Northwest Fishing Reports

For the life of me.....i need to get this off my chest, especially since i'll be bass fishing sat. at the bbq....

What are proper length to weight conversion for washington?? i know it varies by time of year and lake, but you must have an "average". It's like this.....i am from the midwest...like many others...and in my bass experience we alway measure them, not weigh them. Weighing them is a southern thing, where a 20" bass can be 5lbs or 15lbs. from my experience, northern bass don't vary that much. So, to my point....I've alway thought 18" = 4lbs; 20" =5lbs; 22"=6+lbs. At least that is what the situation is at 46* north latitude in the central US, so i understand that at 46* north latitude on the coast will be SLIGHTLY higher....but i see these pics of 18" summer bass and people claim 5-6-7 lbs....no way!! IMO, rely less on your inaccurate scale and more on the length. OK, now i feel better....

If you can take the length measurement, you can also take the girth measurement. There is a formula that will get you pretty close on almost any fish, bluegill, crappie, trout, bass, catfish, but not so much pike and muskie (too much weight in the oversized head).

I am not sure that I remember it, but it is something like the weight in pounds is equal to the Length times 3 times the girth divided by 800.

Pounds= (L * 3 * girth)/800

So IF, this was the correct formula, the weight in pounds of a fish that was 20 inches long, with a total girth of 26" would be

(20 * 3 * 26)/800 = 1.95 #

Try to Goggle the fish weight formula and see what you get. Perhaps someone on here will remember the exact formula.

I REALLY DOUBT THAT THE FORMULA I GAVE YOU IS THE CORRECT ONE.

Update: I was wrong. Length x Grith x Girth / 800 = pounds

Try this http://cyberangler.com/articles/calcula ... eight.html

Anglinarcher....you seem like a great individual, and i would love to fish with you sometime....

you drove right into my point.....everyone is obsessed with weight in WA. I know tournaments go by weight, but why should recreational anglers? It's already proven weighing a fish puts extra stress on it, and you only weigh the big ones, which are already stressed from old age. I just think most anglers should be happy with a length and leave it at that.....20" is a HUGE bass.....whether it is 5Lbs 7oz or 6lbs 1oz.....I mean come on.....NO HAND-HELD SCALE IS THAT ACCURATE WITH A LIVE FISH BEING WEIGHED. so take a quick measurement and throw him back.....unless you're going for $5,000.

Rollin with Rolland wrote:Anglinarcher....you seem like a great individual, and i would love to fish with you sometime....

you drove right into my point.....everyone is obsessed with weight in WA. I know tournaments go by weight, but why should recreational anglers? It's already proven weighing a fish puts extra stress on it, and you only weigh the big ones, which are already stressed from old age. I just think most anglers should be happy with a length and leave it at that.....20" is a HUGE bass.....whether it is 5Lbs 7oz or 6lbs 1oz.....I mean come one.....NO HAND-HELD SCALE IS THAT ACCURATE WITH A LIVE FISH BEING WEIGHED. so take a quick measurement and throw him back.....unless you're going for $5,000.

I will give you a call if I ever get a chance to fish over there again. Give me a call if you are heading my way.

I agree, I must have released 100 bass this year, and none hit the scales. Now my wife and my friends will tell you how they weighed up to 8 pounds, and that is OK if they think so, but personally, none of them ever went over two.

OK, maybe they did, but if anyone really knew how big they were, then others would hit the lakes, take their personal trophies that usually hit the frying pan, and they would all be gone. Better to leave everyone believing they were two pounders and not actually put a scale on them.

As for measuring them, I'll put them on a board for length sometimes, but I just don't care about the rest. I often take a little time to count the sore lip scars in bass. You know C&R works when you can count 3 or more in a 20" fish. LOL

well put Anglinarcher. Eastside or Bust.....i know there are a few of us...

If you are measuring the length of your fish and not weighing it, then just don't try to tell anyone how heavy it was, that's all I ask. If you weigh it sweet, if not, let's not hear about the "20 inches and about 7 lbs!" bass. Personally I weigh my big ones, and I think my scale is accurate to within an ounce or 2, provided you use it properly and allow the fish to calm down before weighing it. Maybe take a couple pictures then weigh it right before you release it. It takes about 10 seconds and I don't think it's any more harmful than lipping the fish for a picture, again provided you use it properly. Weight is just how bass are measured to me. All the tournaments go by weight, including big bass, and all state records go by weight. If you had an 18" 4.10 lb bass and a 17" 4.13 lb bass, the 17" would be considered the bigger bass, at least to me.

If you don't care enough about how much the fish weighs to weigh it, that's completely understandable and makes total sense. Just don't tell everyone how heavy it was when you get back. If you caught a 20" bass, you caught a 20" bass, not a 5 lb bass. If you are really that caught up with calculating a bass's weight with a complicated formula and taking so many measurements that you could size the thing for a wedding dress, then may I suggest buying a scale.

i will never doubt a fish next to a tape measure, but one on a scale i will (tape measures don't lie). unless it is a certified scale, and it is a tournament.

I'm not all that concerned about being off an ounce or two. Sure, a tape measure is empirically accurate every time, but we're not measuring explosive chemicals here, we're talking about fish. One ounce, two ounces, three quarters of an inch... if you're that anal about the fish you're catching, you must not be having nearly as much fun as I am hehe....

I catch it, I weigh it if it's over 3 or 4 pounds (and that's for my own benefit), then it goes right back in the water. No stress, no excessive lipping (I would never bend a bottom lip out and distress the cartilege), no extra time out of the water. Catch and release, in the same breath.

AaronE wrote:
I catch it, I weigh it if it's over 3 or 4 pounds (and that's for my own benefit), then it goes right back in the water. No stress, no excessive lipping (I would never bend a bottom lip out and distress the cartilege), no extra time out of the water. Catch and release, in the same breath.

i have no doubt Aaron E that you and all other experienced bassers can do this in one quick, gentle motion. I have no problem with that at all. And i do see your point for personal record on weight, i just don't believe every "7lber on my scale" story...

Rollin with Rolland wrote:
i have no doubt Aaron E that you and all other experienced bassers can do this in one quick, gentle motion. I have no problem with that at all. And i do see your point for personal record on weight, i just don't believe every "7lber on my scale" story...

I try not to catch anything over 2 pounds, just to prevent myself from telling those kinds of stories

Interesting... You guys measure your fish eh.. I dont think I have EVER weighed or measured the length of any fish I have ever caught.... ever.

A quick picture for prosperity and toss it back.

AaronE: I totally agree about the lipping. Some of the photos Ive seen with the lip bent back so freekin far is a gross abuse of a fish. If you look at any of my bass pictures, the mouth is only open far enough to get my thumb in its mouth and no more.

Catch, weigh on a scale that is checked for accuracy in my bass club, and release. When you see my reports and it says fish was _____ lb, thats the truth. No guessing here.

Interesting posts guys, and great reply's! as for my experences I have to agree with most of the posts, the biggest bass I ever caught I did not have a scale but I did measure it. and it was just under 25' and I know for sure it was not 8 lbs or more. some people tell me it should of have been over 8 but it wasnt! my fish was not fat, it was just thick, I think it was a big male. I've caught alot of bass in my days and most times I dont need to weigh them, my guess is most of the time within 4 oz. I've caught lots of fish 6.8 and under and my fish was bigger. Just my 2 cents

Its just nice to know what they "really" weigh. I been bass fishing for 10 years at least and I can't guess weight for squat. Get a decent scale ($20 and up should be good) and then you will know what that hawg weighed. I've caught bass up to 7lb 5 oz and I think it was 22 inches I'd have to check my log book, they can vary !!

Try this for weight of fish..... http://justnorth.com/Connections/Fishin ... lator.aspx

to the notion that northern fish dont vary much in length/weight ratio, well, you're fooling yourself if you believe that ;). Get a scale.

I have a good scale, I just didnt have it then since it was the first day I went out that year and it wasnt in my box, i've caught enough bass to know it was around 7 to 7.5 no more and no less. i've been bass fishing for over 20 years and caught alot of bass from 2 -6lbs and this guy was above that. everyone that seen all the pics think it was over 8 but it wasnt. you see people on here with a 4lb fish and they call it 6lbs or more seems people add a few pounds.

18" = 4lbs; 20" =5lbs; 22"=6+lb...

to add to my statement, I got a 5lb15oz fish last year measuring barely 19".

i'm starting to see some reasons for weighing fish, like if it really is a lunker....

but, what would you say, on average, a 20" WA LMB ways? (i know it depends on season, but just an all around average, males/females,spawning/post spawn)

5.5 lbs?

20 inches, I would say is at least 4.8 on the just no gut fish, and up to 5.8 on a fat fish, maybe more if grossly overweight? but average at 20 inches i'd say 5.4.