Fishing Weight Devices

[Dbumb]

What are some good fishing weight devices , to see how heavy the fish is,

[pikestabber]

Up north we center a 2x4 on a five gallon bucket, then we put a case of beer on one end and the fish on the other. If the fish is heavier than the beer, you have a nice fish. If the beer is heavier...drink the beer. It's a feel good system that works every time

[Dbumb]

i mean electronics

[c0untryf1sh3r]

I like pikestabbers idea, very well thought out

But if your looking for an electronic scale, Rapala makes a good one and so does Berkely. A lot of people use Boga Grips, no electronics carp out on you plus it has a built in fish grip for the toothy guys.

I had a Rapala one until I dropped it in the lake and fried the electronics, bought a Boga after that and am very pleased with it.

[Grum]

My nephew had the Berkely electronic scale and it worked good... until he dropped it in the lake. Like c0untryf1sh3r said, not waterproof. The other thing I didn't like about it was you hang the fish through the gill plate, most times this is safe as long as your careful but the always potential to damage the gills.

I always wanted a Boga Grip, but just not in my budget right now. If you do get one be sure to tie a float to the handle and it should last a good long time.

There are other Lip Grip Scales made by other manufactures for less but have not read or heard of as good of reviews about the quality and longevity of these tools. You get what you pay for I guess. I would still go with one of these over the "hook & hang" style.

For now I've just been using the "weigh by length" chart in the back of the fishing regulations booklet. (page 77. of the 2012 regs)

But pikestabbers idea, I must say is the most creative and again deserves honorable mention. Gotta try that at least once. But I'll save that one for shore fishing.

[mainbutter]

A trip to your local tackle shop will give you a few options.

Most come as a hanging weight scale, so there's a hook you hang something from, and the scale will read how much weight there is pulling down.

I have a rapala 25lb max spring scale w/ <30'' tape measure (the blocky grey one, not the slender cylinder). It's nice to throw in the backpack, weighs practically nothing, and gives me an idea of how much my various fish weigh. I've had it for a few years now, and about twice a fishing season I check it to make sure it's still reading correctly. My gf's dad has some standard 5lb weights he uses for point-of-sale scale calibration, I just hang those in a plastic bag from my hook and check to make sure my scale reads 5, 10, 15, and 20lbs on the dot. Just checked it again this year and it's still reliable.

I also have a 100lb max digital scale (which is surprisingly small for how much it can weigh and how tough it is) that was marketed as something to take on board a salt water vessel. We bought it as a method to weigh our garden's produce as we harvest throughout the year. It works wonderfully.

If you're weighing medium (10-30lb) sized fish, then a net and a more serious (probably digital) scale will be needed. Put the fish in the net, find a way to attach your net to the scale's hook, get a weight reading, tare for the net's weight, there you go.

If you want to weigh big fish, the best bet is to get a fish cradle and a scale to go with it. This is expensive, and I find only worthwhile if you're actually shooting for the record books for a large fish species.

All in all, the only reason I have a fish scale at all is because I wanted to know how off I was in my weight estimations. Most fishermen who have never used a scale before will call a 2-3lb bass a 5-6lb bass, and it's good to be able to bring yourself back down to the real world, lol.

It's nice knowing that if I land some kind of rough fish that is abnormally large, I can get a base reading to gauge whether I am close to a record and if it might be worthwhile to take to a certified scale.

[gurkster]

I do the weight by length method also, close enough for me and less chance of injurying a fish I may release.

[Down Deep]

I do the weight by length method also, close enough for me and less chance of injurying a fish I may release.

Ditto for me.

I do have a Rapala 100# I got as a spiff for buying something. It is really great for weighing luggage prior to air travel.