Weighing fish in the gills

[billmac]

What do you guys think of the fish scales that basically hook into the gill opening?  I don't really like it, but they are way cheaper than the clamp type.

[JediAmoeba]

Why not just buy a pair of fish clamps?

[MN Fisher]

3 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

Why not just buy a pair of fish clamps?

I use this scale................With this grip. $30

Tare the scale to the grip and you're set to go

Yes, the scale came with a grip, but I hate the style...so went with the Rapala

[WRB]

If you are careful not to hook a gill raker it shouldn't do any more harm then a clamp.

You can also poke a hole through the thin membrane next to the lip and hang the bass to weight it.

The cheapest and easiest is use a plastic grocery bag to put the bass in and weigh the bag and bass by the handles using the scale hook.

Tom

 

[TnRiver46]

9 minutes ago, WRB said:

If you are careful not to hook a gill raker it shouldn't do any more harm then a clamp.

You can also poke a hole through the thin membrane next to the lip and hang the bass to weight it.

The cheapest and easiest is use a plastic grocery bag to put the bass in and weigh the bag and bass by the handles using the scale hook.

Tom

 

 I used the grocery bag trick the other day. Worked great 

[Koz]

4 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I use this scale................With this grip. $30

Tare the scale to the grip and you're set to go

Yes, the scale came with a grip, but I hate the style...so went with the Rapala

That's the exact setup I use as well.

[slonezp]

4 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

 I used the grocery bag trick the other day. Worked great 

You'll regret that when you weigh your, what you think is a record fish and, it comes up 1/16 of an ounce short.  

[gim]

I’ve never really understood why most scales come with that stupid metal hook. There’s really no good way to put the fish on it and it doesn’t hold the fish tight either. So it can flop off and smack down on the floor or ground and die. Use one with a clamp for the sake of the fish please.

[MN Fisher]

14 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I’ve never really understood why most scales come with that stupid metal hook. There’s really no good way to put the fish on it and it doesn’t hold the fish tight either. So it can flop off and smack down on the floor or ground and die. Use one with a clamp for the sake of the fish please.

Minor mod to the setup I have - remove the hook, replace with a carabiner. Once the fish is in the grip, ring on the grip goes in the carabiner...no flopping off.

 

Darn that sounds good...something more to do before open water.

[schplurg]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

I’ve never really understood why most scales come with that stupid metal hook. There’s really no good way to put the fish on it and it doesn’t hold the fish tight either. So it can flop off and smack down on the floor or ground and die. Use one with a clamp for the sake of the fish please.

I've learned to hold the fish just above the ground in case it comes off - shorter drop. I have a fish gripper but don't always have it with me.

[Bluebasser86]

I've got clamps on the hooks of mine too. The grips are like $10 and I have the $5 digital luggage scales. I wrap electric tape around the hook/handle to keep it from coming off the hook when the fish flops too.

[MN Fisher]

On 2/17/2020 at 7:29 PM, MN Fisher said:

Minor mod to the setup I have - remove the hook, replace with a carabiner. Once the fish is in the grip, ring on the grip goes in the carabiner...no flopping off.

 

Darn that sounds good...something more to do before open water.

Okay, did the mod and here's what it looks like.

 

Tare the scale with the 'empty' grip clipped it, then once the fish is gripped, click it into the carabiner. You'll know the scale is set when it shows a negative without the grip clipped in.

[Bankbeater]

The nice thing about using bags is that when you're ready to leave you have something to put trash in.

[scaleface]

I  cant even carry groceries in those bags without them splitting . A bass thrashing with sharp fins , seems like one would have to triple bag it .I bet those large ice bags would work .

[OnthePotomac]

I remove the metal hook and use a 4" simple black plastic squeeze wood clamp with the red rubber tips from the WalMart tool section.  They hold very well and on the lower lip and weighs nothing.  I think for a couple of bucks.  I only did a hold test up to 10 pounds and no problem.  It requires drilling a small hole at the tip on one handle for a big split ring.

[Glenn]

I don't "hook" the fish with them (i.e. punch a hole through their jaw), rather I "hang" the fish by carefully sliding the hook along side the gills (right along the body of the fish so you NEVER touch the gills), and then up under the jaw.

 

That way, you never touch the gills nor poke a hole in the fish. No harm, no foul.

[WRB]

It's easy to do this with big bass, the scale "hook" is a around smooth wire that doesn't harm the bass if you use care and common sense staying away from the gill raker.

Tom

[Paul Roberts]

I once, bucoo years ago, hung a 7lb carp on a Zebco De-Liar. It wriggled and ripped a big gash up the throat. Carp have soft throats, and that De-Liar hook was mighty small and thin. I'd also weighed several LM's from 4 to 7lb on the same scale, without damage -that I remember. I much later bought a 10# Chatillon scale for bass that had a large smooth hook, and I weighed a lot of bass with it. (Never did floor that baby though.)

 

I have no issues weighing bass by the gill slit. But I much prefer either net weighing or jaw clamp. A really heavy bass wriggling while suspended at the isthmus gives me shivers to think about. Smaller bass I wouldn't be too concerned -unless its still fighting!

 

I did catch a bass a couple years ago that had a hole punched through the soft "buccal cavity" tissue between its lower mandibles. Obviously someone had weighed it. Since water pressure is how bass suction feed, I thought that was a poor alternative to put a hook compared to the gill slit.

[NorthernBasser]

Not cheap, but you can get these for around $35 if you look around. I really like mine.

 

https://www.piscifun.com/products/piscifun-fish-lip-gripper-with-digital-scale-waterproof-lip-grip-with-electronic-digital-scale-fish-grabber-stainless-steel-clip-fish-control

[TBAG]

Yeah, dumb design IMO.

 

I too use a fish grip attached to a scale.

[Choporoz]

On 2/17/2020 at 10:09 AM, billmac said:

What do you guys think of the fish scales that basically hook into the gill opening?  I don't really like it, but they are way cheaper than the clamp type.

KastKing has a very good scale with a very good grip for less than $30.   From Amazon.