What's Up With Embellished Bass Weights?

[Rich]

It is SUCH a pet peeve for me. I'm out fishing and truthfully feel trusting enough of a fellow angler sharing the water to tell him of a big fish I caught there, with a truthful weight of 4.5 or 5 pounds.. and they fire back with "oh yeah?! I got an 8 pounder here last May" or most recently "i got a 10 pounder on that tiny 1ft deep pond". Then they pull out the pics. From that point on I have to decide how to handle this elegantly. I can't let it slip as the bass in the picture looks 3.5 giving about a pound benefit of the doubt for bad photography. Do I yell "LIAR" in his face, and smash him with a paddle? Hmm maybe too violent. Do I make a clever joke, like "last time I got one that big it was 2 pounds!" , or do I make an innocent comment like "was that on a scale?" Or "how old is your scale?" ...

 

I just don't get it. I hear it all the time from lots of people. Why? Like, just.. why do it?!

 

By the way, I am in NO WAY accusing anyone here of doing this!

Edited July 20, 2013 by Rich

[danbouck]

you say "Nice fish"

[Dutch]

I haven't come across the 8-10 pound fish stories you are talking about, but there's many more incidents of 2.5 to 3 pound fish becoming 4's and 5's. Doesn't bother me and I actually think those people telling the stories really think they are that big, but people that catch a lot of bass know better.

 

Many of the story tellers spend their lives catching 1.5 to 2 pound bass, so a 3 or 4 looks huge to them and they share their catches.

 

It happens with all stripes of anglers.

 

It is as common as all the stories at the weigh-in of tournaments of losing 4's and 5's that would have been the kicker in their 10 pound sack.

[Rich]

This wasn't a serious question. It is a pet peeve but I do as Dan wisely suggested in real life situations. Lol

 

Some far more in-depth insight on it than expected though.

[misfish]

you say "Nice fish"

 

RIGHT ANSWER.

[lookinforwalleye]

Ditto

[dhickey]

Ya ever here the story about a bass that was so big it had moss on its back?

Or the one about catching a bass through the ice but the mouth was so big it couldn't fit up the hole?

 

[Rich]

I seriously fit in it's mouth up to my waist. It was 12 pounds!

[Old Ironmaker]

All walls of life have their embellishments whether it be a sport or a line of work, especially amongst guys.

 

The formula for fish is simple x2(y3)/1.75.085X 0.2578 =¶µ> Y, or in simpler terms take the actual weight of the fish and increase it's size and weight according to the fish the other guy caught.

 

In golf it's always a reduction as in score, in fishing it's the weight X 1.858. Or as I said increase the weight until yours is biggest.

[glen]

I have caught so many huge fish that I don't care what anyone else catches.

So I just say nice fish also.

[kickingfrog]

All fishermen are liars except you and me and I'm not sure about me.

[Moosebunk]

Summer 2007.

 

On my way home from work in Moosonee I stop to shoot the shiznit with some workers from the hospital in Moose Factory while they're out on smoke break. Fella asks me how the fishing has been. Told him I had been in Kesagami and caught a near 40 inch pike but wished I'd had found that 50. Guy of course says, "nice fish" BUT, one time when I was at Kesagami, while fishing off the dock at the lodge I caught a 72 incher that took about an hour to reel in. It was so big we needed two guys to roll it up onto the dock where I then shot it dead in the head. I replied, "Ohhhh, so you caught a fish probably two to three times heavier than the world record and there at the Lodge in front of a group of paying customers from all over the place, quickly materialized a gun and put a hole through the fish and probably the Lodge's floating dock. You're an idiot and a liar who must actually think I'm an idiot. Next time don't ask me how the fishing has been if you're just looking for an opportunity to one-up me with some complete bullstick story dood."

 

Nah, didn't actually say that... probably said, "nice fish." lol.

[danc]

Pet peeve of mine too Rich. Weighing fish has become a thing of the past. Show me a picture, give me a length, and I'll say "Nice fish"!

[Whitespinnerbait]

Don't even call him a liar.....just start beating with the Paddle

[glen]

Once they start talkin about the big Bull ones I tell them about the ones my uncle got. He caught the biggest and I have the pictures to prove it. He was on a whaling ship. Ha ha.

[Terry]

you know a whale isn't a fish...but it is a big one

 

sorry charlie......lol

[timmeh]

I hear ya, last year I ran into another guy at one of my spots, started talking, and told him I was doing okay, a couple decent fish and so. He told me he was doing better, told me his AVERAGE bass was lbs 7-8lbs this year! I didn't really know what to say, smiled and ask him what he was fishing with.

[Moosebunk]

Pet peeve of mine too Rich. Weighing fish has become a thing of the past. Show me a picture, give me a length, and I'll say "Nice fish"!

 

 

For many folks, weighing fish was never even been a thing of their present. lol. That's total choice though eh?

 

It used to be more of a pet peeve what Rich is saying, until realizing that in the game of angling, egos trump truth 9 times out of 10 with fishermen, and if you're in the minority, then you're actually the oddball. lol.

[206]

Ha I know it's tough sometimes but this is a lesson I've been trying to drill into my kids as they tend to question or argue with other kids about embellisment. tough to get kids to just let things slide weather it's true or not!

 

Sometimes I like to go right along with their story like I believe the whole tale, some people need to feel better about themselves I guess lol. "Wow! Really? Thats awsome!" I think you know in your own mind what is believable and whats not so don't waste your time or breath arguing with the guy!!

[adolson]

After some "education" here a while back, I tossed my scales in the trash and now only measure the length of my fish if they look close to my PBs or if they're trout big enough to keep. Most of my rods have Rod Rule decals on them for this purpose.

 

It never fails that people ask me how much my fish weigh, and I answer them in inches, usually to a puzzled look. Truth is, they're probably not more than a couple pounds usually, if that, and it doesn't really matter to me. I know people who catch a little 1-2lb bass and they're so excited, they put it on their 50lb scale because they are excited about it and think it's gotta be huge. I dunno, I used to be like that. I can understand the mentality.

 

Funny thing is, I had a guy embelish FOR ME once.. That was odd. I told him about some decent trout I caught at this one lake we both fish. Ran into him and his friend a few weeks later, and he starts telling the guy, "this is Dana, he's caught a six-pound speck up at Blank Lake!" And I'm like, uh... no? I wish. Haha.

[grimsbylander]

It's one of two things. Either the person is insecure and is so desperate for any sign of admiration to feel better about themselves OR they honestly believe its a monster and they're over the moon. Either way, I'm not about to "correct" them. I big congratulations will do both of those personalities a world of good.

[manitoubass2]

In my experiences most people that embellish their catches aren't serious anglers or they don't get out that often. It takes some serious ignorance to approach any angler that has alot of experience with certain fish, and try to story tell. Truth be told though it doesn't really bother me, if their hyped on there catch or imaginary story well good for them! I encounter this alot in my area, no so much with bass but walleye and... Sturgeon.

[craigdritchie]

One of my good friends is a very talented taxidermist. He has always said, the hardest part of his job is keeping a straight face when people present their trophy fish. It's not just bass, it's everything. He puts one customer's six pound bass on his government-certified scale and its actually 3.2 pounds .... a 20 pound steelhead is really 11 pounds ... another guy's 30 pound muskie actually weighs 17. He says the vast majority of fish brought into his shop are over-estimated by 50 percent.

 

From what I've seen on the water, it's probably higher than that. I mean, let's be honest, a huge number of people can't even identify the fish they catch. Should I really expect them to get any other details right?

Edited July 21, 2013 by Craig_Ritchie

[Ron]

I met this guy once up North, he was telling me about this MASSIVE Brook trout he caught. We went on about how long it took to bring it in and then finished off by saying the brookie weighed 12 lbs!

 

I replied...... "Nice fish, but your not gonna believe this.... You know that point over there by the over flow? Well, there is an old steamer by the name of MT Juliette, that sank from back in the logging days. It laid to rest in in 147 ft of water. it is one of my favorite places to jig for BIG Lakers on Nip. Well, wouldn't you know it, I hooked into something and brought it up. I knew I was on top of the ship cause what I brought up was a lantern. The name was boldly engraved MT Juliette in the solid brass base plate. The best part of the whole episode was that the wick was still lit!"

 

The guy replied to me..."Oh come on man, you expect me to believe that??? How the heck would the lantern still be lit after coming up from the bottom?"

 

I simply replied..."Tell ya what, I'll blow out the wick on the lantern if you want to knock 6 lbs off your Brookie".

 

He looked at me and with a flush face, he simply walked away.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Ron

[Cudz]

I like that Ron

 

I usually just say "That is a big bass. Most people never get to see a 7 or 8 pound smallie in their life even if that is all they fish for. You were really lucky! I am jealous."