I think it all boils down to values - if you just wanna catch fish and don’t care what size they are - catch them and smile and release them - for those of us who value the numbers and want to know with accuracy what we are doing - weighing fish is the only way to do that.

Does one group of anglers with different fish handling practices dramatically kill fish disproportionately in relation to the other group? I strongly doubt it.

I know one thing is for sure: weighing and releasing a fish is a lot more likely to result in fish survival than eating it! Which is what people who catch fish in general tend to do - which isn’t wrong.

I don’t think weighing fish would be part of lake management and scientific study practices if it was extremely dangerous to do it.

Learning to do it safely and responsibly are good but even an amateur who does their best imperfectly and merely weighs their fish, snaps a photo or two, and then puts the fish back in the water and lets it swim away is giving that fish a great shot at surviving being caught.

1 hour ago, Pat Brown said:

I think it all boils down to values - if you just wanna catch fish and don’t care what size they are - catch them and smile and release them - for those of us who value the numbers and want to know with accuracy what we are doing - weighing fish is the only way to do that.

Does one group of anglers with different fish handling practices dramatically kill fish disproportionately in relation to the other group? I strongly doubt it.

I know one thing is for sure: weighing and releasing a fish is a lot more likely to result in fish survival than eating it! Which is what people who catch fish in general tend to do - which isn’t wrong.

I don’t think weighing fish would be part of lake management and scientific study practices if it was extremely dangerous to do it.

Learning to do it safely and responsibly are good but even an amateur who does their best imperfectly and merely weighs their fish, snaps a photo or two, and then puts the fish back in the water and lets it swim away is giving that fish a great shot at surviving being caught.

I agree again with all of the above. In theory, I want to be an angler who cares what my bass weigh, but when they're in my canoe, I mostly want them back in the water.

I don't care about the weight. I don't even have a scale in the boat. I think the tournament scene made everyone care way to much about weight. To me it is either a small bass, a nice bass, or a big bass. That is all I need. I see too many youtube guys with a small bass in their boat, out in the heat, fumbling around trying to find their scale, just to show us they caught a 2lb bass, before they finally release the poor fish. 🤬

22 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

mostly want them back in the water.

Me too

That’s why the app and size ball from https://fishtechy.com/

Is sounds so easy. A quick click with the phone with ball in the picture, and you have size and weight. Back in the water they go. Hate to think I’m buying another fishing gimmick….hahaha

Jar’s method to eyeballing the weight of a bass:

1. Give a reasonable estimate of its weight.

2. Subtract .33 pounds per pound of estimated weight.

Example:

Catch a nice bass that you estimate to be around 5 pounds.

5 - ( .33 x 5 ) = 3.35lbs of realistic weight.

But I always keep a scale on me. I wanna know exactly how big that biggun was.

That’s a good call, the jaw stretch is a sneaky good tell once they get over that ~4 lb mark.

I usually just go off length + gut feel, but I like adding something like that in. Gives you a quick double check instead of just guessing blind.

Holding her by the jaw for any reason is absolutely the worst way to hold a bass regardless of how heavy you think it is.

The heavier she is just compounds the damage.

Either learn how to do it the right way, or learn how to estimate holding her level with 2 hands.

If that doesn’t work for anyone keep a tape measure, piece of string or line in your pocket ready to measure length and girth.

Mike

48 minutes ago, Mike L said:

Holding her by the jaw for any reason is absolutely the worst way to hold a bass regardless of how heavy you think it is.

The heavier she is just compounds the damage.

Either learn how to do it the right way, or learn how to estimate holding her level with 2 hands.

If that doesn’t work for anyone keep a tape measure, piece of string or line in your pocket ready to measure length and girth.

Mike

I'm assuming you're right. Okay, going forward, I'll photograph my bass on my bump board. I'll miss the pretty backgrounds though.

2 hours ago, Mike L said:

Holding her by the jaw for any reason is absolutely the worst way to hold a bass regardless of how heavy you think it is.

The heavier she is just compounds the damage.

Mike

Seems many us recreational and even professional bass fisherman either don't know this, disagree or just don't care.

Personally I am thinking about going to using the scale hook in the anus method. Might look a little weird but I think it could work.

#buttweight

A-Jay

@A-Jay , in yours or the fish?

56 minutes ago, Motoboss said:

@A-Jay , in yours or the fish?

Wow ~

Either way, my future videos will most definitely not be recommended for children.

🤪

A-Jay

4 hours ago, Motoboss said:

@A-Jay , in yours or the fish?

Well, somebody had to ask.

My method is simple. If a bass stays down and I can't skim it across the surface, then I weigh it.

On 3/19/2026 at 9:22 AM, Mike L said:

Holding her by the jaw for any reason is absolutely the worst way to hold a bass regardless of how heavy you think it is.

The heavier she is just compounds the damage.

Either learn how to do it the right way, or learn how to estimate holding her level with 2 hands.

If that doesn’t work for anyone keep a tape measure, piece of string or line in your pocket ready to measure length and girth.

Mike

@Mike L Mike,

What is the right way? I like to get a weight on a big bass and release it asap. Never intend to do damage to the fish. What if I put her in some kind of rubber bag and hook the scale to the bag? She would be horizontal and no stretch to the jaw. What do you think?

1 minute ago, Lottabass said:

@Mike L Mike,

What is the right way? I like to get a weight on a big bass and release it asap. Never intend to do damage to the fish. What if I put her in some kind of rubber bag and hook the scale to the bag? She would be horizontal and no stretch to the jaw. What do you think?

What happens when those two treble hooks from the whopper plopper get hammered into the basses mouth, gills head and eyeballs?

We are already hurting every bass we catch.

I'll keep doing what I'm doing and let the cards fall where they may.

I say you're doing fine.

A-Jay

56 minutes ago, Lottabass said:

@Mike L Mike,

What is the right way? I like to get a weight on a big bass and release it asap. Never intend to do damage to the fish. What if I put her in some kind of rubber bag and hook the scale to the bag? She would be horizontal and no stretch to the jaw. What do you think?

AL

My comment wasn’t intended to imply you’re going anything wrong and wasn’t directed at you or anyone else specifically

I was referring to the damage caused by not holding her jaw straight up.

Most folks don’t know that if you don’t hold her jaw perfectly straight and not bend it back thinking you need a better grip, THAT will cause the untended damage.

If it’s broke she’s as good as dead.

Mike

Thank you for clarifying, Mike. I assumed that they needed to held horizontally and supported beneath the belly, which I can't do, as I need a hand free for the camera. I was going to photograph all my 2026 bass on the bump board, which has its advantages, but as with all things, disadvantages too, such as keeping them out of the water a little longer, loss of slime coat, and the real possibility that they'll flop off the bump board and thrash in the bottom of my canoe. Plus, bump board photos aren't as pretty as lip and grip photos and not as useful too, since you can't see where I caught the bass, like here:

I pay attention to where other anglers catch bass WHEN they provide that information and look for similar spots in the water I fish.

3 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

Thank you for clarifying, Mike. I assumed that they needed to held horizontally and supported beneath the belly, which I can't do, as I need a hand free for the camera. I was going to photograph all my 2026 bass on the bump board, which has its advantages, but as with all things, disadvantages too, such as keeping them out of the water a little longer, loss of slime coat, and the real possibility that they'll flop off the bump board and thrash in the bottom of my canoe. Plus, bump board photos aren't as pretty as lip and grip photos and not as useful too, since you can't see where I caught the bass, like here:

I pay attention to where other anglers catch bass WHEN they provide that information and look for similar spots in the water I fish.

Sometimes you can only do what you can do.

I also only try to hold her with support especially the fatties, but sometimes like in your case I can’t either

But I’m sure you’ll agree that doing something the right way just takes a little thought.

Mike

37 minutes ago, Mike L said:

AL

My comment wasn’t intended to imply you’re going anything wrong and wasn’t directed at you or anyone else specifically

I was referring to the damage caused by not holding her jaw straight up.

Most folks don’t know that if you don’t hold her jaw perfectly straight and not bend it back thinking you need a better grip, THAT will cause the untended damage.

If it’s broke she’s as good as dead.

Mike

Thank you, Mike. I understand what you're saying about the jaw. I don't bend it back and keep the bass vertical with my grip to keep the jaw open but not any further than it would be normally. I hope all of us heed your good advice!

On 3/17/2026 at 12:51 AM, PhishLI said:

That's true, and with nothing known for scale, you just can't tell. No one could really. You have no way of knowing I have thick wrists and wear an XL glove.

Bringing this conversation back to the original topic, anyone want to hazard a guess which fish is bigger?

8 minutes ago, Mike L said:

But I’m sure you’ll agree that doing something the right way just takes a little thought.

I do agree and am always open to changing the way I fish. For example, if I were fishing with @Lottabass and he suggested I switch lures to one of his, I'd change in a New York nanosecond.

11 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Bringing this conversation back to the original topic, anyone want to hazard a guess which fish is bigger?

The top one. The bottom one has the more impressive belly, but the top one is longer and note its jutting jaw.

4 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

The top one. The bottom one has the more impressive belly, but the top one is longer and note its jutting jaw.

Agree

The shape and size of her mouth confirms it to me

Mike

Trick question. It's the same fish. The second picture was straight out of the net and I whipped the phone out. After I unhooked and weighed her I wanted a better shot so I zoomed out on the phone and did a better job of framing her (and put the light behind me). I wasn't intending to show the differences in camera angles and such when I took both, I just wanted a better picture. But afterwards when I looked at them I saw how very different she looked both ways I thought it was a good example of what this thread was talking about.

Thank you @casts_by_fly

30 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

I thought it was a good example of what this thread was talking about.

I don't follow. Please explain.