True carp weights

 

Have you ever caught a carp, weighed it accurately and then a few days later the same fish is caught weighing 2 to 3 lb heavier by another angler.

Watch some of the angling video’s on the internet web sites and you can witness for yourself, examples of fish being weighed in-correctly.

I have in fact caught a feeding fish at 9.30 am and returned the fish for it to be caught later at around 11.30pm that evening by another angler, weighing in at an extra 3lb. Do you think that is possible? No! It is not. So why do anglers claim these exaggerated weights. Is it ignorance, self esteem, or simply knowingly cheating.

Let’s first of all go into the basics of what is required to land and weigh that trophy carp.

  • Adequate sized landing net.
  • Large enough unhooking mat
  • Large weigh sling
  • Good accurate weighing scales
  • Firm and sturdy weighing location (If possible).

How to add those few pounds to your trophy carp;

  • To add at least 1lb 8oz to the weight of your fish, support the scales from the bottom, this will guarantee an over exaggerated weight. All fishing scales are designed to be supported from the hook or handle on top of the scales.
  •  Zero your scales without the weigh sling being soaked in water prior to placing the fish in for the final weighing, or better still zero the scales without the weigh sling. Both these options can add a further 1 to 3 lbs in weight to your final weigh in. You might not think this happens, it does and it will carry on doing so.

Correct procedure for weighing a fish.

  1. Suspend the scales by the upper most point which should be a handle or metal loop.
  2. Thoroughly wet the weigh sling.
  3. Place the wetted weigh sling on the lower hook of the scales and zero the scales.
  4. Remove the sling from the scales and safely place the fish into the sling.
  5. Secure the sides of the sling and return the sling back to the hook at the bottom of the scales.
  6. Support the scales from the uppermost point and weigh your fish.

Follow these simple rules prior to weighing each fish, and we should all have a correct picture of what our fish weigh.

Paul Cooper

Editors Note: Since this Article Shaun has done a short video clip showing the techniques Paul outlines above. Check it out Here

Comments

3 thoughts on “True carp weights

  1. Dan Jones says:

    I totally agree with what your saying, I’ve been at a lake where the same fish has been caught twice and miraculously jumped from 19lb to 22lb in a matter of three day, it made me laugh.

    And Ive even seen people claiming the extra weight of the weigh sling.

    Why bother?

    If you caught a nice fish it weighs what it weighs, adding more wont make it a nicer fish and if its not a competition your only fooling yourself.

  2. Jon Perkins says:

    Whilst all the above can be true, I can shed a litlle more light on the subject. As the owner of a fishery in France, I see anglers weighing fish all the time, and some of them do not follow the weighing procedure outlined above which is of course the correct and only way to do it ! This poor weighing technique does give rise to some weights recorded that are not correct, holding the scales by the body, and not wetting the sling and then re-zeroing the scales are the two most common mistakes. Some people zero without the sling, weigh the fish and then subtract the weight of the sling from the weight, but people do sometimes forget to subtract the weight of the sling – intentionally or unintentially is open to question !
    These things aside, I can tell you that it is most certainly possible for a carp to gain or lose 2-3lbs in as little as 12 hours. This may come as a shock and you may care to disbelieve me, but it is true nonetheless.
    There are two reasons for this – firstly, and this is fairly obvious, a carp can eat a lot of food in a short space of time – a 40 lb fish can put away a kilo of boilies without any problem. Before it has broken that food down and got rid of the waste, that fish will be one kilo (2.2lbs heavier).
    The second reason is not really known amongst carp anglers being more of a scientific matter, but the fact is that all fish are continually taking on water through a process called osmosis which is a leaching of water through their skin, and getting rid of it just like we do – through the function of their kidneys, so a fish can potentially have a lot more water inside it one day than the next.
    Combine these factors and you will see that is perfectly possible for the weight of a fish to go freely up and down on a regular basis. I have seen this many times on my lake, and with good anglers weighing the fish correctly.
    So next time an angler claims a fish is 3lb heavier than it was last week, it might not be bull***t !

  3. Mitch says:

    How much does a 27 inch carp weigh. I caught it fishing for crappies and sunfish, it was one of the best figts I have ever had on my ultra light rod with four pound test. Go Vikings

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