Best way to hook a fish for weighing???

[bdorman]

Hi guys,

I picked up this digital scale on Amazon because it was only $7, no tax, no shipping. It had very good reviews and has been very accurate on my in-home tests.

Anyway, I'd like to know the best way/place to "hook" a fish in order to weigh it. More often than not I'll release the fish...so I want to do as little damage as possible. If necessary I could remove the existing hook by cutting the link, if you have a better idea for a "hook".

Thanks.

[BigMamou84]

Id imagine under the lip like runnin a stringer. But that may very with different fish!


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[deathb4disco]

Put the fish in a plastic grocery bag and slip the hook in the handles of the bag. That will handle a lot of fish, and it will be very accurate since the bag is virtually weightless. For bigger fish, you can double-bag!

[Eager Beaver]

You would be better to slip the hook under the gill flap, or punch a hole in the membrane with the hook. The problem with putting the fish in any bag is that it would remove the protective slime that keeps the bacteria from the fish. EB

[deathb4disco]

The problem with putting the fish in any bag is that it would remove the protective slime that keeps the bacteria from the fish. EB

Dip the bag in the water beforehand.

[cache22]

I ground the barb off a 6/0 straight hook. Hook the fish through the lip and the scale through the hookeye.

[bluethunder]

That's a good idea. Never thought of that.

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

I use an aligator clip hanging from my scale's hook and clip it to the bottom jaw of the fish I am weighing. Doesn't damage the fish at all that way. I have the same clips on my culling beam too.

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[CrappiePappy]

You would be better to slip the hook under the gill flap, or punch a hole in the membrane with the hook. The problem with putting the fish in any bag is that it would remove the protective slime that keeps the bacteria from the fish. EB

Don't think so, Beav .... anytime you do damage to the gills, it's far more likely to be worse than a little slime removal. Allowing a fish to flop around on the carpet, &/or doing a lot of handling with dry hands, you're going to remove more slime than a few seconds in a plastic bag (esp a wet one). The fish will survive a hole punched in its mouth membrane, much longer and far better than one hung up by a hook in the gill area.

And, if you're going to measure a fish by laying it on a Golden Rule, stick it in a plastic measuring device, or lay it on a decal ruler that you have stuck on the aluminum or fiberglass surface of your boat .... THINK ABOUT IT, FIRST !! Ask yourself ... just how HOT is that measuring device/surface ?? Keep'em shaded & wet ... and that fish will have a much better chance of surviving the ordeal, if/when you release it.

... cp

[bc1448]

Don't think so, Beav .... anytime you do damage to the gills, it's far more likely to be worse than a little slime removal. Allowing a fish to flop around on the carpet, &/or doing a lot of handling with dry hands, you're going to remove more slime than a few seconds in a plastic bag (esp a wet one). The fish will survive a hole punched in its mouth membrane, much longer and far better than one hung up by a hook in the gill area.

And, if you're going to measure a fish by laying it on a Golden Rule, stick it in a plastic measuring device, or lay it on a decal ruler that you have stuck on the aluminum or fiberglass surface of your boat .... THINK ABOUT IT, FIRST !! Ask yourself ... just how HOT is that measuring device/surface ?? Keep'em shaded & wet ... and that fish will have a much better chance of surviving the ordeal, if/when you release it.

... cp

Great advice... very ethical fisherman!

Blake