aim weights

[bigb027]

I didn't know they were using the same conversion for all the tournaments
guess it might be better in green bay .....i also knew they were weighing 7 fish.....just though they were gonna figure it different at each event

If you do the math some would of had all 24" fish that weighed 6.5lbs. ....that is hard to do when 24" fish don't even weigh 5lbs. here.

Everybody thinks they caught these huge fish when they were just given to much weight per inch.

sorry its the truth

[Gary Parsons]

Bigb,
As stated, the conversion is standard for all events, and I would agree for the most part that the lake fish on average wouldn't have weighed that as much as converted, however the river fish would have been spot on... They were very fat on average and were really alot bigger than the lake counterparts! Either way it is fair to all and was really a fun place to fish!

[GlennMarshall]

i saw there was a tie with Inches and the Weights were different. when i first saw that the fish were measured to the quarter inch i suspected a tie. somebody was thinking ahead....

[Justin_Sieverding]

I don't want to start any controversy, but was there any discussion during the formation of the CRR format of taking into account the girth of a walleye. I know someone already said in essence it is impossible to locate specifically late spawners and fish that didn’t spawn at all and will reabsorb their eggs, but if an angler is fishing and runs into one of these fish, shouldn't they be rewarded for it? I personally feel they should because that is the luck of tournament fishing. I have to say though on a converse note that I believe the length to weight consistency is fair, but a little tweak wouldn't hurt. Say when an angler catches a fish they take the total length of the walleye and its girth, at the largest circumference, within an area existing immediately behind the pelvic fins to the forward edge of the anal fin. Then modify the tournament formula so the Total Weight = (Total Length Weight) + X*(Girth), where X is an arbitrary constant and X wouldn't have to be a large number at all, maybe .01 lbs/inch, then a fish with a girth of 10" would only add .1 lb to the walleye's total weight. This would still maintain the consistency of the CRR format but give an added bonus to anglers lucky enough to boat a toad. The "Toad Factor" is something that I live for in tournaments since you never know what the fish is going to look like when you have it on your line but whether the fish is seasonally plump or not could be the difference in cashing a check and going home empty handed.

[mrbreeze]

Love it ..."toad factor"

If you look at the charts, I think that they are figuring a toad factor in to a certain degree (probably using exactly the formula you propose), perhaps not enough for the magnum toad full of eggs, but the correlation length/weight is not consistent all of the way across the board. I was told by an AIM fisherman, and the chart supports this, that there is a greater "weight" given for larger fish (1/4 ' to 1/4") than smaller fish. Fort example, two small fish that are 1/4" apart may only show a difference in weight of .01, while larger fish with 1/4" difference may be .1 or greater.

[thegreatpiscator]

Justin,

There are so many variables that enter into the weight of a fish, but we have to take a realistic view of what data can reasonably be gathered while on the water. The biggest walleye I ever caught was only 27 3/4," but it weighed 10 pounds dead even, and if I remember correctly, it was a little over 17" in girth. I haven't taken the time to extrapolate the figures that AIM was using, but my guess is I would have wound up a little on the light side by their formula.

In the long run, such factors have a way of evening themselves out. In my opinion, AIM has constructed a virtually irrefutable defense against many angler's objections about "tournament fishing" and its impact on the fishery with their "catch, record, release" philosophy.

I'll admit, it makes the "weigh-in" a lot less dramatic, but looking at a pair of eight-pounders on the screen of a "Jumbo-Tron" is far better than watching those fish being released at a boat ramp (after hours spent in a warm livewell) and seeing them go "belly-up."

AIM is on to a great new concept, and I predict it's only a matter of time before other fishing tournaments follow. I fished the inaugural AIM tournament in Bay City as a co-angler, and I'll definitely return. So, to all you guys that are thinking about it, jump in...you won't regret it!

Paul Anderson