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Posts: 814
| What ever happened to people just saying nice fish man and go on your way??? Does it REALLY bother you guys that much what people say?? Does everything have to be a contest? How do you sleep at night. I admit when I first started this crazy game that's what I thought it was about....boy was I wrong....so wrong. All the fish posted so far are beautiful fish and I am happy that I get the oppurtunity(sp?) to hunt these crazy creatures and am thankfull for that! And I wish everyone hawgs in the future no matter what the girth is....I have only girth measured 2 fish for MY own personal reference and don't know if I ever will again, for me its just way more to it than just the girth and length. Its more about the experience,company,friends,memories etc.
Here is one fish that is 25'' that I measured, call me a liar, say spot on I don't care. What makes this fish very special to me is not the girth. It's special because it was my dad's first big fish and also was his first on the eight after many heartbreaking attemps, with a new lure (cowgirl) that not even the guides had yet!
Also here is how pics can be decieving one photo it doesn't look that fat, then the other really shows the girth and the true thickness all the way to the tail. the formula only puts this fish at 42lbs or so....I know that if killed this fish would easy go over 42lbs.
Let the comments begin....I'll just sit back and chuckle.
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| Mskyhntr. Don't you register your fish in the muskies inc contest? |
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| Mike- That's a really nice looking fish and I believe your measurements. Pretty cool you got to share it with your dad.
Edited by Baby Mallard 12/4/2009 9:07 PM
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Posts: 814
| yes I do.
I am not against you or anyone else. i do it for myself and for future references. IMO that is more of a log than a chest thumping contest like girth measurements.
Edited by mskyhntr 12/4/2009 9:10 PM
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| so then don't measure them then. If you are all about the experience you shouldn't care how long they are. They are all "nice fish". |
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| guest not really gonna argue here. That's like saying don't even take a photo. cmon man. like I said I do what I do for myself and no one else. I like to keep a log so I can look back and see if I am improving or not just something I like to do. And like I said again its for me not you. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | now wait a second Mike....how is girth measurements more of a chest pumping thing than lengths or entering fish? it is in your opinon...imo I measure girths just to see what fat fish are...I simply like to know ... do some do it so there 50 can be bigger than the next guys...sure that is where the inflated #s come into play probably....I have girthed 6 all yr, some were just plain fat and we wanted to know..others we wanted to weigh and see how they came out on the formula ...I see your points but can you sit there and tell me you can look at a pic of a reported 48 x 28 that clearly is nowhere near that and think even to yourself..."not a chance"...if you can...you are a saint...I guess it's not in me to not call bs.
also imo both the pics of your dads 52 look fat to me.., those types of fish and pics are not the issues..it's the crazy numbers of 26/27/28 on fish that are not even 50......oh and it is a nice fish!
oh and for guest below...half the ones I girthed weren't even fish I caught...
anyway, been fun....winternet is upon us...good luck rest of season...50 lbers for everyone.
Edited by BNelson 12/4/2009 9:49 PM
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Posts: 814
| Braggin rights, glad I got a chuckle out of ya! Does it bother you that I like to keep track of my records? And could care less about yours? Or what you think about mine.
Brad, I think the chest pumping all starts with the girths as stated earlier in this post. There really for the most part is never a huge debate over length, its always about the weight and to get weight you need a girth measure. People just seem to get more satisfaction these days when they post the girth, don't know why but they do. As for my opinion....sure I disagree on alot of them but I won't call them out on it, just not me, I'll say nice fish and be on my way.
Good luck to everyone still fishing the fish are as fat as they are probably gonna get so we should see some real beauties here in the next few weeks.
Mike |
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Location: Contrarian Island | agreed...good luck tomorrow!
bn |
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| Iv weighed a few fish in the last 2 years. I carry a bathroom digital scale and weigh the fish on the casting deck with myself and the fish over it. A real wake up call to myself and what a fish really weighs  |
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Posts: 8772
| Ryan - 12/4/2009 10:14 PM
Iv weighed a few fish in the last 2 years. I carry a bathroom digital scale and weigh the fish on the casting deck with myself and the fish over it. A real wake up call to myself and what a fish really weighs :-O
I don't trust those things at at all. I got on one a while back, and that stupid thing must have overestimated my weight by 30 pounds. I sure wouldn't trust it weighing a fish, no way.  |
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| Ryan,
I like that idea of using the bathroom scale. It seems like a good way to weigh a fish safely...for the fish's sake. Just curious, to the rest of you catching and weighing your huge muskies, what methods are you using? Or I guess, how are you weighing them? |
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Location: Contrarian Island | pretty simple actually...I have Salter Brecknell, Electro Samson 99 lb digital scale...I tested it w a 40 lb weight and it was accurate...we put the fish in the net, over the side of the boat, in the water...then take the handle part of the big kahuna off, just leaving the hoop....we attach the netting in 2 places to the hook on the scale...lift the entire hoop up out of the water and read the scale..fish is supported across it's entire body in the net...no harm to fish, not vertical what so ever...
back in the water she goes...then after releasing simply weigh the hoop... |
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Location: Contrarian Island | here is a recent 53.5 x 25.5....not the greatest pic but you get the idea... the fisherman who got it is no small man as well...
this baby has some girth!
Edited by BNelson 12/6/2009 6:15 PM
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| That is too easy to answer I just read recently something from the biggest of muskie experts or was that the best muskie catcher. Whatever he is he said it was measuring them out of water that ads those extra inches. |
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | I love this discussion. Any topic that involves speculation backed up by educated guesswork is real science. ha ha ha ha . The truth about girth vs weight is that no girth formula is acurate because stomach contents dont change girth that much. I have done this with Pike after killing them. Weigh a dead pike30 inches then stuff a 8 ounce sucker down its throat. The girth wont change at all unless you relax the tape. Big fish can have the same girth at say 26 and add a 4 pound pike to her gut and the girth wont change a bit. Its like a plastic bottle empty or full. the full one is heavier but the girth doesnt change enough to show in the tape. Also 20 guys can measure a girth on a fish and all twenty get a different measurement. There is no standard way to do it the same every time. So girth formulas= weight is pure speculation and guesswork. At best we can get withing a few pounds on big fish. Weighing them is still and always will be the only way to get an acurate reading. Cheers. Kingfisher |
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| That last pic Brad posted, that girth measurement was taken out of the water with the fish lieing on the bumpboard. I find it hard to believe that it would have been much different in the water, but I guess I'm not one of those experts you refer to either. |
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Location: Muskegon Michigan | BNelson - 12/5/2009 8:41 PM
pretty simple actually...I have Salter Brecknell, Electro Samson 99 lb digital scale...I tested it w a 40 lb weight and it was accurate...we put the fish in the net, over the side of the boat, in the water...then take the handle part of the big kahuna off, just leaving the hoop....we attach the netting in 2 places to the hook on the scale...lift the entire hoop up out of the water and read the scale..fish is supported across it's entire body in the net...no harm to fish, not vertical what so ever...
back in the water she goes...then after releasing simply weigh the hoop...
That is about the only way anyone can get an Idea of true weight. On a calm day you could use a stand on scale like for weighing yourself(house scale). Stand on the scale for your picture and weight at the same time. Release fish then weigh yourself again. Difference is how much the fish weighs. Of course this is not certified so its just close. But yes I like your Idea using the net. Its about as good as you can do in a boat. Kingfisher |
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Location: Madtown, WI | Now this is my personal opinion, based on some experience. I don't think you will get 20 different measurements if you had 20 guys girth a fish....From what I have seen, and girthed...the most you will have is probably 0.5 to 0.75 inch girth swing each way....
so a 22 inch fish might be 21.5-22.5 or 21.25-22.75. Personally, that 21.25-22.75 range is HUGE. We have girthed fish then had another person girth it (fall, cold water, kept fish in the net.) We were nuts on with each read or 1/4 inch diff depending on how tight the person got the tape.
Where I am going with this, is this. a 22 inch girth is REALLY hard to screw up a tape job and get 24 inches out of it.
Now, this is a different topic then girthed fish vs weighted fish. For the most part the calculations are usually with in a couple pounds. But there are those fish that just don't follow the calculations that well. And extremely build fish...head to toe will weigh different then a bulged belly fish with the same Girth.
However, the discussion was around girths.
Oh and by the way....scaling it in the boat still is tough...ANY type of movement (you try holding a 40 lb fish in a net up high enough so someone can read the scale) and the scale will bounce around a 1/2 to a 1 pound at least. But at least you have a better feel for what that fish was..versus geussing. And this is for those that want to know...others don't care...and if you don't care, don't rip on those that do...personal prefference.
Cory
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| Cory,
I have to disagree with you slightly. Some people girth in the water. Some girth on a bump board. A person could girth with a vertical hold. A person could girth with a horizontal bear hug. These ways could vary a girth a some. I think the way to obtain the largest girth would be to do so while the fish is being held horizontal and the way to obtain the thinnest girth might be to do so while being held vertically. Flabby fish also girth less in the water. I have tried that numerous times about 5 years ago.
Given all the variances I feel the most consistent way to girth would be while the fish is laying on a bump board. |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | hmmm...interesting, didn't think of vertical, vs horizonal, vs etc.....I guess blindly I was thinking everyone will either do it in the net...or lay the tape down on the bump board and then wrap it around as your bumping the fish. Thanks for pointing out that option.
I have been told that a fish will girth different on a bump board vs in the water/net. We tried this and did NOT see a bit of difference...this was a 22 inch girth fish. Get a grossly sick 24" and maybe there is but I haven't personally seen the difference. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I think Marc Thorpe maybe said fish in the 26+ range would girth more out of the water and less in...I still find that hard to believe it will be off by more than even 1/2" but I will take his word for it until I'm able to test this...the fatty above was 25.5...out of the water....
I can see how many guys might do it differently but as Cory says, I would think the 2 easiest ways are:
on the bumpboard, or in the water....if in the water and it's suppose to be less than out...still cracks me up how many 26" girthed fish are posted on the net
go catch a true 24+" and you'll know why it cracks me up.... ; )
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| Here's a thought
1. Keep the fish in the net
2. Hook a hand scale to the net
3. Weigh the fish
4. Subtract the weight of the net,
5. Forgoe the "girth" measurement
And voila... a true weight is obtained.
Repeat and rinse. |
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| What if you want a replica made? You need a girth, not a weight. |
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| mskyhntr - 12/4/2009 8:46 PM
with a new lure (cowgirl) that not even the guides had yet!
:)
Isn't that a Herbie (a guide) in the background? |
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Posts: 305
| land it in treated cradle or BIG treated net. have ACCURATE scale handy. weigh fish in device. subtract weight of wet device. fish is out of water for 5 or 10 seconds for this proceedure. less deslimage compared to bumpboarding/girthing it. but i guess this defeats the whole purpose...less room to claim 'mine is bigger...' |
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Posts: 305
| buckman-twins of different mothers! deciever-for the one or two fish per lifetime one wants replica u add the length/girth measuring to the routine. |
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| BN I agree with your winter debate - take it for what its worth and enjoy the photo first of all im not a poster just another die hard ski addict that looks online when not at work or on the water. Yes there are alot of guestimated girths out there but there are more stretched lengths than any ! you did get some toad fish this year and from what i hear reliable. im jealous of the #s! my point is there are fish out there with girths over 24" oh my now you want pics. yes girths and lengths do very alot and it dont matter what formula you use it does not come close to actuall weight unless you phyisicaly weigh them like you did and that is why i agree with you cause we did weigh a few toads this fall also 40+#s and have pics and vid to back up not the point the post earllier of the 53 x 28 from one the last days of the season is LEGIT ! let the musky porn and ?numbers? roll in enjoy focus on the pike this winter ! haha i also live in madtown area se ya out there |
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Posts: 295
Location: mad chain | Hey Brad, well said!!!!! This drives me nuts a guy gets a real nice fish and he has to lie about it. I have seen guys catch nice fish do a quick measurement a pic and back it goes (just like you should), the next on the internet it will have 25" girth. Why do guy's feel they have to lie about a nice fish, give the fish the justice it deserves. What wrong with calling a fish a real fat 48"er, there is nothing wrong with not getting a girth but don't lie about it. |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Wishin I Was Fishin' | Here is a 50.5" x 24"
It came from GB November 21, 2009
I took a few girth measurements and it was 23" about 9" towards the head and the tail from the largest spot about in the middle of the fish which really was 24". She was a very heavy fish with a huge head. Most definetely the heaviest I have ever seen in person. I haven't girthed many fish, I usually forget in all of the excitement. The 2 we caught this day stuck around a few minutes at the boat so I was able to get my wits together and tape their bellies. I use the Musky Hunter retractable soft tape, they have them in the magazines. I was a little disapointed in the formula weights when I plugged this one and the 51.5x22 into them. However, it really doesn't matter, it was great to just be able to have the experiences.
Boy it's already to long of a winter.
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