How to acknowledge a big crappie-Weight of Measure?

I'm just wondering what others think is the best way to proclaim a big fish. Since some states have regulations on size according to length, I have always thought the best way to show off a big fish is to measure it for length.

Panfish and weight just don't seem practical. A big spawned out female is what it is, but a week earlier would have been a lot heavier. Fall fish eating heavily will be heavier than in summer. But their length is mostly the same through out a season.

So I vote for measure the length.

Now tell me why I'm wrong LOL. Really I'd just like to hear others opinions and have a good discussion. Maybe this will be the start of a nationwide movement to stop weighing Crappie and measure their length.........

Post your reason for your vote.

:Rofl I normally only weigh a fish if I think it is over two pounds, mostly out of curiosity. If it is a larger than average fish, I will weigh and measure it just for reference. I have caught 14" fish that went 1 3/4lbs(pretty good fish), and I have caught 16" fish that weighed 1 1/2lbs(not so good Imo). If I am wanting to bragg, I do both. Otherwise, no need to measure OR weigh a fish except for size limit-reasons.

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Originally Posted by Cmj

:Rofl I normally only weigh a fish if I think it is over two pounds, mostly out of curiosity. If it is a larger than average fish, I will weigh and measure it just for reference. I have caught 14" fish that went 1 3/4lbs(pretty good fish), and I have caught 16" fish that weighed 1 1/2lbs(not so good Imo). If I am wanting to bragg, I do both. Otherwise, no need to measure OR weigh a fish except for limit size-reasons.

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That's my point exactly. Weight comes and goes, Length should be the unit for a good fish (speaking for panfish). IMHO

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Originally Posted by barrelslime

That's my point exactly. Weight comes and goes, Length should be the unit for a good fish (speaking for panfish). IMHO

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If someone tells me they caught a 15" fish, my first question is, "What did it weigh?" I don't assume that it is a good fish just because it has length. There are lakes here that a 15" fish would not be very impressive due to its poor health. Other lakes, a healthy 15" fish could go close to 2 1/4lbs. Length alone isn't very telling IMO.

True but the same is true for weight.
Theres no wrong or right answer. Thanks for replying..

If its impressive when it comes out of the water it will probably get weighed.

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Originally Posted by barrelslime

True but the same is true for weight.
Thanks for replying..

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No problem, that's why I said I do both. I see in your signature that your best Crappie was 17 1/2". What did it weigh?? :Rofl

Generally, I only measure to be assured that it's of legal length for the state or lake I'm fishing. I'm of the school of thought that length is for legality, weight is for bragging :Rofl

There's also a big difference in a fish's weight per length, according to the lake/state it comes from, as well as what season it was caught in. Which of the two species of Crappie it is, can also be a factor.

IMHO ... if it matters enough to know "how big it is", then BOTH measurements are needed, plus which species, since "my 17in fish" may weigh more than "your 17in fish" ... and categorizing them as "equal", on length alone, would not be fair judgement. :twocents

... cp :kewl

Most tournaments go by weight.

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Originally Posted by crappiepappy

Generally, I only measure to be assured that it's of legal length for the state or lake I'm fishing. I'm of the school of thought that length is for legality, weight is for bragging :Rofl

There's also a big difference in a fish's weight per length, according to the lake/state it comes from, as well as what season it was caught in. Which of the two species of Crappie it is, can also be a factor.

IMHO ... if it matters enough to know "how big it is", then BOTH measurements are needed, plus which species, since "my 17in fish" may weigh more than "your 17in fish" ... and categorizing them as "equal", on length alone, would not be fair judgement. :twocents

... cp :kewl

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My thoughts exactly

One armed folks just say "it was this big". And they are always right.

Weight.

In Oklahoma, to be a lake record it must be a minimum of 2 lbs. They have weights listed for other species also. They are using weight instead of length.

I'm not saying that's right or wrong. That's just the way it is.

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).

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0f902754.jpg

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.

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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).

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0f902754.jpg

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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.

I should've stated "KY Lake" in my above post.

I like to see both figures. There are lakes where I wouldn't consider any crappie under 11" worth cleaning because they are so thin, and lakes from which a thick-bodied 9 3/4-incher will deliver meaty fillets.

And I'd be more excited to catch a 15" two-pounder than one the same length but a quarter-pound lighter.

They are pretty no matter how much they weigh or how long they are! Just to add to length debate, what about the difference between white and black crappie? White crappie tend to be longer is a 17 inch 2 pound white crappie better than a 15 inch 2.25 black crappie?

I wish I had this problem....:dono

The ones Creekslick catches!!!! Creekslick has his name on most of the crappie in our lake JB presley has the rest!!!LOL!!! crappie!!! Creek has a Ozark rod look out crappie!!! What they weigh on certified scales!!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0f902754.jpg

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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

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Originally Posted by ibmack

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

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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 :biggrin

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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Originally Posted by "G"

This thread is 2 and a half years old...

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I look forward to when this thread gets bumped in 2037. Hope I'm alive to see it.

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Originally Posted by "G"

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.

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Same way here in KY ... mouth closed/tail pinched. And the GW's measure with a Golden Rule, which is what I measure mine with ... problem is, Golden Rule boards START their measurements at 10" and many lakes have a 9" size limit. I marked mine with a Sharpie at 9.25" and don't keep them unless the un-pinched tail goes beyond that mark :biggrin

I've found up to a 1/2in. difference in length (shorter) if measured with mouth open and tail not pinched...imho

Weight. Length doesn't matter. Never been in a tournament for longest fish.

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Originally Posted by yikess

Weight. Length doesn't matter. Never been in a tournament for longest fish.

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there are not two records . length / weight . Just one . WEIGHT Yikess is spot on . jmo.

The only time I worry about length is when I'm on a lake that has a minimum length limit.
Weight, I pay more attention to when I'm prefishing or in a tournament.



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I usually go by length, mostly because I do CPR, at least for bass. Panfish I keep a lot more so ill weigh them more often, but its still usually a quick tape and let em go.

If its a really big fish though ill get both.

Weight definitely, caught the longest black crappie of my life 20" long, but as thin as a rail, no shoulders on it. Fattest / heaviest fish I usually catch are in that 15" - 17" range.

I also go over at least a 1/4" of an inch on a ruler, mouth closed and I don't pinch the tail just to be certain I'm legal.

I've caught 12" Crappie that looked like toothpicks and 9" Crappie that were twice as heavy.