Only lift the fish from the water for the minimum time necessary.
Photography
Keep the fish in or briefly just above the water. Support the fish gently under the belly and loosely hold the wrist of the tail.
Weighing
If possible, use a weigh net, or scales hooked on to a conventional net.
Measuring
Do it in the water. Take a tape measure or mark up your wading staff or the butt section of your rod as an easy indicator.
Weight can be estimated from length – see the scale reproduced below or see the Salmon Atlas or letsflyfish websites for an online calculation. Fish should be measured from the nose to the fork of the tail.
Fish length to weight guide
| Length (Inches) = Weight (lbs.ozs)
|
|
| 19 inches | 3. lb 0 |
| 20 inches | 3 lb 7 oz |
| 21 inches | 3 lb 10 oz |
| 22 inches | 4 lb |
| 23 inches | 4 lb 7 oz |
| 24 inches | 5 lb |
| 25 inches | 6 lb |
| 26 inches | 6 lb 7 oz |
| 27 inches | 7 lb 7 oz |
| 28 inches | 8 lb 4 oz |
| 29 inches | 9 lb 4 oz |
| 30 inches | 10 lb 7 oz |
| 31 inches | 12 lb |
| 32 inches | 13 lb |
| 33 inches | 14 lb 4 oz |
| 34 inches | 16 lb |
| 35 inches | 17 lb |
| 36 inches | 19 lb |
Image by Shutterstock.com / Cindy Creighton