of brass and are practically indestructible.  They are worth the $70 cost in my opinion. 

[microotter]

I bought one of the bluedot scales off of ebay during the last $3 off sale, but it wouldn’t turn on. I tried to exchange it, but the seller refunded me and let me keep it. 

[Kyle S]

I have a Rapala scale that the owner of my local tackle shop recommended. It only cost me about $25 and has served me well. Tournament fishing is not something that I do, so I can't justify spending much more that what I already have. Lot's of decent scales in your price range IMO. Good luck in your search.?

[waymont]

Thanks to everyone 

[NYWayfarer]

I have a Kastking digital scale. 

 

 

Pros: 

 

weighs in in pounds and ounces

waterproof

floats (great for kayaking)

memory stores 9 catches

Comes with a fishgripper.

 

cons: 

 

Uses a hearing aid battery

 

[A-Jay]

This one has safely and effectively captured some significant green & brown bass tonnage for me the past few seasons.

A-Jay 

[Bluebasser86]

I use the cheap luggage scale also. They're crazy accurate and very consistent from unit to unit. I've got about half a dozen scattered all over the place since they're only $5 apiece. I also add the fish grippers to the small hook and wrap it with electric tape to keep it in place. 

[Johnbt]

My old Rapala is still accurate, but the past couple of years it sometimes turns on in the kg mode. Rather than make the fish wait while I try to get it to switch to pounds, I just use my iphone to multiply the reading by 2.2. So I'm interested in a new scale and looked up the Accu Cull.

 

When I googled it I clicked on the link for the same scale at TW, except it was called the Connect Scale. For $25 more you get...

 

"The Connect Scale is the most innovate solution to weighing and tracking catch data ever created. You catch it, you weigh it, and the app logs it. Using Bluetooth low energy technology, the Connect Scale wirelessly transmits the weight and air temperature data to the integrated app on your iOS and Android mobile device. 

By simply weighing your catches you will be able to automatically log weight, air temperature, date, time, and GPS location to the Connect Scale app. The Connect Scale app is currently available on iTunes and Google Play stores. It features a simple and clean user interface that allows anglers to capture key data and save them to a cloud database."

 

Um, no thank you, I don't think so. I fish to relax. Never fished a tournament, don't take notes when I fish, just pics and memories.

[deadadrift89]

23 hours ago, NorthE97 said:

$6 luggage scale. Been recommended by many on here. Does a great job. More reliable and accurate than a $60 scale I bought.

 

Same here, I keep also keep extra for backup. I use a cheap clamp from hardware store and drill hole for scale hook 

[LonnieP]

I use the Berkley scale. Has worked well for the past year. I check the accuracy with a gallon of water which weighs 8.34 lbs.

[Fishes in trees]

I keep a ruler in my boat, because I want to know if a fish is 15" or more in length (the Missouri definition of a keeper)

I won't have a scale in my boat and anyone who rides with me, I encourage them to leave the scale in the truck.

 

Scales lie.   Dozens of times I've been victimized by the scale - it has taken perfectly obvious 5 1/2 lb fish and turned them into 3 3/4 lb fish.   And then the scale silently laughs at me.  I've had it - I understand low self esteem anyway, but to be silently mocked by a cheap electronic toy - too much for me.   No scales in my boat.  (Scales designed to weigh things that is, random scales that get scraped off fish when I drop them or lay them on the ruler to measure are ok.  They will eventually dry out and the wind will blow them out of my boat)