pounds and inches.

[Mike P]

I added this as my sig on another site I do pounds. I don't mind people who report bass in inches, but bluefish? What's next, people reporting 20" tautog?

[luds]

I like to know the weight in pounds but usually report in inches because I only carry a measuring tape.

I find it annoying when someone gets huffy because a fish's size is reported in inches. I'm also not all that fond of weighing and releasing on larger fish. I'm not stating this as fact but I don't think it can be very good for a fish over 30#'s to dangle from a boga grip considering they spend most of their life horizontal.

[capesams]

with fish being on the skinny side these days....a 40" fish sounds better then a 17lber.or racer as us old farts call them.I've caught 36" fish as low as 11 lb's...sad indeed.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by capesams

with fish being on the skinny side these days....a 40" fish sounds better then a 17lber.or racer as us old farts call them.I've caught 36" fish as low as 11 lb's...sad indeed.

I think that's a big part of it. If people don't press the issue, that 36" fish would be assumed to be 36# if a guy just says, "I got a 36".

Actual conversation I had on the Canal this summer:

"Hi xxxx, you guys do anything?"

"I got some shorts, but xxx got two nice fish".

"Really? How big?"

"Oh, 31, 32"

Stop the conversation right here, and who wouldn't believe the guy was talking pounds?

"He got a 32 pounder?"

"No, no, 32 inches".

That was the day I started asking when a 32" bass became a "nice fish".

[Karl F]

It's def. an age thing.. I cant' get over it, no matter how hard I try.. I hear the same thing Mike..
some guy will come in the shop and say,
"I got a 32 last night"..
I assume pounds right off..
the younger fellow (early 30's) that works part time with me, who is a serious fisherman,
he assumes inches..
Another "generational" issue...

[tattoobob]

Originally Posted by Karl F

It's def. an age thing.. I cant' get over it, no matter how hard I try.. I hear the same thing Mike..
some guy will come in the shop and say,
"I got a 32 last night"..
I assume pounds right off..
the younger fellow (early 30's) that works part time with me, who is a serious fisherman,
he assumes inches..
Another "generational" issue...

That's why I will always ask "are we talking pounds or inches" that thats the mystery away

[nightfighter]

I still think a 32" fish is a nice fish for table fare...... but not when trophy hunting. Some schoolies I've caught this year had more game during the fight than most mid twenty pound fish, so seeing those testosterone loaded schoolies swim away makes me think, nice fish, nice fight.
And wouldn't inches be a better measurement to gauge the age of a fish? While a fifty inch fish would definitely get my attention, a fifty pounder would be a lifetime accomplishment, which is why the weight measurement gets a lot of attention when it comes to records, I think, for what that's worth..... Worth noting is if you fish surf or boat on this subject too. I'm 90% surf.
Funny, can you imagine if we were debating inches vs. weight in 'measuring' up our female companions?????? If those numbers are right, I could care less about the weight!

[nightfighter]

good to know I'm not an old fart yet.....

[bloocrab]

To guys who don't always catch 30 pound fish on their outings, a 34 inch fish may be a nice fish to them...why ruin their day by saying..."oh, inches"? After catching some 30 pound fish, their mind-set will change and they will classify them differently. I always say "nice job" to someone proud of their catch, whatever size (legal).
People fish for different reasons, I'll leave it at that.

On a different note - I side with nightfighter
I fish for FOOD along with enjoyment. I LOVE eating fish. I have NEVER taken a bass home that didn't end up getting eaten. I have NEVER wasted fish...To this day, my father will NOT fillet a fish, he believes too much gets wasted. He scales them, guts them, and chops em up. The head goes into a large pot for stewing...he claims the cheeks on a bass's head are "to die for". One shouldn't judge another based on what they think is a nice fish. IMO -

[capesams]

bloo...I'll agree that a fish in the hand will always be a nice fish reguardless of it's size....But what is happening more and more these day's is the fact that history is being changed day by day...what once was alway's lb's is slowly going over to inches,why?.Plug shapes that always were called XX are being called something intirely different why?I havn't seen grass-trees-water getting a name change, why not?....If one doesn't correct a new person to the name game,,how are they going to learn what is and has always been??...I don't go to the lumberyard looking for scratch paper?[sandpaper]...does history mean nothing to the younger folks? who knows,,someday fish may be called scalers wtfit?