Pinching the tail?

[Headhunter]

I didn't want to hi-jack the "Size does matter thread" but I do have a question regarding "pinching the tail"? I have never come across this as I don't really keep alot of fish. Can someone enlighten me as to how and why this is done?

Thanks,

 

HH

[misfish]

When you lay a fish down to measure, pinch the tail fin together,the fish becomes longer.

[Greencoachdog]

If you'd ever been slapped by a waitress....

 

What Misfish said.

[Roy]

Joe, this is what it says in the Ontario Regulations booklet:

 

Size limits refer to total length, which is a

measure from the tip of the mouth with the jaws closed to

the tip of the tail, with the tail fin lobes compressed to give

the maximum possible length. Provincial regulations are

established using the metric system. If you catch a fish in a

restricted size range, you must release it immediately. The

conversion to inches has been rounded to one decimal place

for the convenience of anglers.

[Headhunter]

Thanks guys! Now it leads me to ask, is pinching the tail really a proper measurement of the fish? I don't suppose the fish are sitting around on the bottom of a lake, comparing size and pinching each other's tails, now are they? Shouldn't the fish's measurement be taken as the fish is simply laid down against a ruler? I don't get why they are "pinched"

Thanks for your patience! Roy, I see that you wrote the regs, but I still don't get why they are pinched!

HH

[Greencoachdog]

Since pinching the tail and an unpinched tail give the fish 2 different sizes, there's a variance there. So to remove the difference and make all measurements the same... the tail is pinched since it will give the fish the longest length.

[Headhunter]

Thanks GCD... still seems wrong to me! I'm 6ft, 3inch tall, but would be 6ft 6inches tall if my hair is standing straight up... I wonder if I should change the info on my drivers license to reflect the possibility that it may stand straight up if I get pulled over by a cop one day! LOL

HH

[Greencoachdog]

I dunno, they may require you to shave your head... so all measurements will be the same!

[Headhunter]

GCD... then I'd be a bald headed chicken plucker!

HH

[Roy]

I dunno, they may require you to shave your head... so all measurements will be the same!

 

Pinching the tail obviously wouldn't work.

[Headhunter]

No, it wouldn't work, but it would a great start!

HH

[Greencoachdog]

... but seriously, don't feel singled out. Canada isn't the only country that measures fish like this, all of our fresh and saltwater fish are measured with a pinched tail or to the fork in the tail on species like Tuna and Wahoo

[Roy]

But there are exceptions, Glen. Like the grey triggerfish for example.....

[Golfisher]

Is that how fish are measured for record as well, or just for slot limits?

[Greencoachdog]

But there are exceptions, Glen. Like the grey triggerfish for example.....

 

 

In Alabanana here the Gray Trigger is measured by total length like most fish:

 

http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/salt...reel_limits.pdf

 

Golfisher Posted Today, 09:57 AM

Is that how fish are measured for record as well, or just for slot limits?

 

I'm pretty sure record fish are measured by weight and not length.

Edited August 21, 2007 by Greencoachdog

[aplumma]

Being 6"3" should have be good enough to keep the Cops from pinchin your tail Joe. You don't need to be 6'6" unless something happened that you ain't sharing. We might need a few shots of Glens White Lightin to release this repressed memory....

 

 

Art

[jedimaster]

Spiking your hair is a bad analogy. I would say standing on your tip toes would be more equal.

But I think we are splitting hairs here.

[fishboy]

If I'm not mistaken, the "non pinch" method is called fork length?