Esimating weight when C&R

[corsican dave]

I'd put that one at 6lb 12oz on the Borthwick Scale.   :lol:

:lol: it's a better breakfast than you'd get at Alan's....  :

[SoldierPmr]

It is not where they spawn that matters but the environment they live in that affects the colour.
Last week we had a huge spate on Uist which has turned the usually gin clear machair lochs black with peat stain. These lochs have sand beds and the fish are always bright golden fish but now the water is very black with peat the fish have turned dark in less than a week.


Andy

What Andy said. Trout are very polymorphic I've seen a dark peat trout turn a bright silver/golden in 20 minutes. They also change colour when being aggressive (darker) and submissive (lighter)

[ant0]

Cheers guys, didn't know that.

[ant0]

... MUST do craig-e before season's end....

Yeah, I've been a lazy bugger and not fished it yet this year, despite being 40 mins walk away at least 4 days per month. Lazy bugger I am.

I'm up Friday 22nd until the Monday afternoon so might fit it in then, or might do a day trip next weekend.  I'll give you a shout whenever I decide to go.

[corsican dave]

Yeah, I've been a lazy bugger and not fished it yet this year, despite being 40 mins walk away at least 4 days per month. Lazy bugger I am.

I'm up Friday 22nd until the Monday afternoon so might fit it in then, or might do a day trip next weekend.  I'll give you a shout whenever I decide to go.

yep, count me in. might have to be a quick up & down!

[ant0]

Right... as luck would have it I'm just back from catching the biggest brownie I've ever had (excluding the flukey no skill loch leven one) so topical for this thread.  Very very happy and was glad to safely net it after a fair old fight around weeds and reeds.

I guesstimated 2lbs on the bank, then tried to figure out length based on photo and tape measure. I 'think' 20" and based on that and it being fairly girthy,...  the dubious tables say average to good = 2lb 14oz - 3lb 2oz - so 3 pound. I'm a bit sceptical of it being 3lb so going to call it "over 2.5 lbs" and be happy with that.

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[SoldierPmr]

What ever its weight is a lovely hen  :

[corsican dave]

looks pretty chunky. go with "good"  :

[Laxdale]

I think you will find salmon (and grilse) vary as much if not more than trout in terms of condition. They can vary due to feeding at sea but also fish from different rivers/tributaries can be very different shapes.
For example in southern England (where most of my salmon experience was had) fish from chalkstreams are fat, thick, deep fish whereas fish from moorland rivers are longer and thinner for the same weight. If you took fish of the same length from two different rivers one might be 5lb where the other would go 7lb or even 8lb. This isn't just isolated fish but is the general pattern between some rivers. I used to occasionally catch chalkstream kelts that were a better shape than some fresh run fish from moorland rivers. They used to say that a Brora kelt was better than a Helmsdale springer!

As for getting the weight of the fish I really can't be bothered at all. I think Fred's point about using inches is the way to go. Add to that a quick photo (not with arms outstretched) if it is a special fish and leave it at that.


Andy

I go wrong when fishing for springers and always underestimate the weight, being used to estimating summer fish and grilse.
Last spring a guy I fish with put a length instead of a weight in the returns book. Ghillie went ballistic as MSS go by wight (accurate or otherwise).

One has come to the conclusion I seriously underestimate the weight of grilse and sea trout, based on estimated weights being quoted by punters over the last three weeks!  :shock: :shock:

[johnny boy]

I feel confident with fish up to 5 lb but not so much with fish above that weight as I don't encounter them that often.