fishing scales

[washedkevin]

are there any pretty accurate and fairly cheap scales on amazon. I saw a few good priced ones but people say they are innacurate

[Kyle S]

I've seen people recommend luggage scales for fishing usage if I'm not mistaken

@Bluebasser86 was that you who has used them?

 

@A-Jay uses a scale that seems to be pretty cool, not sure of the price though.

Check his YouTube videos out if you're interested seeing them in use, plus some tubby Brown fish.

 

I've had a handful of various scales. My current one is this Rapala model. I like it fairly well.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Rapala_High_Contrast_Digital_Scale_50lb/descpage-RHCDS.html?from=gshop&gclid=Cj0KCQiAw8OeBhCeARIsAGxWtUz6Bhti934rN-_Hr3pd_LNMjkW0aJ0MvteNK72PT6fVqHXfdR7Mz8oaArimEALw_wcB

[Tom Orr]

I got a Berkley from Walmart the middle of last summer for around $20, and so far it's been good and very accurate. Tried it on small dumbbell weights and it was spot on. Funny how all the fish weigh less than I thought 😁

[BTSyndrome]

It doesn't really matter how perfectly accurate a cheap scale is if you're going cheap, as long as it's consistent.

I have a cheap amazon one that I used on "cheap" dumbbells to test.

2.5# weighed 2lb 11oz

diff 2.5# was 2lb 7oz

5# was 5lb

5# was 5lb 4oz

But every time I switched between them they weighed the exact same measurement.

So if you want a correct weight, use it on a known (exact 5# something) and you'll know true 0 might be a few ounces off then you can offset that when measuring with it.

 

[MickD]

An easy, accurate method to check a scale is to buy a gallon of water at a store that has a butcher shop and have the butcher weigh it on his scale.  The weigh it with your scale. That would tell you at about 8 pounds how accurate it is.  

 

But better to just estimate the weight.  That way you have heavier fish.  🙂

[Jig Man]

I hope that they have improved.  When I was looking for some I tried everything that BPS carried.  None of them were consistent so I ponyed up and bought Boga Grips.

[A-Jay]

I use a Brecknell ElectroSamson

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Brecknell_ElectroSamson_Scale/descpage-BRECK.html

and an Accu-Cull.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Accu_Cull/catpage-ACCUCULL.html

Both with a 6 inch Rapala fish gripper.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Rapala_Floating_Fish_Grippers/descpage-RFFG.html

I use the Accu Cull the Most.

Also have a Boga Grip, as the emergency back up

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/BogaGrip_FIsh_Scale/descpage-BOGA.html

They all work for brown bass as well as green ones and they all seem pretty accurate.

But none are "cheap".

A-Jay

[MN Fisher]

I actually tested mine with measured 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon amounts. It had a little variance, but was always within a couple ounces (.15lb on the scale). It's sold under a number of different labels (IBobber, Rapala, etc), but inside it's the same scale - though Rapala tuned their version to 50# max instead of 50kg.

 

https://www.amazon.com/ReelSonar-Digital-Scale-Measure-Gripper/dp/B00W9ME9AE/ref=sr_1_59?c=ts&keywords=Fish+Weighing+Scales&qid=1674653586&s=hunting-fishing&sr=1-59&ts_id=3409051

 

One thing I did do was immediately replace the hook with grippers on a carabiner.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

I've had two Berkeley digital scales over decades including a new one I just bought to replace the old once a month or two ago.

 

Both scales when weighing a 10lb bench weight weighed 10lbs.    I periodically test the scale with the same weight.    

 

I have several luggage scales that I've checked as well......they are dead on the money as well.   Seems most of these scales are pretty accurate.  

3 hours ago, Tom Orr said:

I got a Berkley from Walmart the middle of last summer for around $20, and so far it's been good and very accurate. Tried it on small dumbbell weights and it was spot on. Funny how all the fish weigh less than I thought 😁

Lol, I've never had a fish's weight surprise me in a positive manner 🤣

[casts_by_fly]

I had an old Berkley two button scale that must have been 15 years old or maybe more.  It finally conked out last year and I bought the baker from TW.  For $27 I thought that's about the best value for what I need.  I'm not fishing tournaments so I'm not worried about an ounce here or there if its out (except for the 4lb 15oz bass last year that I wanted to weigh just an ounce more).  I already had the rapala gripper so I took the hook off and added a split ring with the gripper.

 

[Bluebasser86]

I use the cheap luggage scales that cost around $5 each. They're incredibly accurate and consistent. I've probably got 6-8 of them floating around between the kayak, boat, and NIB in my garage. I add a pair of fish grippers and they're ready to rock. 

 

Member @Goose52 has does some very detailed test on these scales, so this isn't just my feelings or opinions, he's done some pretty thorough testing.

 

[WIGuide]

Cheap is a relative term so I'm not sure if they qualify or not, but I've been using a Berkley Precision Scale for the last few years and the total with 5 fish has been within a few ounces of the $2k protournament scale our club uses. That's close enough for me. It comes with a nice padded case for storage too. I used to have a Rapala High Contrast which I really liked minus that it was harder to hold with a really big fish due to not having a handle. Had that for probably 5 years before it was no longer consistent and you could weight the same fish or random object 5 times and get 5 totally different weights. Their touch screen tournament scale is something I see used by a lot of the pro's but it's also $70. I was tempted, but went with the cheaper Berkley option

 

https://www.berkley-fishing.com/precision-digital-scale-35-lb-1285948

[AlabamaSpothunter]

6 minutes ago, WIGuide said:

Cheap is a relative term so I'm not sure if they qualify or not, but I've been using a Berkley Precision Scale for the last few years and the total with 5 fish has been within a few ounces of the $2k protournament scale our club uses. That's close enough for me. It comes with a nice padded case for storage too. I used to have a Rapala High Contrast which I really liked minus that it was harder to hold with a really big fish due to not having a handle. Had that for probably 5 years before it was no longer consistent and you could weight the same fish or random object 5 times and get 5 totally different weights. Their touch screen tournament scale is something I see used by a lot of the pro's but it's also $70. I was tempted, but went with the cheaper Berkley option

 

https://www.berkley-fishing.com/precision-digital-scale-35-lb-1285948

This is the scale I just bought during their awesome 50% off sale.    Used it a bunch already.   Fantastic scale and I really like the padded case.    Has plenty of features as well.   Backlit for night Bassin is great.  

[gimruis]

7 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

One thing I did do was immediately replace the hook with grippers on a carabiner.

I cringe when I see someone post a photo of a fish hanging by those metal hooks.  No bueno.

 

Wouldn't bother me if they just stopped selling them with the metal j hooks all together.  Its so much safer for the fish using a lip gripper than shoving a metal hook into their gills.  I've seen fish wiggle right off the metal j hook, smack down on the floor/ground, and end up stone dead.

 

Unless everyone is using the same calibrated scale (like in a tournament), weights are going to vary by the user and likely not be accurate from one person to the next.  Just in this thread we've seen variations of that with different scales.

[Tom Orr]

6 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I've had two Berkeley digital scales over decades including a new one I just bought to replace the old once a month or two ago.

 

Both scales when weighing a 10lb bench weight weighed 10lbs.    I periodically test the scale with the same weight.    

 

I have several luggage scales that I've checked as well......they are dead on the money as well.   Seems most of these scales are pretty accurate.  

Lol, I've never had a fish's weight surprise me in a positive manner 🤣

Yeah, for sure!

[Dogface]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I use the cheap luggage scales that cost around $5 each. They're incredibly accurate and consistent. I've probably got 6-8 of them floating around between the kayak, boat, and NIB in my garage. I add a pair of fish grippers and they're ready to rock. 

 

Member @Goose52 has does some very detailed test on these scales, so this isn't just my feelings or opinions, he's done some pretty thorough testing.

 

 

 

I use the same scale and also have a few in different boats and bags. 

[NorthernBasser]

Been using this Piscifun for 4 years now with no issues. 

 

[NJBasstard]

7 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I use the cheap luggage scales that cost around $5 each. They're incredibly accurate and consistent. I've probably got 6-8 of them floating around between the kayak, boat, and NIB in my garage. I add a pair of fish grippers and they're ready to rock. 

 

Member @Goose52 has does some very detailed test on these scales, so this isn't just my feelings or opinions, he's done some pretty thorough testing.

 

 

This is what I've been using for a few years. Check it for accuracy a couple times a year and change the battery every season. They aren't waterproof so if your clumsy like me it might pay to get a few at once. Just as accurate as my Rapala scale and small enough to fit in my PFD pocket.