pickerel size?

[trigga]

this was the biggest pickerel i ever landed.. on my Tarpon 120.
i released it right away after landing and quick pic, didnt take a measurement... what do you think the length is ? my tarpon is 28" wide

[smcisaac]

Don't know how big he is exactly, but if you had taken him on a fly rod he would have been even bigger.
;)

[teflon_jones]

I'd say somewhere in the upper 20's. Tough to tell with nothing for reference. The kayak is 28" at the widest point, but I'm not sure how wide it is where the fish is sitting. Why don't you measure it at that point?

I've pulled two in the 5 lb+ class out of a local lake in the last couple of years. They're fun in a float tube since I find they like to run underneath you several times. :brow

[trigga]

reproduced the picture, at that part of the kayak its 26" wide... im thinking the fish is about 28-29 inches as both head and tail were hangin over the sides. wish i took measurements, as i want a replica done

[FlyFishFrostie]

To me, it looks like about 3-4" of the head and tail are overhanging the sides of the kayak, plus it looks like the fish is slightly slanted, not at right angles to the kayak's sides. Therefore, I'd give you the benefit of the doubt and call that fish a 30+"-er. Very nice!:)

[FlyFishFrostie]

Upon a second examination and considering that the kayak is 28" at its widest, I'd amend my estimation and go with Teflon Jones. High 20"s. Very high 20"s. Still very nice.:):)

[coltranem]

Nice fish..but I think we are being tricked by an optical illusion. The fish is being shot from almost above probably making it look bigger than the kayak. There are some big ones out there in new england. But they hide in deep water over the summer...not necessarily where there smaller friends are.

[trigga]

one thing i remember from that day was that it laid across the full width of the kayak, at that point.. which is not the widest part but about 26"... heres another pic.

my legs are slightly raised, but the head and tail but curled down and reached the sides of the kayak... so its definitely the width + if it was straightened out flat.

[FlyFishFrostie]

Here's an idea to help confirm prior length estimates.

It looks like your paddle has a checkered pattern of squares on it, and I count about 32 squares on the paddle from near the tip of the fish's snout to the pelvic fins. I assume that's about half of the fish's length. So, the whole length would be about 64 squares on your paddle. Just measure the length of a square, do the math, and voila. You may want to confirm the pickerel's anatomy that the pelvic fins attach at the halfway point and make whatever adjustments are necessary.

So, if a square is 1 cm wide, and if there are 2.54 cm per inch, and if the fish is 64 cm long, then that translates into a total length of 25.2 inches, still a very nice pickerel or striper or any freshwater fish.:)

So, how long is that pickerel?

[teflon_jones]

Nice fish..but I think we are being tricked by an optical illusion. The fish is being shot from almost above probably making it look bigger than the kayak. There are some big ones out there in new england. But they hide in deep water over the summer...not necessarily where there smaller friends are.I've never hooked one of the really big guys past the end of May. They seem to disappear once the water starts to warm.

[coltranem]

I actually caught my biggest pickerel in late August/early september a few years ago. The fish was in about 20 ft of water and I caught it on a drop shot rig.

[dudley]

My hands are 3 1/2" wide across the knuckles
When ever I see a photo of someone holding a fish, it's not hard to guesstimate how much they're exaggerating by

Just saying...