I have long struggled with recording my bass catches. I don't enjoy weighing bass because of the time it takes, but there are Bass Resource anglers whom I respect and who understandably assay bass by their weight since photos are misleading. So, when I catch a 16" bass at my pond, I'll put it on the bump board and measure it. Then I'll do the same with another 16" bass, but not a third. I'll average those two weights and use that weight going forward. I'll do the same with a 16.25" bass, a 16.5" bass, and so on. Then I'll do the same with the bass at my pal's pond, as they tend to be thinner. Then I won't worry about weighing bass, although the bass I catch at bogs can look a little like the bass that @Bluebasser86 catches and so my length-to-weight measurements for my pond and my pal's pond won't apply for bog bass. For example, this 19-incher who weighed over 5.6 pounds:

Now, I understand that bass weights vary by season, but the bass in my pond are always plump, like these from late last summer of different lengths, so my spring averages should be pretty accurate through the year.

With my weight averages, I'll be able to report bag weights at my pond and my pal's pond going forward. They'll still be estimates, but pretty accurate estimates rooted in actual, site-specific weighing.

That 19 incher is a beautiful, thick fish! As for weighing the fish, do whatever works best for you. 🙂

I'm not going to measure every quarter inch. That'll take too long. Every half inch at both ponds will take long enough.

1 hour ago, senile1 said:

That 19 incher is a beautiful, thick fish!

Yeah, the bogs fatten the bass, for sure! I love how crazy dark that girl was. She sure spun my canoe. She came from a bog that produces few fish. I think my top total was eight bass in a morning. Most mornings were one to three bass, but there's always a good chance that one of them will look like this:

It has always amazed me that kayak tournaments do length for scoring. Your pictures prove my point. That short heavy bass would score less than a longer lighter bass. Makes no difference to me since I gave up tournaments and the only time the scale comes out is if it’s an extraordinary fish. We take pics and release. All the while not long arming or trying to make them look bigger than they are. I agree with you, I have nothing to prove and value fish care over optics or weight bragging.

28 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

It has always amazed me that kayak tournaments do length for scoring

How else would they do it? Yaks don't have live wells.

I favor length or weight and immediate catch and release over a live weigh in. It's much better for the fish and reduces mortality, especially in the warm summer months.

Catch, weigh and release somehow. I know, tall order to prevent cheating but length scoring have had their own cheating scandals. Since I don’t tournament fish and the only way you would ever catch my fat behind in a yak, would be if my 21 foot bass boat was sinking, I’m just spitballing. 😂.

It could be done if you provided the exact same scale to every angler participating, perhaps? Like they do in MLF events with a score keeper aboard.

Really limited options in a yak though.

Most walleye tournaments here do a length photo, immediate C & R, and then use a standard conversion to weight for scores. So the weights aren't exactly what the fish weigh, but everyone gets the same conversion rate based on the length of the fish.

Not to be difficult but why does it really matter if you are fishing for fun? I don't weigh anything unless it's over 4 lbs. I keep track mentally what kind of weight my top 5 would total but if I'm off a little, no big deal. Generally speaking a 15"-16" bass is 2ish lbs, an 18" bass is 3+ lbs, a 19" is pushing 4 and 20" is getting close to 5 and depending on health and time of the year we all know it varies. A Rapala high contrast digital scale does a great job and it keeps track of your weights.

I think I’m going to go with https://fishtechy.com/ proofball.

It has good reviews and is pretty consistent. I was wondering… does anybody ever send thier scales out to be calibrated?

Mine are analog and a few years old.

I’m only in competition with myself anyway, or a few of my friends…. Bragging rights and a cold drink. You’d be surprised what some would do for a cold beer though…hahaha

2 hours ago, Junk Fisherman said:

Not to be difficult but why does it really matter if you are fishing for fun?

Yours is a good and fair question. On one hand, it doesn't really matter. On the other hand, when I report that I caught an 18-pound bag at my pond, I really don't want to be exaggerating. When I weigh a couple bass at each half inch length, I can use those weights going forward with greater confidence that I'm a reliable reporter. However, I don't want to waste fishing time by weighing hundreds of 17 and 18-inch bass this summer and I don't want to keep that many bass out of the water longer.

I have measured the bass I catch (quick measure, pic, back in the water, all done quickly/efficiently) for several years but last year I got a luggage scale (and am upgrading that to a KastKing scale for this coming season) yet I used that only to weight 16" inch or larger fish (I am only going in to year 4 of boat fishing so my PR's were coming from fish that size) - in 2026 I will only use a scale to weight fish that are 18" or longer - I am measuring/weighting only for personal reasons - to seek out those elusive PR's - so "close enough" is OK (ie, measuring to the closest half an inch, not bothered that the scale might not be super accurate to the .007 ounce) - I take fish care seriously and have spent up to 20 minutes "reviving" a fish (in the water, in the net) and taking care with hook removal (or if needed cutting the line and letting the fish go versus doing additional damage to the fish - some good videos on YouTube about making this judgement call) - I keep a log of the fish caught per outing, but I do that after the fact using the pictures (which are time stamped) for number of fish caught/length/weight if long enough or if it is a PR - seeking my first #5lb fish in 2026 !!

I use a clicker/counter for the fish I catch mostly. Anything over 20 is worth a weigh. I don’t worry about bag weights to aweful much.

What your doing is commendable…but a lot more work.