Thread: How to acknowledge a big crappie-Weight of Measure?

Originally Posted by justinp61

If you get caught in KY with a bunch of fish that are just 10" using the method (open mouth) in your photo I'd say at the end of the you're wallet would be a lot lighter. Mouth closed, tail pinched.

X2 on measuring fish accurately, our COE lakes are 12" minimum and if you measure with the open mouth method you will be getting a hefty ticket.

Originally Posted by Rees Guide

We do both but wieght and length is relative to the lake you are fishing, 18 inch fish might not weigh 3 lbs or better at most lakes but on a few we fish regular it would be over 3 any time of the year and before spawn would be pushing the heck out of 4. We had one weighed in at one of our tourneys last year that was 17.5 inches long and weighed an awesome 3.77 lbs. All relative to where you are.

Rees Guide is spot on about this, it's best to measure and weigh, that's the only way to get an accurate description/acknowledgement. I even wish I had searched out a soft tape and gotten a girth measurement on that 3.77.

The poll was closer than I thought It would be.

Originally Posted by bfish

I like going by length. It has not always been that way, but after fishing several tournaments out of a kayak (catch, photo, then immediate release) I have became a believer.

Length doesn't shrink on seasonal basis, while weight will vary throughout the year. Also I have seen way too many scales that read way off. It is also hard to get a photo of the fish with the scale showing the weight. With trough style measuring board, it is easy to show length (ie no long arming).

needs to learn to measure with the mouth closed, not open!!!!!

This thread is 2 and a half years old......But I measure them mouth closed and tail pinched to see if they are over legal minimum length to keep.....and If I think they are big, I weight them to see how big lol

Originally Posted by ibmack

needs to learn to measure with the mouth closed, not open!!!!!

I think in some states it don't matter, and some won't let you squeeze the tail ... but, he has that fish's bottom lip against the end of the ruler, so I doubt the fish would be much less than 15". And (if) he could squeeze the tail, he'd probably make up the length gained by the open mouth. Suffice it to say that it was ~15" and that was good enough for him

Every fish I have ever saw a Game Warden measure.....TN, MS, LA.....it has been closed mouth tail pinched....its the only way to get a true measurement. And yes the guys fish was a nice fish. My next door neighbor had a nice fish that he measured mouth open tail spread and it was just enough difference between the Game Wardens measurement to cost him 150 bucks. Just saying. I won't put one in my live well unless it measure a quarter inch over the limit measured properly.

I never weigh em. That way it can weigh what I say it does.


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