me and my partner were in a tourny on lake erie last year 2 fish 20 inch minimum i have a steel ruler  that is bent at right angle at one end i nosed the smallies we caught up to the bend ,the two biggest we pulled in were 19 3/4  and 19 1/2 do you pinch the tail down i was told thats what you do. if thats the case we threw back two keepers that would have won .

I am a pretty proficient Lake Erie fisherman and have fished many tournaments on that lake (mainly Ohio). I guess you were fishing in PA for trophy only season. The standard measuring is mouth closed and tail closed completely. I never used a bent board before, I always use the flat Gator type. Good luck this year.

Make them touch legal size any way short of stepping on them, and be able to prove it on your ruler...some tournaments have a ruler at the scales that makes the final decision.

I have seen more than one person dq'd for bringing in short fish.

thanks for your input . we fish out of NY small boat harbor. lake erie is one of or the best smallie factories in the world, early on use gitzit 3.5 inch smoke tube jigs in 12to 25 feret of water .  when there done with the spawn  go to a drop shot rig and use gulp minnows or any goby imatation. hope you like to pull in 5 to 6 pounders have fun . also if you get up this way the lower niagara river is agreat steel head spot.

I like to drift and drag a Vemon watermellon with gold flake tube. Also I will drop shot a Poorboy goby. Good luck and wish I could still fish Erie, I will just have to make due with Champlain for now.

mouth closed and measure any way thats longest with the tail.

thats how our tournaments measure

Most tournaments use the golden rule as a standerd board.  Mouth closed and fan the tail.

golden rule, mouth closed, sweep the tail