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simple.........measuring fish...??

1K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  Plaicehunter 
#1 ·
simple question...how do you measure your fish....to the fork of the tail..or to the tail tips...??

 
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#2 ·
i usually start with the tape beginning at the nose of the fish not above the eye ;)

if its a comp its the furthestmost point.

if its for pleasure i dont usually bother measuring them, the touch and go sizables almost always go back unless they are badly hooked and likely brown bread with me. :thumbs:
 
#3 ·
andy... tip of the nose to the end of the tail fin thats how most do it :thumbs:
 
#4 ·
Technically, there are two main ways to measure a fish (in scientific terms): standard length (SL) and total length (TL).

Standard length is the length of the fish from the tip of the snout to the end of the caudal peduncle (the wrist part of the tail). Total length (which is what anglers use) measures from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail.
 
#5 ·
In a match situation if a fish was borderline we would close the fork of the tail (feking hard with an eel) this can sometimes make all the difference:thumbs:
 
#6 ·
Eggy

With most of my fish, my tape measure only stretches to measure between the eyes.

If its a small one though, of course I also measure the girth of the caudal peduncle.

But if you're going to measure the length of undersized fish; then you should definitely start at the mouth and not the eye...

:)
 
#8 ·
IGFA rules state tip of nose to fork of tail
hi thanks........is that then not the same as the nfsa measures..!!
and which is the current law regarding the measuring....?


not that i want to take just sizable fish...but like to know..which is the appropiate guidelines to take notice of.....as there seems to be a lot of just guesstimates in how to do it..!!
 
#11 ·
Andy - if you are fishing inside of 6nm of the shore then you must follow your local IFCA (Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority) rules.

IGFA, NFSA or ANY other angling or match sizes mean nothing :thumbs:
thanks...just check out the sussex site...brill..........i just wanted to be sure...what was deffo legal..and what was`nt......

just a question......raised by a mate at work...if you were to head and tail or fillet...and descale a just over sizable fish..at sea........it would look quite small when its done..how would someone else know it was sizable at capture when brought ashore...?
again im not advocating this..but as it was brought up in conversation..i thought i would ask...!
 
#12 ·
In a nutshell they would not, and could never tell if a borderline fish was actually just over or just under the legal MLS once the fillets were removed and the frame discarded.

It is for this reason that commercial scallop fishing boats are not allowed to cut out scallops at sea as it is impossible to tell from the size of the meat how big the shell was. There are BIG fines for anyone caught cutting out shells at sea.

Commercial boats land fish either whole or gutted with the exception of Monkfish (true angler fish) which are 'tailed' when landed onto the UK market (the head is removed), although they are landed whole (gutted) onto the continent.
There are no legal MLS for monkfish in the UK (upto the fishermen if he keeps them or not) so no issues of that kind occur.
intresting issue..............when checks are made by the fishery board... i suppose they can only go on a whole landed fish..by recreational anglers then..? i suppose all sorts of questions and strange answers can spring to mind..over this...!!
 
#13 ·
In parts of the USA you are not allowed to keep skinned and scaled fillets in your freezer for that very reason. Game Wardens are allowed to check freezers of anglers. They are not so strict here, maybe they should be because in the USA they have managed to reverse the decline of pressured fish stocks through policing anglers and commercials very strictly, with big fines if you get caught.
 
#18 ·
:) Only for IGFA fish rules, we fish to UK rules which it nose to tail. I've stewarded many competitions and unless stated otherwise it's tip of nose to tip of tail. :)
When measuring bass, I do it tip of nose to tip of tail with the tail closed, as that's what all the other bass boys do. Weight-for-length tables are available for nose-to-tail-tip and nose-to-fork measurements though. However these are only a guide, as much depends on the condition of the fish. PH
 
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