About yeay big.

[moknots]

Just heard a classic fishing report, at approximately 3pm today. "Kokanee fishing has been great" says the guy at the hardware store. "Great" I say, "how big were they?". "Oh about yeah big (holding his hands about 20" apart)". Wow. This is a guy that can tell the difference between a 10mm socket and a 12mm socket from 20 feet. This early in the year, a 14" kokanee from that lake would be a big one. Real big. So, in your experience, how does "yeay big" generally compare to Mr. Stanley's tape measure?

[Silver Bullets]

In my experience "yeay big" is a measurement that is taken with a slide ruler and has room for adjustment, it has to do with the learning curve. The more often you fish, the more this measurement slides. As Mr. Stanley's measurement goes, I sometimes bury an inch to get a more accurate reading, but forget to subtract the inch when done, I never was too good at math.:cheers: Excuse me while I go look for my hip waders, it's starting to get deep!

[fish-on-bend]

Not sure about length but we have a fellow ifisher who has a "magic" scale to weigh his fish.:wink: I think they may be related.:wink::D

[Dullhook]

Well folks, I think it's time we throw out some of these old-fashioned "about yeaah big with the hands" measurements for fish and use a more scientifically accurate method that some of the real experts prefer. :D

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/redneckjoke.jpg

[FallRiverGuy]

I have found yea-big is almost always yea-big overstated. In fact, most fishing reports I hear about, even when they have claimed to be measured, are most likely measure with a tape missing the first two inches. Either that or I am really good at catching the small ones, which of course, is entirely possible.

But a 14 inch fish, out of Suttle I assume, would be a big fish for one that has not eaten anything for a long time.

[Splash]

"It's a 7 cannner!" :laugh:

If they are holding their 2 index fingers about 7-12 inches apart I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

If they are holding both hands any distance apart... I quietly count their total number of fingers on both hands, grin and ask them if they punched it on their card. :D

[Davy]

Not sure about length but we have a fellow ifisher who has a "magic" scale to weigh his fish.:wink: I think they may be related.:wink::D

didn't miss that one,:whistle:

Using "Yeay Big", in describing fish, requires one to understand the listener. If your describing "yeay big" to Mr. Tennessee when talkin about real fish, ooops :pray:, I mean steelhead, well, it might not go over so well. On the other hand , if your talkin to Mr Big Fish over there in the lakes describing pond fish well, then, he might miss the hand gesture. Yeah well, its 5 AM and I rolled it up at 3

[dlm]

Got an e-mail from Marshworm with a picture of a good mess yeah big from suttle, none close to 14", I am sure he will post a report soon. Looks like he had about 20 or so.
:thisbig:

[Salmonslayer2]

It was good today. I caught 25 in abut two hours. 12 to 13 inches. a Gibbs Minnow Kelly Green/ Chart. jig.
Larry

[marshworm]

okay guys, "yeah big" don't mean squat to this koke head.
My , my , news flashes across the universe quick around here. barely got the fish stink off my hands!
I got two sun burnt ears and a red neck on Suttle today. As for the fish 2 @ 10 (2@10)+, and 7 @ 12 (7@12)+ and the balance of the 25 was an honest 13". One boat did fairly well still fishing corn and worms.
I jigged and found they hit gibbs minnows in pink pearl, fire orange but they slammed the chartruese the hardest.
One lady from Salem was having trouble catching them so when I was done I called them over and took off the chartruese minnow I was using and tied it on her line and before I pulled the anchor she was into em'. The smile on her face was neat.
Took just shy of 4 hours and the fun was over for the day. My wife was shocked by the size of them and asked if we could go up again in the morning!
Oh well gotta keep em' happy.

[summoner7]

Well folks, I think it's time we throw out some of these old-fashioned "about yeaah big with the hands" measurements for fish and use a more scientifically accurate method that some of the real experts prefer. :D

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/redneckjoke.jpg

Hey Dullhook,

We use Miller Genuine Draft cans instead of Coor's Light cans. This is my 6-can Steelhead! However, since MGD is better tasting than Coor's Light, is my fish actually bigger? (you know, like some kind of English-Metric thing?) :cheers::laugh:

http://jkbworld.com/doc/steelhead04232006/steelhead3.jpg

[GraphiteZen]

I always consider the distance between you and the person you are Ye biggin it for. The further away they are the further apart your hands need to be just to make sure they can see your measurement well enough.

[Old Coot]

"Yea big" at twenty inches could be right when you look at it scientifically. Most of the koke lakes are at higher altitudes, right? As your bring the fish back to the valley and descend to a lower altitude the air pressure increases.

Therefore, a fish that started at, say, 10 inches on a Saturday up in the mountains or foothills, could well become significantly lengthened from being squashed by increased air pressure when brought home Sunday.

I know that my 10" mountain fish from the weekend almost always stretch to 14 to 18" by Monday when I'm at the office.

Strangely, it works in reverse for fish caught at sea level. I know my own salmon tend to swell up due to reduced air pressure when I take them up to the 416' altitude where I live. Why, the last one I caught went from 32" and 18 pounds on a Saturday at Hebo to 40" and 31 pounds by the time I got back to work on Monday.

Science is simply amazing.

Individual results may vary. No warranty expressed or implied. Cash value 1/20th of a cent.

OC

[Salmonslayer2]

Marshworm That was me you were fishing next to in the white Jetcraft boat. Good to meet you. Here are my fish.
Thanks Larry
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/uploads/316/suttle-lake-kokanee.jpg

[moknots]

Thanks Old Coot! I feel much better knowing there is some science to it. Come to think of it, I think that guy at the hardward store is a science guy. Ha, that's it. Thanks for 'splainin' that.

Salmonslayer2 and Marshworm, way to go and thanks for the report! Haven't you heard they weren't biting last week???

[joemomma]

Oh my, might be sick next week, and have to go see DR kokanee!

[Salmonslayer2]

There in the smoker now. It maybe after 1:00 before I can go to bed. I better not fall aslep. I did that once. It was well done. I see by my photo I have tray not in correctly. Oh well.
Larry
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/uploads/316/smokeing-kokanee.jpg

[Silver Bullets]

Old Coot... By George, I think you've got it! Science is amazing! As I was slipping on my hip waders towards the end of your post, I knew there had to be a scientific reason for this penomenom to happen. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! It all makes sense now....:bowdown:

[fish-on-bend]

As I heard Fallriverguy say once, "Ah yes, he is a fisherman, isn't he.":laugh:

[eharris]

I love you guys. Always something interesting to read. Being a teacher, I appreciate the attempts being made at explaining these things in terms that all can understand and relate too. I am glad that I am not the only one who has figured out the technical aspects of it all. I have never tried measuring fish with empty beer cans, is that to be done on the boat or during cleaning at home :whistle:.

Evan

[fishonjon]

Nice ! now I can measure fish 1 can , 2 can , six pac , half rac. I like that thanks. Only problem after 1 case I cant see or stand.:laugh::laugh:

[moknots]

Well, I just got back from my second research trip to see if the guy at the hardware store is full of it nor not. After sampling 100 fish caught by two of us in two days (and getting a pretty good eyeball on at least 30 others that shook the hook, or that I dropped in the "bottom" of my inflatable pontoon boat, I have drawn three important conclusions:

1) I don't know how to catch a 20" kokanee from Suttle Lake this spring. Try as I might, I could not produce a single fish over 14",
2) The guy at the hardware store is probably a fisherman, though he was smart enough not to actually mention that, and
3) I love the guy at the hardware store because he told me fishing was "pretty good" even though I had just been skunked two weeks in a row. Thanks to him (and reports by Marshworm and Salmonslayer2), I just had the best two kokanee fishing days in a very long time.

The smoker is waiting for me. I am tired from all the research. Tomorrow maybe I will just go fishing for the fun of it instead.