What is more of a trophy? A long one or a heavy one?

[Lefty-Canuck]

Interesting thought I had (I know....thats an oxymoron )

In response to the Bounty Tournament I learned about from the Fishinggeeks post on the monster walleye....the tournament is length based not weight based....

If you caught a 20lb 44 inch fish....is it a better trophy than...a 25lb 38 inch fish?

So would you rather have a long fish or a heavy one or who cares they are both a trophy?

Just curious as I am typically a C&R guy....so I will measure length and not weight before I release....but most want to know how much it weighed and have really no interest in the length.

LC

[FishingFrenzy]

Too be honest, if its a big fish, its a big fish. If it makes you go "HOLY S##T LOoK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING", it doesn't matter too much
However it sounds alot better when you say "I caught a 25lber" than "I caught a 44incher"

[packhuntr]

Weight doesnt matter to me personally. Unless done in a cradle its a bad idea. Length does the trick 98% of the time. Only a handful of fish in all species does a length not do justice to. In all cases a quick tape to girth measurement or field photo does. No need weighing anything unless chasing world records be them dead or alive, and those need to be done right. I cringe when I see guys that dont know how to handle fish even talk about weights. My feelings on it anyways.

[pickrel pat]

Its not how long or how thick it is...........( guess ive been blessed, because my big fish was long and thick)...... its what you do with it. My big fish gets mounted!

[steve]

Weights mean nothing to me. Rarely does anyone have a accurate scale or a certified one. Length and girth is where it's at. Everyone has caught a 25lb pike but none are over 40"

[TJG]

Originally Posted by steve

Weights mean nothing to me. Rarely does anyone have a accurate scale or a certified one. Length and girth is where it's at. Everyone has caught a 25lb pike but none are over 40"

X2. Rarely is there ever a scale around but always have a tape. What ever the calculater says, its always going to grow a few pounds over the days, months and years anyways, its fisherman tales

[kissarmygeneral]

Originally Posted by pickrel pat

Its not how long or how thick it is...........( guess ive been blessed, because my big fish was long and thick)...... its what you do with it. My big fish gets mounted!

that's what she said.....sorry had to

[Vigsy]

Just ask the ladies...

[TROLLER]

Length is not the determining factor for world records is it?

While a 35 inch walley would be something a 25 pounder would be something else.

[FishingFrenzy]

To add to my previous post... I think that some fish are more "dense" than other fish, and therefore can be shorter/skinnier yet still weigh more than a different species with a larger size.

For example last summer my buddy and I caught a REALLY nice bull trout on river X, the thing wasn't super long but it had a reasonable girth and was VERY dense and muscular. We could feel just by holding it (no scale) that it weighed more than a pike of similar size. I hope that kind of makes sense...

[Willowtrail]

Originally Posted by kissarmygeneral

that's what she said.....sorry had to

There it is

[saintsix]

I caught my trophy about 18 years ago we didnt own a scale so all i have is length because shes up on my wall :P 44inch pike and about 23ish inch girth

But that being said i dont really think its one or the other that make it a trophy.....Its having BOTH!

Originally Posted by steve

Weights mean nothing to me. Rarely does anyone have a accurate scale or a certified one. Length and girth is where it's at. Everyone has caught a 25lb pike but none are over 40"

??? what do you mean none are over 40"


weight or length is a reference to compare fish to the next one you catch. its cruel to hold a fish by its lip vertically and weigh it. only use a wetted sling. but why bother. just take a pic, measure its length, release it and go get another one.

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

Any fresh water fish over 20 lbs is a trophy no matter how long or fat it is .

But then again a trophy is whatever you want it to be .

[bushnell]

I'll have to agree with BBJ on this. A trophy is what you want it to be. In my case small is what I want to catch, the smaller the better.

[HunterDave]

I don't own a scale and I don't carry a tape measure when I'm fishing unless there's a slot size for keepers. If I catch something that's unusually big I'll know it and I'll take a picture if I happen to have a camera but I don't usually have one of those with me either.

I suppose to answer the op's question I'd go with what the length and girth of what the fish looks like first. Bigger is usually heavier IMO anyway.

[Alberta Bigbore]

I think the circumstances on the experience when the fish was caught, would determine on how much a trophy it was.

[WayneChristie]

to me the trophy is in the experience. I do like to know what my bigger fish weigh, but if its not possible its no biggie. so far my best fish was 52 inches long, and no clue to the weight, still a trophy to me it fought like a hundred pounder !

[waterninja]

i agree with most of the posts about the meaning of trophy i.e. big is big and it's the expiereance and memories that count. in a tourney however i always thought it was weight that mattered though i can see that measuring a fish is easier and less stressfull to the fish. i remember an ice fishing derby at pigeon where only one fish was caught. he carried the tiny perch in a styro. coffee cup to the weigh-in tent and it didn't register, but he won the grand prize of a new truck. iv'e always wondered if he mounted that monster.

[ReconWilly]

Originally Posted by waterninja

i agree with most of the posts about the meaning of trophy i.e. big is big and it's the expiereance and memories that count. in a tourney however i always thought it was weight that mattered though i can see that measuring a fish is easier and less stressfull to the fish. i remember an ice fishing derby at pigeon where only one fish was caught. he carried the tiny perch in a styro. coffee cup to the weigh-in tent and it didn't register, but he won the grand prize of a new truck. iv'e always wondered if he mounted that monster.

Awesome.

[ALBTUFF]

IMO Any fish I catch is a trophy.

[mxer117]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

I think the circumstances on the experience when the fish was caught, would determine on how much a trophy it was.

This guy gets it!

[Lefty-Canuck]

I am with you guys who state the trophy is in the eye of who caught it....and the experience or circumstances surrounding it...

I have shown some of my fishing pics to people and often the first question is "How much did that thing weigh?!"......my response most often is, "Not sure but it was XXX inches long." This comment is usually followed by a shrug or a head shake because I released it

Here on AO C&R is faced with much scorn many days

LC

[Albertafisher]

Originally Posted by FishingFrenzy

Too be honest, if its a big fish, its a big fish. If it makes you go "HOLY S##T LOoK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING", it doesn't matter too much
However it sounds alot better when you say "I caught a 25lber" than "I caught a 44incher"

2x, my opinion exactly.

[fish gunner]

I think its a little species dependant,pike, sturgeon,and gar lend them selves to a size reference by length. I am not sure bass would lend them selves so well. I personaly measure trout by length to 24" after that I will net weight if needed. BBJ if one was to start telling stories abought there trophy 20lb sturgon I think you may get laughted at in most circles. chinook, hybrid striper,and flat head cat fish would fall in the same category.

[BeeGuy]

Length

I've only just got a scale but have always had a tape measure.

A fishes girth can change enormously over a season or years while it's length is more consistent.

Any truely wild fish I catch is a marvel in my eyes regardless of size, although the big ones are somewhat more marvelous.

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

I am with you guys who state the trophy is in the eye of who caught it....and the experience or circumstances surrounding it...

I have shown some of my fishing pics to people and often the first question is "How much did that thing weigh?!"......my response most often is, "Not sure but it was XXX inches long." This comment is usually followed by a shrug or a head shake because I released it

Here on AO C&R is faced with much scorn many days

LC

good on you to release them. i started video taping some of my catches and that sure is alot of fun to watch later. would like to try a go pro camera mounted below water surface for some cool video on the way in.

[TyreeUM]

I think most of the time length designates a trophy. People exaggerate the length of their fish so much it blows my mind. 30 inch browns that would barely tape 25, 47 inch pike that would be lucky to hit 40, etc.

You can catch a fish that can change several pounds in a 12 month span, but they stay the same length. Length = Trophy.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by TyreeUM

You can catch a fish that can change several pounds in a 12 month span, but they stay the same length. Length = Trophy.

I never thought of it this way....but it makes perfect sense to me....

My 44 inch pike on the fly last year on opening day is still one of my favorite trophies....I hope to catch that old girl again this year when it opens!

LC

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by TyreeUM

I think most of the time length designates a trophy. People exaggerate the length of their fish so much it blows my mind. 30 inch browns that would barely tape 25, 47 inch pike that would be lucky to hit 40, etc.

You can catch a fish that can change several pounds in a 12 month span, but they stay the same length. Length = Trophy.

The wife and I were talking about just this issue on our drive through boundary country today.

Without fail, after 12 months a 25" brown is definitely 30", and a 5lb rainbow is approaching 10lb.