How accurate are you estimating a fishes weight ?

[the reel ess]

I just make a guess, then subtract 1 lb. min from it. Every time but twice that I thought I had an 8 pounder, it was a 7 pounder. And on the two occasions it was barely an 8 pounder, I thought it was more.

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, BigAngus752 said:

Me: (reads title) This should be an interesting thread.  I may be able to contribute.

Me:  (reads "I was just goofing around and caught a 4'11 and a 6'9 today)

Me:  I have nothing to contribute here.  Let's go to Yahoo and see what the Kardashians are up to today. 

[JediAmoeba]

I threw this one in the livewell at the tourney over the weekend and thought it was 2.9 to 3 lbs. Ended up being just over 4. That's a big miss...

[Mobasser]

I usually always guess the weight at less than what it actually is, just to be on the safe side.

[Alex from GA]

I usually over estimate but carry a scale to see if I'm close.

[Darth-Baiter]

i know a bass is over 3lbs by sight.  the accuracy falls off from there..

[Susky River Rat]

I am as accurate as a blind sniper.

[WRB]

95% of the 10 # bass caught weigh 7# on a scale.

Tom

[Captain Phil]

Most people tend to overestimate bass weight.  If I had a dollar for every 14 pound bass I have seen that actually weighed 7 pounds, I would be rich.  Because of this tendency, I tend to underestimate the weight of bass.  Bass proportions vary as well.  A long slim bass may weigh more than a short stocky fish and vice versa.   I once caught a bass in the Harris Chain that was too long to fit in my Skeeter's live well.  I didn't have my scale with me at the time, but I estimated the fish to weigh about 9 pounds.   The photo below is of a fish caught locally about twenty years ago.  I saw this fish and it looked like a world record to me at the time.  It actually weighed about 13 1/4 pounds. 

 

[Darth-Baiter]

54 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Most people tend to overestimate bass weight.  If I had a dollar for every 14 pound bass I have seen that actually weighed 7 pounds, I would be rich.  Because of this tendency, I tend to underestimate the weight of bass.  Bass proportions vary as well.  A long slim bass may weigh more than a short stocky fish and vice versa.   I once caught a bass in the Harris Chain that was too long to fit in my Skeeter's live well.  I didn't have my scale with me at the time, but I estimated the fish to weigh about 9 pounds.   The photo below is of a fish caught locally about twenty years ago.  I saw this fish and it looked like a world record to me at the time.  It actually weighed about 13 1/4 pounds. 

 

did that fish get released?  what a stud!!

[Captain Phil]

26 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

did that fish get released?  what a stud!!

 

This fish was caught in Lake Saunders, a small private residential lake of about 300 acres.  I believe the angler had it mounted. I have released all my bass since the 1980s.  Everyone I know releases their fish these days. 

[WIGuide]

15 hours ago, bowhunter63 said:

I’m as accurate as a drunk tv weatherman So not even close 

Well with as inaccurate as the sober ones seem to be these days, you might be closer than you think!

 

4 hours ago, Catt said:

After watching the Pros they're no better than us!

My favorite is after the day is over when they say something like "Yeah I ran into a little group of them late in the day. I hooked into a 5 and then went around the corner and caught two 3's and a 2.5 to finish out my limit." Then you look at the results and they weighed 12 lbs. total and big fish for the tournament day was 4.75 lbs. weighed by someone else and they didn't even weigh one for big bass. Something seems a little fishy there.

 

As far as my accuracy, I'm not sure if it's considered good or not, but I'd say I can get within about 1/2 lb. 

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Most people tend to overestimate bass weight.  If I had a dollar for every 14 pound bass I have seen that actually weighed 7 pounds, I would be rich.  Because of this tendency, I tend to underestimate the weight of bass.  Bass proportions vary as well.  A long slim bass may weigh more than a short stocky fish and vice versa.   I once caught a bass in the Harris Chain that was too long to fit in my Skeeter's live well.  I didn't have my scale with me at the time, but I estimated the fish to weigh about 9 pounds.   The photo below is of a fish caught locally about twenty years ago.  I saw this fish and it looked like a world record to me at the time.  It actually weighed about 13 1/4 pounds. 

 

I looked so young back then 

[Bankc]

I'm dead on accurate.  That bass in my avatar weighed 28lbs, 17oz.  I didn't even need a scale to know that.

 

 

 

 

Seriously though, I think I pretty consistently, exactly 1lb. over on my estimates.  

[Finessegenics]

Pretty bad, especially since I'm usually estimating after getting jacked up about a big/surprise catch. 

[Tennessee Boy]

I’m accurate to within about half an ounce.  I weigh almost all of my fish and sometimes my scales are way off.?

[the reel ess]

4 hours ago, WRB said:

95% of the 10 # bass caught weigh 7# on a scale.

Tom

I was at the local service station and a guy came by with nice size bass in his cooler. He asked me what I thought it weighed. I said maybe 6 lbs. He told me I was crazy, it had to be at least 7 and went on to weigh it. He works for a local utility so I see him around. I asked him later what it weighed and he said 5 1/2.

 

[Deleted account]

No way to sound humble about this, I am the best at it that I know (or used to be anyway). Comes from years of separating fish into boxes for shipping, working sorting tennis rackets, and a good doze of OCD. I can also separate shotgun shells within 2-4 grams, and pick out unlabeled sandwiches by their weight. Small fish like bass, I'm within 2-4 oz by sight most times. Recreational guys always overestimate, if you do it on the commercial side, you will get yelled at if you are lucky, or shot if you're on the wrong dock.

[GaryH]

Depends on how far I can hold the fish out for the pic..

[Texas Flood]

I'd like to think Im fairly accurate. I mean I got this 5.6lb bass the other day.

[CM-fisher]

21 hours ago, gimruis said:

I’m pretty good at estimating a length, since I measure a lot more fish than I weigh. Can usually get it within 1/2 inch.

Same here, I do not even own a scale. All of my PB's are based on length

5 minutes ago, Texas Flood said:

I'd like to think Im fairly accurate. I mean I got this 5.6lb bass the other day.

You might be pushing it with 5.6 but for sure that is a 5 pounder

[Texas Flood]

17 minutes ago, MN_Bassin24 said:

You might be pushing it with 5.6 but for sure that is a 5 pounder

I usually round up but wanted to be fair this time.

[Woody B]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

95% of the 10 # bass caught weigh 7# on a scale.

Tom

Not all of them.  ?

[Bird]

1 hour ago, Texas Flood said:

I'd like to think Im fairly accurate. I mean I got this 5.6lb bass the other day.

Had to be at least 5 because that Rapala stretches halfway across that pond.

[flyfisher]

I usually underestimate the weight and validate by weighing them every once in a while.  Judging by the weight of fish people say they caught and post, I'd say most people are completely horrible.