Suggestions for measuring tournament fish before gaffing

[matey1]

i have a piece of high density foam about 2-3" square with a slit cut through the middle that i fed a flexible sewing measuring tape through. i put a snap swivel at the beginning of the tape and then slide the foam down to the length i want to measure. while the fish is alongside the boat youtake another pole with the snap in the first eye. i usually use a spinning pole since it has smaller eyes to hook the tape to. the foam keeps the tape tight so you can put it right against the body of the fish and it will follow the fish's contour this way. with the boat moving and the fish being held you just swing the tip of th epole to the top of the fish where you want to start your measurement and then the foam float either is beyond the fish showing it is too short or the fish goes beyond the foam and now you know it is large enough. while not perfect it can be really accurate especialy if the fish is not too green.

[Water Damage]

we use a big snap and have a big, bright chugger at the other end - the chugger is the key to making sure it pulls tight. Also, I always plan to allow a couple extra inches - if the min is 110 inch, I will set mine around 112 just to err on the side of caution. I would rather not kill it than to kill it too small - not enough money out there to make me take that chance foolishly

[TROPHY SPORTFISHING]

Capt. Cliff you probably hit the nail on the head with the eyeball measurment on the girth. When the fish and ocean have let me we try to get a one side measurment with the string then X 2 that measurment always have a tape measure onboard to check the string for the girth fairly accurate but certainly not fool proof. Also look at the size of the stump at the tail that will tell you alot about how a fish carries its wieght. Definantly alot harder to get a girth measure in water than length. Oh yeah remember alot of fish will make wieght that are under 110".

[sling]

I've used the method with a line attached to a swivel with several marks on it. With something to creare some drag, it works OK for tunafish, where my main concern is not getting fined for an undersized fish so the fact that the hook is behind the tip of the jaw is no big deal, but hoisting and measuring onboard is more accurate and easier most of the time. I wouldn't want to use this method to measure a billfish that could be worth a million bucks though - too many variables and too much on the line.

Are these whites being weighed in typically gaffed or are they billed and lifted aboard? I always assumed that they were billed and therefore a length and girth measurement could be made on any fish that appeared to be close.

[anthony]

I've used the method with a line attached to a swivel with several marks on it. With something to creare some drag, it works OK for tunafish, where my main concern is not getting fined for an undersized fish so the fact that the hook is behind the tip of the jaw is no big deal, but hoisting and measuring onboard is more accurate and easier most of the time. I wouldn't want to use this method to measure a billfish that could be worth a million bucks though - too many variables and too much on the line.

Are these whites being weighed in typically gaffed or are they billed and lifted aboard? I always assumed that they were billed and therefore a length and girth measurement could be made on any fish that appeared to be close.

Sling,

I am with you...if we have a white that's close we bring it in the boat for a quick length and girth measurement so we get a quick, semi-accurate estimate. On a white, the length/girth formula is usually accurate to within 3-5 pounds IMO. I have been a bit surprised at the number of fish coming to the scale that have been around 60# and less. Not going to bash them as I don't know what the circumstances were surrounding boating the fish....but in my experience a fish under about 61# should be fairly easily to identify using the formula.

[sling]

It sounds like what might be happening is Hatchet marlin, that were always considered white marlin (and still are in the WMO) are thinner so they are making length and not weight. I think a lot of guys go by length only on whites as it's easier to measure and if you have a fish longer than the leader, they keep it. In the past, I heard a lit about "snakes" and "rats" which were long, thin whites - maybe they were all hatchets.

[TROPHY SPORTFISHING]

only saw 1 hatchet weighed in at wmo this week and yes it made length but not weight.

[BYRD]

I have a seamtress tape that is flat. I tied a 1/2 ounce sinker to the end of it. THe other end has a swivel that is snap swiveled to a piece of 1/2inch dowel rod. The weight helps keep it tight. Place the dowel at whatever point on the fish you want to measure from and then read the tape at whatever point you want. Works well for me.

[anthony]

I don't know on the Hatchet thing...I have seen a couple of marlin win it in the past (including the fish that won the 06 MA500) that were considered Hatchet's and they were BIG.