Weighing a bass

[piranha]

I am using a digital scale to weigh my bass. It is one of those that has a dangling "hook" that you put the fish on.

My question is, where do you put the hook? I have been putting it under the gill so that it comes up into the mouth. I put it in a spot that doesn't seem to do damage to the gills, it barely touches them, if at all.

A worker at the tackle shop told me to put it through the soft spot under the lip, but, since there isn't a hole there (at least not one that I have ever noticed) I feel bad making a hole just to weigh it.

Also, I noticed with my old scale, that there was a half-pound difference in weight based on where I hooked the scale on the fish. I have not checked with my new scale. I could never understand why this was the case, but it was. Can anyone explain that for me too?

Thanks as always.

Rick

[Marty]

I have read never to weigh a fish by putting something under the gills and I follow that advice. I don't like making a hole either, but then, I don't weigh many bass, just a few per year that are at the heavy end of the weight spectrum of what I catch.

Insert the hook immediately next to the hard part of the lower lip so the lip supports the weight of the fish. This I do off center, since the center of the jaw is too hard to stick a scale hook through.

[JPBiGFISH]

If you got some money you can buy one of them new ones that just kinda clips onto the lip of them  i dont reckon it makes no hole. but i never weight a fish aint got the money to buy a good fish weigher tho either

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Crumple up a plastic bag that you get at the grocery store and put it in your boat/tackle box. Catch a fish worthy of weighing ...................... put the fish in the bag and slide the handles over the hook.

[volunteer1]

Ku, that's good advice....

[Redtail]

Great idea there KU!

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Well thanks.  I thought that up all by myself ;D.  It was something that always bugged me and it dawned on my one day when I was carrying groceries into the house.

[kbj3579]

That's the beauty of this site.  Great idea KU!

[LunkerGuy]

a 12-pack weighs....um...about 5 pounds!

[piranha]

Great idea KU! So simple, yet so effective. You get a gold star! I'm putting one in my Spongebob backpack/tackle bag today! (Don't ask...all I can say is "fishing on a budget")

Rick

[Hamlet]

If only you could patent this idea somehow...., actually i'm positive that you could. The funny thing is, if you were to simply produce a simple type of bag like the one you're talking about and make up some half-truth about how using your bags will not harm the fish, you could sell them to bass bro shops or cabellas or wal mart after the product picked up a little steam and then you could quit your job and fish till you drop.

[Glenn]

Too late - it's already been done.

http://www.bag-em.com/bassbag.htm

[5bass]

Too late - it's already been done.

http://www.bag-em.com/bassbag.htm

The dude in the picture is fishing 'til HE drops!

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Thanks for ruining it for me Glenn.  Thought I was on to something. ;D

[Hamlet]

well, you could still be that guys competitor. 8)

[Max-in-Mn]

Hey but read that site.."patent pending"...And I did some reasearch and it states, "However, until the patent actually issues, another party can make, use, and sell the invention."  ;D

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I have 2 patents on saltwater items, both processed within about 8-10 months from submitting them.

KU - great idea. It's cool to think what a big change a small idea can make. Think of how many guys who actually catch and weigh fish from this forum, from all over the country/world, will be doing it a better way come this weekend. Pretty cool.

[razyrsharpe]

this is an example of "practical intelligence" or otherwise known as common sense.  we all go "Doh!" when we see or hear something so simple yet effective.  i was having trouble weighing bass last night on a scale my wife and kids got me for fathers day.  not anymore!  thanks KU.

[Jagrrich]

Not to take anything away from you KU, but just an idea that I just got after reading this thread. What about one of them Mesh sports bags? Less water retention and longer lasting? I'm gonna look into getting one myself.

I will add that I've had the same problem as to where the "hook" goes and your suggestion was a brilliant one!

<slapping my forehead> DUH!

[justbass2u]

 WAL MART  SELLS A NYLON MESH BAG WITH HANDLES THATS GOOD FOR WEIGHING ONE OR MULTIPLE FISH.........ABOUT$ 3.00

[fishingrulz]

i was watching a muskie fishing show once and the were using those long nets because they were huge musky and they said use rubber because it doesn't taake as much of the slime coating off and also i saw on that site that glenn posted it says use black or dark colors to keep the fish calm and in turn it won't flop around so it won't wipe the slime coating off and it also isn't as stressed or anything. just a couple of thought in essay form sorry i just got out of school what can i say i was taking fina;s for two weeks ;D great idea though KU

[chestnut]

A belated thanks to KU, from me too! (Hey, I actually used the search function. ;-)) I *had* been taking my battery-powered drill with me to solve this little problem but now I can put that away and just take a plastic bag!! ;D

[Matt Fly]

Tried one of those plastic bags before.   Not to rain on your parade KU, a little flip and flop there rips those cheap plastic bags with their fins.    You know, as when your bringing in the groceries and wham, there on the ground.

Double them up, wet them as so the slime coat doesn't stick to the bag.   Might be better, but didn't try that again.

I have put my scale hook on a grinding wheel and sharpened the fat end down to a finer point.   But that still leaves larger hole in lip.

What I do if I'm going to weigh one is use my culling tags.   It has the metal stringer type snap, nice and small.    Once I have it hooked in the lip, then I use my hook off my scale to run it through many of the openings.    Doesn't add nothing in weight.    The positive is, its a tiny hole instead of a large one.

Hookem

Matt.

[New Bass Man]

There's something about FREE that appeals to me.  I like your idea KU.  I've got tons of plastic bags around the house.

[FatBoy]

Also, I noticed with my old scale, that there was a half-pound difference in weight based on where I hooked the scale on the fish. I have not checked with my new scale. I could never understand why this was the case, but it was. Can anyone explain that for me too?

Well, the scale determines the weight by measuring how far the hook, and the rod it's attached to, is pulled downward by the weight of the fish pulling against a spring (above the rod/hook).  If you don't have the weight of the fish centered on the hook, the rod will be torqued a little bit (in other words, it won't be pulled straight down).  On a mechanical scale with a spring, that can cause the rod or spring to contact the sides of the device and therefore have some resistance against the downward force of the fish.  So if the fish is centered, it should give the maximum (and correct) weight.  If it's off center, you'll get something less.  

I imagine a similar thing can happen on a digital scale.  

At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.