Calculating Fish Weight -
Practice Catch and Release
Have you ever wondered how much the
one that got away weighed? While the one that got away will always be
fertile fodder for tall tales, now you can accurately estimate the weight of the
ones that you let get away. By gently taking some simple
measurements of the fish before it is released and employing the formula below,
you can know exactly how much the fish weighed. Any further exaggeration is
purely discretionary.
The Formula:
((Girth x Girth) x Length) / 800 =
weight in pounds
(girth and length are inches)
Example:
If the fish’s girth is 15
inches and its length is 29 inches, the formula would be used as follows:
15 x 15 x 29, divided by 800 =
8.16 pounds
Then the ".16" or
"16/100" is converted to ounces (multiply by 16)
.16 x 16 = 2.56 or 3 ounces
so this fish is 8 pounds 3 ounces
Which means the Trout I caught
was 22 X 22 X 24.5 / 800 = 14.8225 or 14 pounds 13.16 oz.
What do you think it weighs? The Texas State record is 7 pounds 8 oz. I am still
glad I released it. If no one catches it this year it will be bigger next year.