Ketch Board vs Hawg Trough or something else?

[Boomstick]

What do the kayakers here prefer for a measuring board? A ketch board, hawg trough (hobie or other brand) or something else entirely?

 

I may try to enter a KBF tournament this year and that is the only thing I don't have.

[MN Fisher]

If you're gonna enter a KBF Tournament - you got limited choices.

 

"C. Acceptable measuring boards for all KBF competitions are the aluminum Ketch Products Measuring Board, the Ketch Karbonate (plastic) and the Ketch X."

 

https://www.kayakbassfishing.com/kbf-rules-standards/

[flyfisher]

hawg trough is garbage.  I have the plastic ketch board and have been pleased.

[Boomstick]

On 2/11/2023 at 9:59 PM, MN Fisher said:

If you're gonna enter a KBF Tournament - you got limited choices.

 

"C. Acceptable measuring boards for all KBF competitions are the aluminum Ketch Products Measuring Board, the Ketch Karbonate (plastic) and the Ketch X."

 

https://www.kayakbassfishing.com/kbf-rules-standards/

Well I guess it's a ketch board then. I'd have sworn I have seen people using the Hobie Hawg Trough before.

On 2/11/2023 at 10:06 PM, flyfisher said:

hawg trough is garbage.  I have the plastic ketch board and have been pleased.

The aluminum ones look nice but I hear they're also heavy and don't float, so I'm leaning towards the plastic one.

 

Need to find a place to store it.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Boomstick said:

I'd have sworn I have seen people using the Hobie Hawg Trough before.

Do their catches get scored though is the question.

[Boomstick]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Do their catches get scored though is the question.

The funny thing is one of them was essentially how to get started doing KBF tournaments video.

[gim]

@Bluebasser86 fishes in quite a few kayak tournaments and his travels are well-chronicled here.  Maybe he can offer his guidance/suggestions on the subject.

 

I think a lighter color board with black numbers helps see how big the fish is when you take a photo.  I am not in any kayak tournaments but I have to prove how big a fish is for a work fishing contest, and I now use a white board with black numbers.  I was previously using a gold board with white numbers and it was difficult to see it in a photo.

[Choporoz]

Hawg Trough was the standard a few years ago.  As with most rules ...in tournament fishing... (in life?)  ... KBF went away from them because DBs were able to manipulate them to cheat.

  Ketch only the last couple years. 

[Fishingmickey]

As Choporoz said. The Hawg Trough was the standard before the Ketch board came out and became popular.  Some of the issue's were, the measurement lines weren't darkened (people were making "fat" lines when they darkened their lines on the boards. Then we had the "bent board" scandal and the "shortened board" cheating incident came about.  The Ketch board came out and it is a much stronger board with pre-darkened lines.  The Ketch Karbonite and Aluminum boards are pretty much required in most tournaments.  On the national trails BASS requires a Ketch board either Karbonite or aluminum.  The Hobie BOS series requires the Aluminum. The KBF events are either Ketch board.

FM

[Bluebasser86]

The yellow Ketch board is the cheapest and easiest to read in pictures and what every tournament circuit I fish requires.

[Jmilburn76]

I use the Ketch Karbonate mounted on a Snipe Air Industries mount.

[Boomstick]

On 2/13/2023 at 9:45 AM, Choporoz said:

Hawg Trough was the standard a few years ago.  As with most rules ...in tournament fishing... (in life?)  ... KBF went away from them because DBs were able to manipulate them to cheat.

  Ketch only the last couple years. 

That explains that then.

23 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The yellow Ketch board is the cheapest and easiest to read in pictures and what every tournament circuit I fish requires.

I imagine it would also be the easiest to store, being much lighter than the aluminum ones.

[Zcoker]

On 2/13/2023 at 9:39 AM, Boomstick said:

Well I guess it's a ketch board then. I'd have sworn I have seen people using the Hobie Hawg Trough before.

There was a rule change because of alleged board bending...they'd bend the boards to get different readings. Crazy. The Ketch boards are rock stiff. Plus the numbering is clearly visible on the edges of the board. All in all, a great board, easy to read and use.  

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, Boomstick said:

 

I imagine it would also be the easiest to store, being much lighter than the aluminum ones.

I have both, and they are much lighter than the aluminum boards. The other downside to the aluminum, other than being more expensive, is they've more difficult to read in pictures. I still bring it as a backup to tournaments, but I wouldn't have bought it if I'd known how difficult it would be for me to get good pictures on it. 

[Boomstick]

16 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I have both, and they are much lighter than the aluminum boards. The other downside to the aluminum, other than being more expensive, is they've more difficult to read in pictures. I still bring it as a backup to tournaments, but I wouldn't have bought it if I'd known how difficult it would be for me to get good pictures on it. 

Do you have one where the letters are just etched in? I'm not sure if I could even read that myself - although I am finally getting new glasses (mine are so scratched up I can barely see).

 

Did you find any tricks to store it some place convenient?

[Bluebasser86]

49 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

Do you have one where the letters are just etched in? I'm not sure if I could even read that myself - although I am finally getting new glasses (mine are so scratched up I can barely see).

 

Did you find any tricks to store it some place convenient?

They're etched in and painted white. I made the mistake of buying a board the same color as my kayak to match my kayak also, so it was even harder to see. Thankfully, the TD talked to me about how hard they are to see instead of just DQ'ing my fish like he could have. 

 

I put mine behind my seat and bungee it to my seat strap. It's easy to reach and out of the way there. 

[Motoboss]

On 2/15/2023 at 10:11 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

They're etched in and painted white. I made the mistake of buying a board the same color as my kayak to match my kayak also, so it was even harder to see. Thankfully, the TD talked to me about how hard they are to see instead of just DQ'ing my fish like he could have. 

 

I put mine behind my seat and bungee it to my seat strap. It's easy to reach and out of the way there. 

 

I’ve got the same board with the ember (orange) Autopilot 120 ?

[dickenscpa]

I fish the KBFTN trail and they allow Hawg Troughs but prefer the Ketch boards. I imagine it'll all be Ketch before long. I got the plastic Ketch board because it was shorter and lighter.

 

I have four Hawg Troughs in the garage and three are broken and the 4th is cracked.

 

I was getting out of the water for the day once and pulled my kayak halfway onto the bank. I was gonna lift and put my wheels under it to pull it to the trailer. I was taking a few things out to lighten the load and I grabbed my Hawg Trough and dropped it on the grass. I was bent over and it didn't drop far but broke when it hit the ground.

 

I was HORRIBLE taking a Sharpie trying to color the lines/measurements on the Hawg Trough so they could actually be seen in the pic I submitted and a couple of fish later it would wear off. Hawg trough missed a big opportunity when they knew their boards were flimsy and Ketch came out but had no brand recognition at that point. Hawg Trough could've beefed up and already had name recognition. Why they still don't color the graduated measurement lines just bewilders me.

[king fisher]

On 2/15/2023 at 9:11 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

They're etched in and painted white. I made the mistake of buying a board the same color as my kayak to match my kayak also, so it was even harder to see. Thankfully, the TD talked to me about how hard they are to see instead of just DQ'ing my fish like he could have. 

 

I put mine behind my seat and bungee it to my seat strap. It's easy to reach and out of the way there. 

If you ever come to Mexico, leave that board at home.  It is too small, it only goes to 26 inches.

[Bluebasser86]

32 minutes ago, king fisher said:

If you ever come to Mexico, leave that board at home.  It is too small, it only goes to 26 inches.

A 26" bass would be close to our state record most likely, it's not quite 12lbs. Biggest I've ever put on my board was 22".

[MN Fisher]

11 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

A 26" bass would be close to our state record most likely, it's not quite 12lbs. Biggest I've ever put on my board was 22".

Our state record would be a little over 24" - I'd be ecstatic to catch a 22"....my current best is a little over 20"

[Bluebasser86]

2 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Our state record would be a little over 24" - I'd be ecstatic to catch a 22"....my current best is a little over 20"

I caught a 24.5" several years ago, but unfortunately she was skinny and only 7.51lbs.