Measuring Tape

[Brett_Finger]

I have just read an artical in a fishing mag by , Jason Jessie from "Gulf Sportsfishing Adventures"
Jason posed the question,Should it be law that persons fishing should have in Possession a measuring Tape,i thought it was a good topic for this poll.
Hookin,Brett

[mackmauler]

There are all kinds of ways to measure things, bread and butter fishies were covered by whipping out the 10 inch big fella, sounds like a copper ::)

[Big_Muddie]

I think that all people who fish and intend to keep their catch should have a measuring device of some sort to ensure their catch meets the specified size requirements.

But to make it "law" is way over the top! #Making people carry a tape (or other measuring device) when they go fishing will not stop #those who want to keep undersize or oversize fish. Or does Jason have measuring something else in mind?

[Ron_Collins]

Hey Brett

Interesting comment. What we do know is that anglers have to comply with regulations which specify certain minimum and or maximum "legal" lengths.

Fish can be measured in a variety of ways: measuring sticker, tape measure, ruler, nicks on the seat of a boat etc, etc, including borrowing one or more of the above from a nearby mate or boat crew.

Personally, I think it would over-complicate the issue by making it mandatory to have a measuring device in one's possession. So I'm voting "no".

Best wishes, and thanks for the words about 4BC Fishing Show. Give us a call one day! - Ron Collins, Ed.

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

nup!

I have a two bindings on my surf rod that measure the legal length of a tailor & a jew from the top of the reel seat. Simple effective & on the spot, can be felt at night without light. I should do the same to my whiting rods etc but i never remember to bind it when i have some free time.

cheers
chris

[clutter]

No. Common sense dictates that you should have some sort of size reference or measure. If you are prepared to venrure forth without one and get caught with undersized fish you are an absolute Goose and I'd guess that would be the last time you would be without.
Clutter.

[krazyfisher]

I think if you are keeping any fish yes but many people catch and release these days and if you are releasing them you dont have to measure them.

[Brett_Finger]

some intresting comments on this issue, i thought there would be more folk in the "YES" sector.
am keen to see further comments.
Hookin,Brett :)

[Vern_Veitch]

I agree with Krazy. How many rules do we need? I often go to just C & R so why do I need a tape if I am not tagging and just having a bit of casting practice.
Vern

[SteveCan]

I reckon every Fisherperson carries measuring equipment every time they go. In the Rod, the tackle box, baitboard etc. all are references that are easily compared to legal fish sizes.

Why should we need to carry a piece of equipment that is unnecessary? I like to take only the specific things I need when I go - it's inneficient to take any more than what you want to.

It would be basically unenforceable too - because a vast proportion of fishers would never carry one - you can't give them all fines - so how can you only give out a select few?

I can think of one advantage in that it would really drive the message home about legal sizes - but I don't think that's the best way to educate the recreational fisho's.

Cheers
Steve. :)

[michael_mad_fisho]

gday guys
i think it is a bloody good idea i got a liitle round one that i got free with a fiahing magazine i always take it with me cause u never no if u r gunna catch a fish. i think it should be made a law.
thanks michael

[mackmauler]

In possession on a charter :o so what does gulf sportsfishing adv think of compulsary tapemeasures? per person per boat?

Hasn't the company got enough tape measures to go round or something.

Seems a strange idea coming from a sportsfishing company.

Must be a problem with undersize fish up there, great advertisment for them ;)

[Brett_Finger]

MM,
actually the main reason for this topic was to see folks thoughts on the measure thing, not to give people the chance to have a chop #at the owners of the business mentioned.

this info was casually mentioned in a few lines in a full page report of the fishing around the karumba region,it was not intended to drum up business for the company, there was no BOLD WRITEING (just i have said) #a couple
lines in a Paragraph on a full page....

for the record,
the reason i can see it was bought up, was that some visiting southen fisho's up Karumba way where takeing oversize fish (black jew) from the bank,and at 150cm max size these must have been big fish ! :o :o

one fellow landed a oversize fish and could not revive it,he quickley raced it back to the c/park filleted the fish and disposed of the remains before the fisheries officers got to him. (when fisheries arrived all the filletts were choped up in the freezer)
typical sly act you would expect from someone in the wrong.

same scumbag, was back at the same spot the next day landed another Big fish, :o
this day there where onlookers.

one of the gathered crowd asked him if he was going to let it go,he replied that he didn't have anything to measure it with but belive it was "Just Under" #8)
a by-stander offered to measure the fish for him.. he reluctantly agreed to let him.
the fish was over size (again) the specator released it...

Hookin,Brett

[Mad_Barry]

I don't think you can make a "law" to carry a measure, but geez,, if your going to take home a fish, then it's on your own shoulders to be sure it's of "size", so common sense must come into play here,, :)

I read in sundays paper of a guy nabbed up in cairns last week (tourist), having a 124cm Barra in his boat. He reckons he was unaware of the closed season,, but knew it was over size,,, >:(

fisheries responded to a call from a member of the public on the 1800 number & nabbed him in about 30 min ;D ,,,,,, good to see :D

You play a game, then it's up to yourself to know the rules ;D

[Volvo]

Feckinwell enough things on the what not to forget board now without adding to something which is just plain common sense ???.
Personally person suggested it in first place musta run out of ideas ta write or short of a sanga somewhere.
Systems gettin that way now that common sense is bein taken from the masses and eventually a programmed society me thinks.
But then again i guess people are allowed ta ask, after all thats what a free society is supposed ta be all about ey http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm1.gif.

[wooster]

hUllo all, dependin on what im fishin for, but especially off the rocks, i just paint a stripe on me rods at 25 cm 28 cm 30 cm etc....
If yur into boatin, then ya should have a sticker on yer gunwhale!
cheers
wayno

[wooster]

A little yarn about this topic, when i was about 12 i spose, i went with me dad to the shoe store ta pick up some Dunlop Volleys which were the cool thing at the time. Done the tryin on , with the shops own socks mind http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm14.gif.
All done went home, half way there i made me dad pull over because the footin i had was way too big, panic stations, after matchin up the meat patty with the bun, i didnt realise how big me foot actually was, so the moral of the story is to paint stripes on your rods http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm1.gif

[Wayne]

It surprises me a bit the number of members who do not think it is necessary to have, in possesion, a measuring stick. Obviously there is no need if you catch and release everything but it would be risky to go fishing without one if chasing a feed of whiting or tailor. I have seen many nice looking fat yellow fin whiting that look about 25cm but are only 22cm.
Cheers
Wayne

[Big_Muddie]

Wayne,

I don't think it's a case of members thinking it's not necessary to have one, but more that it isn't necessary to make it "law" that we have one.

I think each and every one of us (members) has some sort of measuring device with us when we go fishing.

[SteveCan]

It surprises me a bit the number of members who do not think it is necessary to have, in possesion, a measuring stick. Obviously there is no need if you catch and release everything but it would be risky to go fishing without one if chasing a feed of whiting or tailor. I have seen many nice looking fat yellow fin whiting that look about 25cm but are only 22cm.
Cheers
Wayne

Hi Wayne - I agree with Big_Muddie - I have a 45cm bait board, a 30 cm tackle box with 5cm markings on it and the gunwhale has a 1&1.5 metre mark (which I have never had recourse to use :-[) As I said earlier - there are more ways to measure length than to use a tape measure.

I think the issue is to make people aware of the importance of knowing the legal limits and complying with them. Just carrying a tape measure is not necessarily going to make that happen!

Cheers
Steve.

[Wayne]

Yeah, fair enough Michael and Steve, I respect people's views that it shouldn't be law...... but the more I think about it the more I think it should be. A fair bit of the feedback is about angler education of size limits ( both min and max ). What better way of putting it in front of everybody (literally) than by having mandatory measuring sticks which list the size limits, in possession limits, etc on the back. They could even be written in foreign langages to assist others in the community.

Fisheries Inspectors have finely calibrated measuring sticks that are certified on an annual basis (approx) so as to be admissible in court. Accordingly if that is the tool that they use on a mandatory basis then it is highly advisable that the angler who keeps his catch has a instrument of sufficient accuracy.

I would compare going fishing without an accurate measuring stick to driving a car without a speedo.

Cheers
Wayne

ps.. Then again perhaps I should go fishing where the big fish hang out.

[mackmauler]

Brett, poor bastard that ate that jew would have to have crusty taste buds to enjoy it ;D if it died after the fight least it wasn't wasted.

I guess if it was a law it wouldn't bother me, but really how stupid would you have to be ;)

I like to fillet all fish at sea and wash them in the water they came from, the law says to leave the skin on for id, saves a lot of time when the donut biters and inspectors insist on measuring each fish, there is no rule that says fillets have to be a certain size.

With the new rules only allowing 5 fish per species they would want to be well over legal size, this could require a new strategy to get the best from a good trip.

[clutter]

Like I said before, I don't believe it should be law. When I go out I carry a rule, there is a measure on my esky and stickers (like many) on my gunwalls. I think that it is as basic as taking a rod, bait and tackle. Part of my basic gear that I don't leave home without.
Clutter.

[Brian]

Well,

I say no as many have said a lot C&R and to make it a rule (excuse the pun) to have a measurer, i have to say TO MANY RULES NOW.

If you intend to catch and keep well the SMART option is to have a measurer otherwise it may just cost you way more than a $5.00 tape measure.

Leave it up to the angler.

Brian

[fishsmith]

Yes it should be law to have a measuring device in your possession.
It need not be a tape measure as such, it could be be anything that you have physically available, to accuratley measure your catch.
For example your rod binding spacing,tackle box etc.
I believe there is still to many people out there fishing with guesstimations on the size of the fish they catch and keep.

[bugman]

Good debate,

I personally think as recreational anglers who have fought so hard to get min - max rules in place to save the fishery then we should have in our possession something to measure fish. Doesn't have to be measuring tape but any other device should be accurate and be able to stand up to scrutiny by inspectors.

Anyway if we are really concerned about doing the right thing then we would have a means of measuring fish. So if it did become law then it wouldn't effect us. The people it would effect would be those that don't use measuring devices and regularly keep undersize/oversize fish. Aren't these the people we want to hurt ?

I do agree with the comments here about too many rules and regulations for our world. I'm not a fan of the way our lifestyle is prescribed and dictated to by governments. But the only way to stop it is to eliminate all idiots and ####heads. Maybe that should be the plan.

ROB - maybe a not so nice surprise for you in the new finfish RIS regarding filleting at sea. The words are. Paragraph 71.

"71. It is proposed that all fishers, other than commercial fishers not restricted by possession limits and fishers on extended commercial fishing tours, retain fish in a
whole form or in accordance with a prescribed fillet size of no less than 40cm (one size for all coral reef fish). The general fillet size has been provided to enable fishers to fillet
very large fish in order to fit them in their cooler. It is considered that any coral reef fish with a fillet of 40cm or greater would be above the minimum size limit thus maintaining the integrity of the measure. In cases where fish are filleted the entire skin, unscaled, must be left on the fillet for identification to improve the integrity of the possession limit.
The Draft Plan provides that two fillets equal one fish."

Probably not a bad idea I guess. Again it's only to stop the idiots.

Bugman

[mackmauler]

Bugman, that wording of the new proposal sounded to me like 1 rule for recs 1 for commercial ???

Isn't the live trout industry selling 35cm trout, filleted they would be 20cm fillets, and recreational fishers on tours bringing back fillets of coral bream, trout, cod from swains or the like, how big do there fillets have to be ??? Unless they are keeping whole fish which they normally don't, lots of the fillets will be less than 40cm.

So that to me means once you are on land it is okay to have a fillet less than 40cm ??? Bit strange this one.

[Parko]

You play a game, then it's up to yourself to know the rules #;D
Agree.

My thoughts are if some bloke is going to take under/oversized fish he will wether it is law or not to carry a measuring device.

You could find yourself in the rediculous situation where a C&R angler is pull over by fisheries and fined for not carrying a measuring device, although highly unlikely.

[bugman]

Rob,

I'm not sure on the 35cm limit for coral trout live export - maybe somone else has the answer.

The proposed rule changes would affect all commercial anglers except "other than commercial fishers not restricted by possession limits" - I'm not sure who they are - again maybe someone could inform me/us.

As for the commercial charter section - there are a further two paragraphs which apply. 75&76.

These basically say that charters over
48 hours will be exempt from the fillet size restriction. The feeling from DPI is that this will have a minimal impact.

That means all rec anglers will not be allowed to fillet these coral reef species while at sea unless the fillet is bigger than 40cm.

There are also some specific paragraphs that relate to blue spot trout saying they have to be kept whole to ensure the 80cm maximum limit is adhered to.

I guess we'll need good measuirng device. Might make me improve my filleting as well.

Bugman

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Standard rule on my boat - If you gotta put it on the measuring stick - it goes back. ;D
Standard fair on the dash is a dress makers tape. Quick and easy.

[mackmauler]

These proposals are very discriminating.

What I can see happening is all commercial boats will keep everything they can and fillet it. Are we to believe that pros will only fillet legal size fish, or is it that they don't no how to measure a 40cm fillet like recreational anglers. This is a genuine loophole if ever there was one.

Recreational fisherman paying tour operators can also fillet all fish on board and not have to worry about being scrutanised for size BUT when a recreational fisher goes out in a private boat for a few days all fish have to be whole unless we measure the fillet and its over 40cm.

And yes Brett B how much it would hurt if the boat bumped and you missed the tail of the fillet on a red and it came in at 39 and you had to throw it away!

Rob

[krazyfisher]

The thing is its a catch 22 you dont have to have a measuring device or nor should you have to not by law anyway. But you have to stay within the limits of your catch be this by notches, tape, rod length or even by eye or guess but it up to us all to keep to the size limits if your guess is wrong buy a tape I find it easyest to have a tape but too many reason why it should not be law

[Dominator]

I don't think it should be made a law that all boaties have a measuring device on the boat at all times.

I know whenever i go out i have a ruler and markings on the boat to measure my catch. Most of the time when i catch a keeper its good to record the size anyway to add to the fishing log.

Cheers,

Dominator

[bazz]

Have some sort of measuring stick if you want but to make it compulsory is getting a bit heavy.I have a check list now so that I know that I have everything I need to comply with the law.
Whats getting up my nose is the amount of rules and regulations etc, etc just to go and have a bit of a fish with a few mates and family.What really stinks is the differences between states.
I try and get away for a few weeks a year and fish in other states. These days you need half dozen volumes of laws and regulations because of the different laws etc, from state to state. I understand you need to wear a life jacket when in a boat AT ALL TIMES in TASSIE, Is that true? Bugger knows what else they'll find to hit us with, but you can be sure if you don't have it, it'll cost you.
No wonder I have fond memories of going fishing with my dad nearly sixty years ago and survived it with out any of the crap we have to put up with these days.Hate to think what things will be like in another few years.

[Volvo]

Well let me tell ya , day they make sumthin like that Law ::) is Day the Officialdom has lost the plot totally :P.
Will never happen ;).
Cheers

[Muzzy]

I voted yes, I think it should be law to have some way to indentify a minimum size i.e a stick/string or mark on a boat that is 55cm long would be good enough my end. If fishing for managed species.

but to say a tape black and white will piss the cheap arse blokes like me off ;D

but if I when I fish for barra I cant see any other way to do it right unless I have a tape/measuring device of some sort. For if a fish needs be xxxcm prior to dispatch I need to have an acurate messure or I'm not doing my part...

[Ron_Collins]

Hi All

Lot of wasted time and space on this one, in my opinion. I also think we've got right off the original track.

The size regulations are very clear. It's up to the angler to comply.

Next thing we'll have someone wanting a regulation to say to wipe your bum with toilet paper. Like measurements, it's a job that has to be done, and also like measuring, the doee can surely work out the best method to achieve the objective.

In Hookin's case, I'm sure it's something he's been trying to put his finger on for some time now! (How are you Big Boy? Glad to see you're alive, kickin' and hookin'!) - Ron Collins, Ed.

[Vern_Veitch]

Ron,
I agree. Surely there are more important things to discuss.
Vern

[Brian]

Have to agree with Ron and Vern on this one ......... more important issues at hand.

Like where am i going to go fishing AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Have a safe Xmas people and keep safe on and off the water.

Brian

[Brett_Finger]

i must say i am supprised to see how many diferent views this post has generated,i thought there would be a few clicks on the yes/no button and that would be it.
just a conversation post not national debate forum... hehehehehe
Hookin,Brett

[Muzza]

Brett,
Definitely not a waste of time, there is always new people who need to know a measuring implement is necessary on the boat. Ther is probably not one who replied who hasn't got some method of measuring fish. We sometimes fotget that a lot of fisho's aren't out ther eevery day, and when they do get out they might be caugh short , be it a net with hols an anchor that doesn't hold or even the old, shgit forgot the aerogaurd.\
not a law in mt mind but a thing we all should have.
Cheers and a good call
Muzza

[Fitzy]

Interestingly, for a waste of time, the poll is neck & neck.
I think it is common sense that anyone who intends to take a regulated fish should have some form of measuring apparatus to ensure they comply with regs.
In my case, I don't take any fish so I don't need anything. However I have a 1.5 meter stainless ruler screwed to the deck of both boats simply so I cam measure an exceptional fish for reference & interests sakes.
As for the fish sticker that many stores etc have, I wouldn't rely on these. They are commonly very inaccurate & they are subject to expanding & contracting in the elements.

Thats my coupla bobs worth.

Fitz

[lordy]

Smart call Brett. Anyone keeping fish keeping fish with size restriction should have some sort of measuring device. Whether making it law is complicating the issue or simplifying it is personal taste. It would make the fishing inspectors job easier by removing the "I thought it was legal, its only 2cm short and you wouldn't book me for that?" argument.

I tend to think it is a good idea, but not one that will ever get through to law. Ultimately, its the anglers job to know his legal limits and stick to them, whether or not he has a ruler on board.

[Ron_Collins]

Hey Brett

You've done well with the conversation topic! I saw it as a bit of fun because when there are regulations that require an angler to know a fish's measurement, some sort of measuring devise is essential.

I haven't measured any fish for yonks because if I'm in a keeping frame of mind on the day I'm not interested in something that is of "marginal" length. It's either "well in" or "back in".

There was a good point made about educating others who may not be familiar with regs. I'm all for educating anglers and boaties.

Keep up the good work. - Ron Collins, Ed.

[Big_Muddie]

Hi All.

I stated my position on the subject of this poll earlier.

This might not be the most "important" issue in our world but it has provoked quite a bit of discussion and that's what chat forums are for.

And it certainly isn't a waste of space.

[Brett_Finger]

Fellas,
i am pleased to see so much input into this,i to as like Ron and a lot of others do not keep fish,once in a blue mooon i will if the good wife wants a feed,and that would be flathead.

i suppose weall have some type of measuring device in our boats, even if practiceing catch and release.

i have about 4 tapes and 2 rulers....
never use them,cause you have to catch fish for that!!
hehehehehehehehe.
Hookin,Brett :P