Weighing Pike

[DaveFromMO]

I just got done reading through the thread on holding fish vertically and understand it's a bad thing to do, but does anyone know of a safe and effective way to weigh a pike without hanging it from it's jaw? For someone who only gets to make the trek up north to fish for the big toothy critters a few times a year (and likes to brag about them to his bass-fishing neighbors at home) being able to quote a weight now and then is really pretty important. I've already changed over to judging my success from one trip to the next based on length of fish but I really want to be able to weigh a few each trip so I can relate to those back home how big a fish I'm actually talking about when I say I caught so many 35" or 36" (or whatever) fish. I've already spent 75 bucks on the rapala boga-grip style scale and don't like it so I am willing to pay the price to protect the big guys if someone can give me a better option.

[Muskycrazy]

I know they make conversion charts for Musky that translate Inches into LBS , you can get those easily @ your bait shop or on-line baity shop . There are also formulas for weight . I think its L X L X W divided by ? ( 800 ) . Somebody on here knows the formula . Most Musky & Pike guys accept inches because thats the fastest , safest way to get them back in the water . I am pretty sure , for me , that returning them back into the water as quick as possible is primary and an accurate weight is far down the list . But if you need to weigh them maybe in a cradle will work .

[RK]

Hiya -

If you want to weigh a fish, easiest method is with either a large-bag net like a big Frabill, or with a cradle and a simple sling. Weigh the fish in the net or cradle, weigh the net/cradle (when it's wet...) and subtract. To make a sling for a cradle, take two metal rings large enough to fit over both ends of the cradle handles, put a rope between them, with another small ring at the midpoint of the rope.

Between the two options, I'd take the cradle personally. Weighed many Alaskan pike like this. It's fast and doesn't beat up the fish as much as folding them up in a net, I don't think.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[AWH]

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There are also formulas for weight . I think its L X L X W divided by ? ( 800 ) . Somebody on here knows the formula .

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Length x Girth x Girth /800

Aaron

[bassNspear]

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There are also formulas for weight . I think its L X L X W divided by ? ( 800 ) . Somebody on here knows the formula .

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Length x Girth x Girth /800

Aaron

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great weight to handle this problem

[fisherking01]

My cousin has a digital bathroom scale in his perm house, we've held the fish, released and subtracted the difference. His reads to the 10th of a pound, Not certifiable but it gets you close and the release is quick. I suppose in a boat they may be clumsy, but a cradle hanging on a scale doesn't sound real smoothe either. Good luck, Brent

[jkrash]

I wieghed a bunch of fish this fall useing a craddle and Chatillon spring scale, It worked great, the cradle I used had a ruler printed on it, so the fish went from the net to craddle and then to the scale, really quick operation once you do it a couple times.

Next year I'll have a digital (state certified) scale on board, that way when Silverscale catches the state record (again) he'll be official.

[DaveFromMO]

I like the digital bathroom scale idea, I should have thought of it myself since that's how we weigh how much meat we get back from the butcher shop each year after deer season. Thanks for all the suggestions (and those big northerns I'll be going after at Shoal Lake in Ontario next year thank you too)!

[bassNspear]

You cant match the weight that you get from a butcher on a scale you have at your house. Its not going to give you a correct reading. Trust me, i know. It will give you a good idea of the weight but it will not give you a pefrect weight.

[Ralph Wiggum]

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You cant match the weight that you get from a butcher on a scale you have at your house. Its not going to give you a correct reading. Trust me, i know. It will give you a good idea of the weight but it will not give you a pefrect weight.

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Depends on your scale at home I'd be willing to bet that 99.9% of the time your butcher's scale will be way more accurate, but a bathroom scale will get you pretty close depending upon how huch you're weighing (I wouldn't count on it to weigh your crappies ).

[Central Bassman]

Most people dont have butcher scales at home