I've got this thing:

 

https://www.amazon.com/TyhoTech-Portable-Electronic-Measuring-Included/dp/B07176GDPY/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?s=hunting-fishing&ie=UTF8&qid=1512408402&sr=***-spons&keywords=fish+scale&psc=1

 

I used to weigh fish all the time, then I only weighed them if I thought they were over 3lbs since I got pretty good at eyeing a fish's weight under that threshold.  I haven't actually weighed one in a while even though I'm certain I've caught a few over 3lb, and that's because I wasn't sure if this scale was safe for the fish.  Basically i just use that hook and put it underneath it's lip BEFORE the first gill. I put it nearly center of it's lip (obviously can't go completely center since there is flesh there).  But I make sure not to put it behind a gill.  Still, I'm not sure the pressure on that part of the jaw is detrimental to the fish, so I just haven't done it in a while.  Do you think that will hurt a fish?  If so then I don't mind buying the kind of scale that hooks on the mouth like you would hold a bass with your thumb and fingers.  This scale just happens to fit nicely in my portable tackle box, so I'd like to keep using it if it's not going to hurt the fish.

I think hooking gill plate is pretty universally accepted to be ok.  I like Fish Grips, myself.

 

BTW, don't be shocked if the number of 4 pound bass you catch goes down.  It is a direct result of carrying a scale in the boat.  Toss the scale and do arm stretching exercises.

Put the bass into a plastic grocery bag and weight the bag using the handles with the bass, most bags hold about 10 lbs.

Tom

 

19 minutes ago, WRB said:

Put the bass into a plastic grocery bag and weight the bag using the handles with the bass, most bags hold about 10 lbs.

Tom

now that there is so simple and smart, that i feel dumb for not thinking of it

 

i assume that's not going to hurt their slime cover?

19 minutes ago, WRB said:

 

 

After being told to use a scale and not having one i decided it was time to get one.

I ended up going with this one below, It can hold up to 99 pounds but i don't think i'll catch anything that big and if i do then we've got bigger problems than the scale lol.

Regardless, I can say it's pretty good for my needs and pretty accurate as we used it for luggage.

When my mom went on her trip she told them how much it weighed and we were spot on/close enough.

I have used this scale before for setting drag on a few reels but personally i like to lock my drag down on my setups.

 

 

Plastic bags are used for tournament weigh ins and doesn’t bother the bases slime coat.

Locking down a drag does 2 things; ruins the drag washer and breaks your heart loosing a bass of a lifetime when it breaks your line.

Tom

next thread: Using a fishing scale to weigh luggage

I don't see no harm if you know where to hang the fish, otherwise get a small plastic grippers to help secure bass by its lip.

Thanks guys! I caught one in the 2.5-3 range yesterday but held off on weighing until I made sure I read your advice first! Next time! Maybe it will be bigger than I expected. Though it's usually the opposite haha. 

I use a luggage scale and fish grips. It's kind of a compact version of what they use on MLF, which has an emphasis on fish care, so I figure it must be a good way to do it. 

On 12/4/2017 at 11:21 PM, Quarry Man said:

next thread: Using a fishing scale to weigh luggage

Lol. I did that this past summer.

I used my Rapala digital scale to weigh pots and pans last month. My girlfriend was looking for lighter weight cookware and we knew how much her too-heavy cookware weighed. We hit Williams-Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Bed Bath and Beyond and a couple of other places one Sunday. Funny thing, the store staff loved the idea of having real numbers to compare of instead of just having customers stand there shaking pans and guessing.