Measuring fish?

bigchub · Mar 27, 2011

Next season I'm going to try and get more detailed records of the chub I catch and wondered what is the most accurate and best way to measure them properly? Which bits do you measure?
For example when you measure the girth of the fish do you measure it in the middle or just behind the pectoral fin? I also want to measure the distance between the two tips of the tail fin. etc etc.

Can anybody help?

keora · Mar 29, 2011

To measure length you measure from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail.

To measure girth I think you take the circumference around the fattest part of the body, which is usually at the front end of the dorsal fin.

I've never heard of tail fin spread being measured. I think this is because tail fins are so flexible that the measurement will not easily be repeatable.

What will you do with the measurements ?

It's strange that we British use fish weight to measure the size of fish, but the Continentals use length. I was talking to an East European angler last week who said he had caught "my first metre pike" - roughly equivalent to our 20 pounder.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Mar 29, 2011

Measure the fish as kieth2 says.

As for the tail, well measure from tip to tip, I checked i did say Tip....

bigchub · Mar 29, 2011

Keith2 said:
What will you do with the measurements ?

I'd just like to record them for my own personal records. As I'll probably be fishing the same river for most of my life then I can monitor any changes etc from year to year.

mol · Mar 29, 2011

Where I live in France the predators tend to be measured and most other fish weighed. I often wonder if it because after the 1st of Jan till May-June most public waters ban predator fishing, right when they're at the heaviest for the year so measuring seems a hint fairer. Being English I struggle to know what is impressive and what isn't when it comes to length compared to weight.

I recently heard of a chub that was caught at 86cm, if I remember correctly. It sounds pretty big but I've got no idea of how much it would weigh having never measured a chub. It strange that they even bothered measuring it as chub are considered a trash fish over here and not worth targeting

Jeff Woodhouse · Mar 29, 2011

mol said:
because after the 1st of Jan till May-June most public waters ban predator fishing,

Interesting!

Ideally BigChub, you want a measuring board, but it's another piece of equipment to carry around that you'll only use some of the time.

Tee-Cee · Mar 29, 2011

Back in my club match fishing days in the late 50's/early 60's the measuring of fish(to know it was a 'goer' and therefore weighable)was always done on a special stainless steel rule with a turned-up end )against which the nose of the fish was pushed) that had the allowable length for a given species marked on it.
From memory a 'goer' dace was 7",a roach 8" and bream 12" etc etc and the length was always taken to the END of the tail and NOT the fork.

We had many matches with sometimes 3/4 clubs taking part,not to mention the Thames Championship which had hundreds of competitors and always the fish length was the overall length......

Now,I am NOT,repeat NOT saying this is the right or wrong way to measure fish,its just the way it was done by clubs around the north and west of London that I knew of at that time!

I've only raised this as Keith2 above says measure "to the fork of the tail" and I would just like to be sure if measuring to the FORK is correct and how/when (if this is the way fish are measured nowadays) this method was adopted......

To be absolutely sure I am understood; I am not aying Keith is wrong,I only want clarification!!

ps...I may well be wrong but I think the LAA stipulated the 'goer' length and to which point the measurement was taken.

I hope someone can respond to this and put me right,one way or the other............

Fred Bonney · Mar 29, 2011

Measuring Fish to Estimate their Weight

bigchub · Mar 29, 2011

Thanks to everybody who has answered. All very useful and thanks for that Fred. Very interesting.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Mar 29, 2011

Tee Cee

You measure to the fork of the tail as that is part of the tail you cannot move.

The rest of the tail can be spread to make the fish longer, you could fan the tail also, this would make the fish shorter the a spread tail fish.

Hope that helps you out.

Tee-Cee · Mar 30, 2011

Yes I know what you mean Ray and I accept the fork is the 'correct' measuring point (it would be stupid to think I'm right and everyone else is wrong!) but I do recall weighing-in sessions where the tail was moved backwards and forwards to see if if couldn't just scrape over the line to make it a 'goer' and so weighable......in fact one man had the final say at weigh-in time and he was always under pressure to make a fish just past the line on the rule and on such fractions the sweep could be won!

Anyway I accept the fork tail measuring point with pleasure.................

ps looks as though I will have to re-assess the 'old boy' measurement though!!!

.................now where did I put that 12" ruler??

keora · Mar 30, 2011

I advised using the length from tip of nose to tail fork because that was the measurement included in local by-laws for trout fishing catches.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Mar 30, 2011

Tee-Cee said:
Yes I know what you mean Ray and I accept the fork is the 'correct' measuring point (it would be stupid to think I'm right and everyone else is wrong!) but I do recall weighing-in sessions where the tail was moved backwards and forwards to see if if couldn't just scrape over the line to make it a 'goer' and so weighable......in fact one man had the final say at weigh-in time and he was always under pressure to make a fish just past the line on the rule and on such fractions the sweep could be won!

Anyway I accept the fork tail measuring point with pleasure.................

ps looks as though I will have to re-assess the 'old boy' measurement though!!

.................now where did I put that 12" ruler??

Hahaha 12 inch rule is that it........???

I have to find the 5 mt tape, ..........:wh

to measure wallpaper that is...

The old match men would do anything to get the fish to be on or over the line, all in is the best way.

S-Kippy · Mar 30, 2011

Ah...the good old days of "Size Limit" matches. Of course I am far too young to remember them...but I have read about them.

Carrying your catch in a waterproof bucket to the weigh in only to have the scalesman declare that your only fish is not a "go-er".

There's a folding one by Efgeeco on e-bay now though the one's I remember were fixed. Thames sizes. Mine cost 2/11d in old money....I dont know why I remember that...I just do.

BarryC · Mar 30, 2011

That would certainly take away some of the kudos of 9lb tench carrying 4lb of spawn.
But then it would'nt be right for a spawned out 24lb pike that would go maybe 28 in good nick.

Do'nt hang me on the weights of spawn they're only guesstimate examples.

chav professor · Mar 31, 2011

Most sea fishing matches these days have reverted to points to measurements as an alternative to presenting a 10lb bag of pouting or just sizable whiting. Its great, because even under size fish like bass betwee 18cm and 41cm count. the fish is kept in a bucket, presented to a neighbouring angler then imediately returned.

the only practice I have taken exception to is that once weighted, a piece of tail is clipped by a few anglers - presumably so the fish can't be presented a second or third time.

I was fishing a sole match 2 years ago at Sizewell when i landed a sole that was 29cm. this fish would have taken biggest flat fish on that occasion - had some **** not decided to make it 3cm shorter on a previous occasion.................

richiekelly · Mar 31, 2011

clipping pieces off the tail of a fish is barbaric,its the same as used to be done by dutch carp anglers so that they could recognise any recaptures,it made a mess of the fish,i have seen carp with nearly half of the top lobe of the tail missing.

Tee-Cee · Mar 31, 2011

Ah yes,the Efgeeeco fish bag.............usually the same one that held the 'made up the night before' groundbait (why did we do that??)that had to be carried miles if you drew a high number from the hat.....this was providing your half gallon of maggots had not escaped from your bag into the coach boot and you had to spend 1/2 hour trying to retrieve them....under the watchful eye of the driver...........happy days!!

What an apprenticeship though!!

Measuring fish?

bigchub

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keora

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Ray Daywalker Clarke

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bigchub

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mol

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Jeff Woodhouse

Moaning Marlow Meldrew

Tee-Cee

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Fred Bonney

Banned

bigchub

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Ray Daywalker Clarke

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Tee-Cee

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keora

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Ray Daywalker Clarke

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S-Kippy

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BarryC

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chav professor

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richiekelly

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Tee-Cee

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