Rapala Sportsman's 50-lb. Digital Fishing Scale

[bluegillboogieman]

I bought this scale at BPS (item #38-467-342-00) on sale for about $15. It's hand size, grey in color and has a rather large hook hanging from a bead chain. It says it weighs from 0 to 50lbs so take it to the garden store and weigh those fertilizer sacks before you buy them. Before the Tackle Review group was started by Doug Rorer, someone had posted a general discussion asking if anyone knew of a good scale for gills. This scale was mentioned and I think called a piece of junk in one of the replies. Now I live hours from a BPS so when I go I shop like my mother did, I'll pick up anything that catches my eye and give it the once over. Takes hours. Well there one of those pieces of junk was on sale. I already knew it was a piece of junk because somebody else said so, but it was on sale! And it was the same color as my boat. OH TAY!

When I got it home, I read the instruction book inside. I reset it from kilograms to pounds and ounces and turned it off. I went to Radio Shack and bought a pack of small electronic alligator clips. I hung one by fishing line from that giant shark hook that came with it and again followed the instructions and zeroed it out for TARE. I guess that means it only measures what I put on the alligator clip because the clip and the bead chain and the shark hook are zeroed out. That sure seems to be what happens anyway. Now, when I turn it on, it flashes zeroes for a couple of seconds, then settles on 0.00. Every time. Now I clip a gill by the bottom lip and up pops the weight of the gill, 5lbs, 2oz. Wait, I meant 0.52oz.

I've weighed a number of gills with it and it seems to be very consistent and reasonably close to the results of some of the formulas I have seen that approximate the weight of various fish. I would wager it's more accurate except for one thing. On the back in magnifier only, same color as the body print, it says Made In China, Not Legal For Trade. Well DUH! I'll probably win the lottery before I catch a record class fish anyway. If you want to lug expensive certified scales around just in case, go ahead. It's your boat, back, and dream. I think this one works OK and I got it on sale. Did I mention it's the same color as my boat?

I give it 3.05 stars. Formula says 2.96

[klrbaer]

You wrote above "5lbs, 2oz. Wait, I meant 0.52oz." Either way both weights seem highly unlikly for a gill. 5lb. world record, 0.52 oz, that would be a gill about 1.5 inches long. Maybe it read 52oz., or 3.25 lbs. I don't know what to think.
Could you please clearify for me.
Thanks.

[bluegillboogieman]

Of course I could tell you what to think Klrbaer, but I'd rather leave you wondering. NO, maybe I wouldn't rather that. Let me see, how to explain my udderances. I didn't used to have 'em you know. Udders. I had druthers though. I'd druther say I caught a world record bluegill, but all the paperwork and verification procedures and all. So I'll just keep it simple. I have too many times to count caught 0.52 oz gills. We call them butterbeans around here. We don't weigh them or measure them and we dang sure don't take no pictures of them. They are at least less than 1.5 inches long and they will get on your hook, even if it's longer than them.

I haven't caught any in a while, but when (not if) I do, I might measure them and then weigh them with my perfectly acceptable Rapala Scale. Just to see if it can do it. I'm bettin' it can.

Boogieman

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

Now I bought this same exact scale to and yes I bought it from BPS! My local baitshop doesnt carry scales! Old man that ran the shop said you dont need to know how much he weighs to see how good hes gonna taste! Any who...... I have yet to use this scale yet. As a matter of fact Its still in my truck in the back under an old bps bag still in the plastic! Ive meant to use it a few times but me being the genius I am I still havnt built my solar charge panel for it yet soooooo Yea I keep forgetting to put batteries in it. Im really not all that excited about it cause I didnt think it would really read the weight accurately on those 3" gills I usually catch haha. Ima make a note to self to make sure and put those batteries in it and try it out.

Just like Boogieman....It matched my boat and was on sale.
Take a kid fishing
Mayo

[Johnny wilkins]

The scale isn't being used for what it is intended. If you are weighing a single gill, you need a scale that goes up to 5 lb. and measures in .1 lb. increments. Taking a 50 lb. scale to measure something in ounces is not the intention of this.

I have the same scale but I think there might be a 20 lb. version. I use this to weigh in bags of fish for competitions all the time and find it to be very accurate to .1 lb. . Much the same as Boogieman says, those catching 1 or two beans don't usually argue too much with their weight when the guy next to him has caught 14.6 lb. of fish. You need a kitchen scale or a microgram scale from a science lab.

As for the Rapala scales - I highly recommend them. As for made in China, you get some good, some bad, Rapala is all good, all the time! Buy this Scale.

[bluegillboogieman]

I haven't used it in a while, but I always thought ounces was ounces. .1 lb sounds like metric and that ain't the King's english. I have a spreadsheet on my PDA that figures by common formulas of length and girth and I think it turns out ounces. I think you can set the Rapala scale to display kilograms or some kind of K but I chose good old ounces. Of course I never compete in contests so it might make a difference if you do. I'll play with it some more this season. And remember......an ounce of pure version (live bait) is worth a pound of lure.

And John, you have just got to start payin' attention. It is butterbeans, not beans. We even have songs about 'em around here. Butterbeans!