100% African
Senior Member
Hi Everyone
I would like to know why it is that everyone, including myself, is obsessed with the weight of fish?
Lets think about this for a few moments....
A fish's weight will surley change dramatically throughout the year, depending on which season it is, time of year, spawn, pre-spawn, etc... It is also dependant on the amount of food available and the amount of other competing predators. When looking at a post about digital scales, it also became clear that the scales, hand held, which most of us use, give different readings of the same thing... For this reason I was wondering why is it that so much emphasis is placed on something which seems to be an unreliable measurement. By that I mean the weight does not necessarilly reflect the true quality of the fish.
An example I will use is based on Hazelmere Dam in KZN and Germiston Lake in JHB. The fish at GL have huge fat bellies which look out of proportion for thier size, obviously indicating that there is lots to eat there. While the fish at Hazelmere are much leaner and thinner... In fact, a fatter (heavier) fish from GL will probably be smaller than a bigger (longer) one from Hazelmere.
Which brings me to my point.... Why don't we use lenght to judge a fish?
Surely this is an easier method/standard to judge fish by, as the longer the fish, the 'better'it is... This method is also easier and cheaper one to use. Buy a tailors tape measure for a few rands and measure the fish. No expensive scale required. It doesn't matter which season you catch the fish in, it will only grow longer as the year moves on...
I'm not sure if anyone feels the same way here but i'd like to hear comments... This is also more focused on bass.
Thanks Guys
I would like to know why it is that everyone, including myself, is obsessed with the weight of fish?
Lets think about this for a few moments....
A fish's weight will surley change dramatically throughout the year, depending on which season it is, time of year, spawn, pre-spawn, etc... It is also dependant on the amount of food available and the amount of other competing predators. When looking at a post about digital scales, it also became clear that the scales, hand held, which most of us use, give different readings of the same thing... For this reason I was wondering why is it that so much emphasis is placed on something which seems to be an unreliable measurement. By that I mean the weight does not necessarilly reflect the true quality of the fish.
An example I will use is based on Hazelmere Dam in KZN and Germiston Lake in JHB. The fish at GL have huge fat bellies which look out of proportion for thier size, obviously indicating that there is lots to eat there. While the fish at Hazelmere are much leaner and thinner... In fact, a fatter (heavier) fish from GL will probably be smaller than a bigger (longer) one from Hazelmere.
Which brings me to my point.... Why don't we use lenght to judge a fish?
Surely this is an easier method/standard to judge fish by, as the longer the fish, the 'better'it is... This method is also easier and cheaper one to use. Buy a tailors tape measure for a few rands and measure the fish. No expensive scale required. It doesn't matter which season you catch the fish in, it will only grow longer as the year moves on...
I'm not sure if anyone feels the same way here but i'd like to hear comments... This is also more focused on bass.
Thanks Guys
