Does anyone know of the formula to calculate a fish's weight? I know it use to be on this site, but I can't find it. If you know, can you please email me the link? I caught a nice fish on the Hump yesterday and would like to know just how big he is. Thanks.

Hey Dom: I don't know where to find a weight calculator on this website, but if you go to www.willieboats.com you can find one there--Tight lines Moonshot

http://www.johns-guide-service.com/Fishing.html
There's a fish calculator about half way down the page.
So, the Hump, eh? Sounds like the place to be. See you all there.

Still there ... just changed it's locale a a little bit:

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/resourcecenter/weightcalculator.htm

A reminder ... the tips / techniques section is now known as the Fishing Resource Center that we're currently working on expanding. Look for more goodies there soon

Ok I just couldn't resist, here it is Red neck style!
http://www.pixhost.com/pixs/scfd454/fish.gif

Thanks guys!!! I appreciate such a timely response.

P.S. Bob how did I become a fry. I was a returning adult?

The actual formula, for salmon and steelhead is:

LENGTH X GIRTH X GIRTH / 775

The length is in inches and weight in pounds.

For example Length = 30", Girth = 20"

30 x 20 x 20 / 775 = 15.48 pounds

I checked Bob's calculator and that appears to be the formula he uses. I've seen some formulas use 800 as the divisor but I have found 775 to be more accurate.

Lots of folks "dropped back" Dom when I added a number of new life stages

Yes, I use 775 as the divisor in the formula. Generally the most accepted ... sometimes you will see 800, I've seen 750 as well. But from the "tests" I've run against fish coming into the local shop and salmon we've kept, 775 seems to be right on the money

Here's a handy item that was just passed my way by T Rei ... print it out and toss it in your vest

Sunday i was lucky enough to land the largest steelhead i have ever hooked. It was a 37" wild buck. I didnt have a tape on me but there happened to be a straight stick in the water right next to the fish so i put the stick from snout to tip of tail and later measured the calculated distance. I didnt get a girth measurement because i didnt want to put the thing through anymore stress.

Bob has probably seen alot of Nates in this class. Whats the chance of this fish pushing 20lbs??? im guessing he's in the high teens, but being a buck with those huge shoulders and deep belly has to account for something??
What kind of girth does a fish of this size have?

The weekend cant come fast enough, stil stoked

I just carry a digital scale. Silly me.

Me too! I hate math.

Curious how you could use a scale quickly without risking over-handling the fish. The length/girth process is bad enough, esp. when you add a few pics. My theory is take pictures of a few if you have to... release the rest from the bank w/o removing from the water whenever possible. Besides, we'll ALL believe ya when you say its a 28 pounder then!

GS

Yeah,

Hooking a fish in the mouth, the tongue, the eye, top of the head, the side or the tail and playing it until it is tired enough to bring it to hand after getting hog tied in the fishing line causes no damage.

I weigh every fish I keep, but I have only weighed three fish I released, all salmon, and they all swam away. The biggest was my dad's 35 pound King.

It has helped in my weight estimations the same way using a laser range finder has helped me in guessing yardages.

I agree that we should let the fish go, if we aren't going to use it, but if I catch a 38 pound wild steelhead, which I never will, I want THE WEIGHT and a photo, not an estimate.

Bank walker -
High teens sounds about right. Most 20# fish are around 38 or 38.5 inches in length. Have seen fish as short as 36 inches made 20# and one 42 inch fish that did not. Some variation from river to river and year to year.

Not sure that I understand this need to take pictures and measure or weight every fish. The idea in releasing fish is to maximum its change of survival. For that fish of a lifetime I strongly recommend that if in a boat taking it to shore, slide it into the shallows (2 to 4 inches of water). There a quick picture and/or length can be taken without ever removing the fish from the water. Notice no nets!

An observation: It appears that CnR works the best for large fish as the number of 20# caught (% of the run) is much larger than in the old days of kill and weight them! LOL!

Tight lines
Smalma

why isn't an estimate enough. If you catch many fish you should be able to make a fairly good guess when seeing a fish. I have never taped or weighed a fish that I am going to release. Maybe we should be more interested in getting the fish on his way. I personally would have no problem if it was illegal to take a fish out of the water that is going to be released. If you just have to take a measurement only take a length most times that will get you close enough and limit the stress on fish. Most times a 30" fish is 10 lbs a 31" fish 11 lbs and so forth on up
just my .02

Jo JO
if your so damn worried about the fish out of water, then start writing them tickets for jumping.
and if you are REALLY serious about the fishes chances for survival.
Quit Fishing.

Why is it some folks get so upset when a fellow fisherman suggests being more RESPONSIBLE when handling fish your going to release? The answer is not going to be that those that care alot about the survival of the resource quit fishing, but to educate those that care more about the weight and a picture of a fish than the fish itself. How many pictures of fish do you need? Save the pictures for the once in a lifetime fish!Take the picture just barely lifting the fish from the water[should still be able to see water dripping from the fish] and quickly get the fish back in the water.

If I were to catch a massive native steelhead I surely would not hook him onto my digital scale. I would haul it down to Yuen Lui for a photo session. Seriously though, I would snap a pix right there at the river and set the big fish free. Now on the other hand, if the fish were a salmon and it was legal to do so that fish is going into the cooler.

Thanks for the reply Smalma. Ive caught alot of typical hatchery fish in the 7-10lb range and those are very easy to estimate weight. BUT it gets a little trickier when its a 36" + Nate w/ serious shoulders.

I agree with the previous posts...The fish should never be subject to a "photo session" and any unecessary abuse. A measurement only takes a few seconds and can be done w/ fish in the water.

Common sense fellas