Weighing fish

These last few years I have completely stopped doing this…
I still want a couple of pics of each side, it is important to me to get a photo, as a record for me but also I am super-keen to get the fish back and having a pic allows me to admire the fish when it is safe and sound back in the lake. I enjoy looking at pics of captures, rekindling memories as much as anything. And I think weighing the fish is just an additional faff that I genuinely do not need to do..

I quite like NOT reducing it to a mere number, an actual weight. I know that is a traditional and recognised benchmark we all fall into…me, just as much as the next…first twenty, thirty… and I am not knocking it…but it is not the be all and end all for me anymore.
I admit I keep my Rubens in the car and will put them on the barrow on some waters, but I am still asking myself when I would ACTUALLY use them….and I am not sure, to be honest….it’s a personal thing and I’ll only know when it happens

In reply to Post #1
Well Chef,I happen to totally agree with your philosophy, because I've been doing the same for years ..

I think I've weighed 4 carp this year,that's it..
I'm more interested in the beauty of the fish ,the manner of which it was angled for ,the lake ,I'm fishing at the time ,the seasonal changes ,and I'm always very keen to learn the history of the lake and surrounding land and any significant information in general..including any knowledge from truthful locals..

When I take a pic ,I only take one side of the fish ,always holding the head end in my wedding ring hand..one thing I do ,do though is check any fish,for recent or old predation damage or regeneration from lutra lutra bites/attacks ....I'll photo that beacause a individual fish or 2 from a lake can tell you its history in that sense..you'll learn a lot from feeling healed scar tissue alone .

There is so much more to a sum of total weight of a fishes flesh ..it degrades a venue,it's history and past captures if that happens ....I have to say,as I've got older those anglers who talk constantly about a fishes weight,are completely missing the point of fishing ,if that's all they care about

A real angler,some one who loves the countryside in all it's glorious forms and idiosyncratic charms will understand ,modern errrrr,Carpers would not I find ,as they are weight and youtube ,clicks n like obsessed ...

Also been doing this for a few years . . .unless its a particularly special/interesting fish and/or one that looks like its significantly heavier than a previous capture I cba . . .that and if its a poss PB but then the lakes I'm currently fishing don't hold any for me. Same goes for graffs - sometimes need to take two flank shots for the fishery owners benefit/stock progression etc so will do these on the mat and get the fish back as quick as poss whilst providing a weight 'estimate'. . .sounds snobby but I rarely weigh anything under 30+ these days unless its a pearler . . .

Its weird cos its prob an age thing . . .I remember being on a tough syndy in my late 20's and being really annoyed with an angler about my age now who never weighed or graffed anything other than his target fish (biggest mirror / biggest common in the lake basically). I used to chastise him for it and he simply laughed at me - now I understand why! 😎

And I'm the opposite, I weight them all nowadays. At 1st it started as a request by a lake owner, along with a pic either side and a mouth shot, 12 years later on that water, when I catch a interesting fish I enjoy nothing more than looking back through my own records to see if I've had it before and how it's doing.

I confess to finding Carp fishing less interesting nowadays, if I'm not feeling the 'vibe' I'll pack up after 3 hours on a day trip. I think that may be in part because I have less opportunity to fish, and when I do, I want to catch and that leads to me re visiting waters I know like the back of my hand. I know I need to get to other waters but fishing with what I see on day tickets...no thanks.

In reply to Post #2
Quote: I'm more interested in the beauty of the fish ,the manner of which it was angled for ,the lake ,I'm fishing at the time ,the seasonal changes ,and I'm always very keen to learn the history of the lake and surrounding land and any significant information in general

👍👍👍

In reply to Post #3
Quote: sounds snobby but I rarely weigh anything under 30+ these days

Doesn't sound snobby at all......everyone has different priorities, what means everything to one person may be massively unimportant to another.

In reply to Post #4
Quote: when I catch a interesting fish I enjoy nothing more than looking back through my own records to see if I've had it before

I find taking pics is really interesting to see if it is a repeat capture....some individual fish have been almost overly friendly!

Started for me due to having a big issue with my back, had to go with the bare essentials.

The barrow now allows me to take the necessary equipment though I still struggle with my back so pick & choose whether to weigh and photograph.

Some anglers don't understand that you might not weight a decent fish.