Handy Weight Chart

[Lil Salmon]

Below is a handy weight chart submitted by Fishdoctor. Thanks for the submission.

http://www.salmoncrazy.com/images/misc/weightchart.gif

[gman2153]

Nice resource.. Thanks for posting.

There is an old formula that has been around forever:
(Girth x Girth x Length) /800 = lbs

I checked a couple calcs - compared to the chart above and the chart is a bit higher each time...

Not sure there is a definitive weight calculator - besides an accurate scale, but they give you a close idea....

My biggest problem of late is that I don't have anything to weigh:(

[ReininBows]

I'm sorry but I gotta confront you LIL,,,,that chart ain't accurate! It's low by a few pounds.

[gman2153]

Val - Neither Lil nor Fishdoctor said that it was the definitive answer to "guessimating" weight of a fish...Not tryin to knock you, but perhaps it would be better if you provide an example of a better way to guessimate a fish's weight without a scale...

Thanks...

[ReininBows]

You can knock me anytime ya want buddy, I'm lookin for a better scale, cuz my opinion is that scale is alil low. I don't know crap about guesstimatin, but I know the length and girth and weight of my last fish. Aren't opinions what a disscusionboard is all about? Just sayin that scale seems alil low.

[gman2153]

thank you Val...

[ReininBows]

Ok now I've checked out several different weight charts online, and they all come up alil low,,,is it me? 33" length, 17" girth,,,they all come up with 12lbs, my fish was weighed twice and came up as 17lbs. She don't look that heavy, maybe it was the eggs, that went to good use. I'm thinkin, good thing I didn't pay by the lb ta have her mounted.

[Craydaddy]

33"x17" 17 pounds! That had to be a football! Must have been LOADED with eggs!

[gman2153]

(17 x 17 x 33) = 9537/800 = 11.93 lbs...

Sure dem eggs in your fish were not made of Lead??:eek: LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ReininBows]

Yes,,,,,,you seen the pic, she was loaded with eggs :( I'm not too happy about takin her, but I appreciate her. And yes she did weigh out at 17lbs,,,,,,,,could 2 scales be wrong? D'Angelo isn't chargin me by the pound, just length and width, so why would he lie about the weight? He did tell me it's the prettiest steelie he's seen in a long time :p

[gman2153]

Val - I am sure that the fish is a beauty... Lead eggs or not:p

Did you get it back from the taxidermist yet??

Is that the one you had posted in the phto gallery awhile back?

[Paul Conklin]

Once a Steelhead gets to approx. 35" - 36" the only true way to get an accurate weight is to put it on a certified scale. You hear a lot of talk of guys catching 17LB, 18LB, Etc, they are probably a lot closer to 14LB or 15LB's. I haven't seen a Legit 18-20LB Steelhead in a few years, I'm not saying there not out there or nobody hasn't caught one, just that a lot of them are 13-15LB fish.

[ReininBows]

Yes that is the fish Gjinx, and no, she had no lead in her. She actually weighed out at alil over 17lbs and then after walkin her in the water back up to the truck from the Trooper Hole, she weighed 17 at the taxidermist. I don't get her back till Aug. Unless I trade her in for bigger lol lookin for a 20lber :p

[Craydaddy]

The one I caught last year was 37.5" and a 19". That came out to like 17 pounds and she was spawned out! She looked like she was sick! I should have taken a pic of her fron the front. It was pretty impressive. I think that would have been a lagit 20+ pounder!! How big do you think that fish was when she was fresh from the lake????

[ReininBows]

Wow,,,,,,,,I'm feelin bad now though, I took a fish and her eggs :(

[Craydaddy]

Don't feel bad. I would have taken for eggs to! :D Everyone is entitled to there limit of fish. ;)

[metalslayer]

I agree w/ Paul that alot of guys guess and they have never weighed a fish.Kind of like the 200lb dressed does everyone back home was shooting.THEN we got a scale and would ask people to guess before we hooked them up.The look on their faces was priceless.BTW there are a LOT of fish in the upper teens-low 20's in the last 5yrs or so.

[bighead salmon]

Hay great chart thanks for posting it

[ecsteelheader]

That chart is cool..gotta make copy's of that ,my big steelie was 39" and 23 1/2 lbs,,that was a special day>))>

[Craig]

She looked like she was sick!
A few springs ago I caught a huge fall back hen in the lower river. I didn't get a girth, but I marked the rod and it was 43" long! I've never even heard of a GL steelie being that long, but it was sportin' the Kate Moss heroin adict look. Looked like a chrome eel. LOL

[Fish doctor]

Just in case that somebody doesn't know very well how to work with the formula
Girth(Girth x Length)/R

The length is the Total Length, measured from the tip of the nose to the end of the fork of the Caudal fin.
The Girth is measured right at the base of the Dorsal fin.
Also, R is a constant number that is 800 for Trout/Bass or 900 for Pike/Musky.
On the other hand, remember that the main purposeof using WEIGHT-ESTIMATION formulas or TABLES is to release the fish unharmed. So don't worry Val, your fish weight was 100% accurate.

[toolmaker66]

WOW!!! You guys start your chart with 11.6 pound fish, no messing around with the little guys huh?? lol... Thanks for the chart apreciate it. Now I got to find the chart that starts at 5 pounds to get the weight of the fish I catch ;) Slayer, I agree with you on the overestimation of alot of fishes weight. I used to guess the weight than weigh them to see how close I could get, amazing how far off you are at first. I remember landing a king in the lake and estimating it at 25 pounds and it weighed 17 almost doubled it lol... Here is a good way to see how close you guess a fish. The one Lil has posted of me on the front page is a weighed fish, I will post the weight in a couple of days. Notice it is an actual photo, not holding it with outstretched arms. Don't have to post your guess if you don't want to, just make a mental note.

[Craig]

Tooly, I'll guesse 12lbs.

People definitly over-estimate weight on steelies. The lowest guesse on my avatar pic was 18lbs, but the average guesse was 20lbs. The fish weighed 15lbs. So most were off by 25% or more.

The problem only increases with the size of the fish. On my last tarpon circus the guide told me my biggest fish of the day was an EASY 185+. One problem though.......the world record fly caught tarpon was 188. I've seen pics of that fish in the past, mine wasn't even in the same league! If you overestimate a tarpon by 25%, that could be 50lbs!

[woolybugger65]

14 lbs, tooly. add another pound for the 16 oz. in your jacket. i would have chugged a beer after that one.

[Fish doctor]

I think 10.5 lbs. Tool.

[toolmaker66]

Tooly, I'll guesse 12lbs.

People definitly over-estimate weight on steelies. The lowest guesse on my avatar pic was 18lbs, but the average guesse was 20lbs. The fish weighed 15lbs. So most were off by 25% or more.

The problem only increases with the size of the fish. On my last tarpon circus the guide told me my biggest fish of the day was an EASY 185+. One problem though.......the world record fly caught tarpon was 188. I've seen pics of that fish in the past, mine wasn't even in the same league! If you overestimate a tarpon by 25%, that could be 50lbs!

Good guesses guys, all pretty close, was a little over 12 pounds. Craig I'd like to hear more about catching 100 pound+ tarpon on a fly, got any pictures? Would look good next to Bluefin's tuna pics.

[Craig]

My computer skills suck, but I'll try. Since it's just me and the guide I don't have any boat-side pics. He always takes cool action shots though.

[toolmaker66]

That looks like alot of fun Craig. One thing I never tried was saltwater flyfishing, looks like something I should though. Thanks for the pics.

[Craig]

Salt water on the fly is great but it's a BIG ocean. A good guide pays off huge. I would've cruised the flats all day and got nothing but a tan. Also, who wants to buy a 10, 12, or 14 weight and use it a few times. The guides have the right equipment, the right fly, in the right place, at the right time. Worth the coin.