[Jason]

I went out yesterday @ about 4:00pm, and was fishing Ferson for Northern, and caught a 5.5 lbs Smallie. I was about 100-150 yards off of the river, in the creek, and fishing on a bend, I though i snagged another carp!!! It was really nice tail danced for me and all!!!!!!!!!! 2

 

[MickeyT]

5.5 is a huge smallie. How did you weigh it? Did you happen to get a picture? How about the length? I've caught some big smallies up to 20" from the Fox but never close to that.

Nice job!
Mick

 

[Jason]

I weighted it on a Berkley digital scale, and legnth was 19 1/2 inches. It really was an awsome fish. I do have pictures, but don't have a way to get them onto the net yet. Wife is working on that right now, hopefully very soon they will be up.

 

[The Goodyear Pimp]

A 19.5" smallie is a very nice fish but no where near 5.5 lbs. Unless it had recently swallowed a large chunk of lead, that fish was closer to 3.5 to 4.0 lbs. A nice fish none the less.

 

[Razzo]

I have to agree with the posts questioning the 5.5 pounds. I caught two smallies last year that were 19.5" Both were bruisers and healthy in weight; but, I can't see them being much over 4 pounds. Don't get me wrong, 19.5 is a great fish and very big.

Keep that digital scale, it may end getting you some state records soon. You may want to test it.

Razzo

 

[Jason]

Hey guys, I really hope that this scale is not off, cause that would really suck!!!! I can only tell you what the scale read, and that was 5.4 lbs. ( I rounded up) Does any one know how to check it?

 

[Guest]

Forget the scales, get a seamstress tape (the soft ones like tailors use) and get length & girth then use this formula:
Girth x Girth X Length / 800

for example your fish (I'm guessing girth at about 12 in.) therefore 12 x 12 x 19.5 = 2808 / 800 = 3.51 now multiply the .51 by 16 to convert to ounces .51 x 16 = 8.16 so your fish weighed in at about 3 lb. 8 oz. give or take a little, that of course based on the 12 in. girth, which sounds about right to me for the length, even at 13 in. it would still only be just over 4 lb. a nice fish for the Fox...but surly not a 5.5 lb, a 19.5 in would need a girth of over 15 inchs to weigh 5.5 making it look like a football....Not impossible...but not likely.

 

[amused]

Dear Jason,

Nice fishing.

Take your scale to the Jewel or to Dominicks, etc and you can have your very own minature tractor pull with their hanging scales. (Right there amongst the fresh vegetables). Hope you can read upside down.

p.s. I think bananas are on sale?

Bon appetite

_________________
Alcohol Tabacco and Firearms -
did anyone bring the samiches?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: amused on 2002-03-18 13:59 ]</font>

 

[Guest]

Bad advice! EVERYONE knows those Supermarket scales at are way wrong, put a 5lb sack of taters on one some time...it will read 6½ -7 lbs.! Unless you want to spend big bucks for a really good electronic scale (and even those get knocked out of wack) or shelling out more money for a Cardoza fish scale (Bass Pro Shops has them for about $25.00, the 15 lb capacity ain't bad, reads out in 2 oz increments and the weight shows until you release it even after you've removed the fish) your really better off just using the formula!

 

[Razzo]

Bob, do you have the formula for walleye?

I have the length x legth x length formulas. I have heard that the girth formula is very accurate. Do you have the rest of them? I know the LxLxL is different for each species. Is it the same way with the grith formula?

Thanks,
razzo

 

[John G]

Jason:

Last year I, too, caught two smallies that were just shy of 20". Both weighed a hair over 3 lbs. I have a Normark digital scale, which I tested using plastic bags of water (a pint weighs a pound). My scale is about 5-6 oz light, so yours might be off a little, too. It's easy to check using the water trick. But in any case, a 19.5" smallmouth is a fine fish!

John G

 

[Guest]

Razzo,
For Walleye use the same formula but divide by 900

 

[IN-FISHERMAN]

5 IF YOU GUYS DON'T MIND ME ASKING WHERE IS FERSON CREEK

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: IN-FISHERMAN on 2002-03-18 20:10 ]</font>

 

[Fergy]

The most accurate fishing scale I have found is a Chatillon model 25 brass scale. I work with commercial scales used for wieghing meat and I've checked the calibration on several digital scales and none came close to the Chatillon. You can zero it out and read to 1/8th (between the lines) of a pound and it's right on the money. I've used it for many years and is still accurate. My Normark scale was off 6 oz at 5 lbs. There are other scales that look like the Chatillon and are cheaper, but aren't as dependable.

 

[amused]

Hi Bob Hicks, how-aah-ya.

Buying bananas on sale is not bad advice.

As to your other finding, a 5 lb sack of taters must weigh "at least" 5 lbs. It could weigh more but definately not less. Any supermarket has to check its scales on a regular basis or the potato police will be knocking at their door. (This must be true because the tattooed stock clerk with the green mowhawk told me so and she was real cute). If my mom had found out that their scales were not accurate, she would have <font color="#FF00FF">*&^%$#</font> their <font color="#FF00FF">@#$%^&* </font> --- really.

Part Deux ---

Dear Jason

How can you not trust your grocer? The men and women who handle your zuchini and grapes wouldn't pull your leg, too. We're not talking world records here. Culling or bragging rights only. Within 1 oz should be OK.

Trust me, I'm a phone guy.




_________________
Alcohol Tabacco and Firearms -
did anyone bring the samiches?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: amused on 2002-03-19 00:19 ]</font>

 

[Jason]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. I have checked the scale, and you guys were right. It was off by about 1.5 lbs!!!!!!! Ican't wait to go back to BPS and tell them what I think of it. You figure that you spend the money for a good (brand name) scale, that it would be acccurate, guess not. Sorry for deception guys. I do tell fish stories, but they are way out when I tell them, kinda like I caught a 7' muskie yesterday, it weighted 80lbs. That is a story that i would say, not something this close. Sorry again, and thanks for the advise!!!!!!! Good luck fishing!

 

[skeithr]

Don't take your frustration out on the guys at Bass Pro, did they actually make the scale?, you need to write or email the manufaturer.

 

[MR. Fish]

You can take a chicken, Roast or other item that is sold by the pound and attach it to your scale to check for accuracy. I used my Berkley scale to weigh my gear for a fly-in last year and it was in the ball park. For what it's worth, I caught a 21"smallie on Lake Geneva a couple years ago and if memory serves me right it was under 5 lbs. Not the chunky style Smallies like the ones in Canada.

 

[amused]

Go ahead and make your views known to BPS. In a nice way. .

Their massive buying power has a little more influence on the manufactures. Complaints from unhappy customers actually help our capitalistic process work. Product makers would rather know what is wrong with their products than to have you just stop buying from them. BPS didn't make this unit but their reputation rides on it also. They should be happy to happily help make you happy again. AND you can prevent other CLFs from buying than faulty product in the future.

_________________
Alcohol Tabacco and Firearms -
did anyone bring the samiches?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: amused on 2002-03-19 20:25 ]</font>

 

[Guest]

Like I said..SCREW the SCALE, buy a soft tape measure, use the formula, and spend all that $$$ you save on Tube Baits & Beer!