Do large fish really shrink?

Stryker · 05-14-2003, 09:50 AM

Do large game fish really shrink in length after they are caught?

If so how much? Don�t want a ticket for undersize fish you know.

id. painter · 05-14-2003, 10:00 AM

I have never herd of a fish getting shorter. I was told as a kid, that a Salmon that was 30 lbs in Idaho, must have been much heaver fresh from the ocean. Later i read an article about that and the claim was that as fish move up the river they replace the fat in thier tissue with water. So the idea that they loose a bunch of weight is false. Water is heavier than fish fat... id. p.

greenbuttskunk · 05-14-2003, 10:23 AM

I think some species do, if they are left to dry out. I would say it would not be a matter of inches, but maybe a 1/4" or 1/2" depending on how large it is to begin with.

Mello-Yello · 05-14-2003, 10:24 AM

Common sense tells me that indeed there is a potential for shrinkage, due entirely to evaporation. A fish that's laying in the bottom of the boat for hours on end, are going to lose a certain % of moisture. Only makes sense that the bigger the fish, the more loss. Most of this would be seen as weight and not length, but as that skin dries, it's gonna pull everything in to a tighter package.

I never keep a fish that is "exactly" the minimum length. It just isn't worth it.

There is another phenomenon. I find it's mosty true with deer and elk, but would also pertain to large fish. In this unique circumstance, the animal actually get heavier over time. This is a situation where you have to carry the dead critter a long distance. Ever grab a little Blacktail, throw it over your shoulder and take off for the truck, only to find that by the time you reach the truck you're dragging it 10 feet, resting for 1 minute, then dragging another 10 feet?

tailchaser · 05-14-2003, 10:30 AM

I know sturgeon will often increase in size a few hours after they've been killed and thier muscles relax. I didn't believe it at first until we landed one and tried it out. It was 43" when it first hit the deck and when we got home a few hours later it was 45.

tc

Lovestafish · 05-14-2003, 10:42 AM

Hey TC, I had exactly the same thing happen with a sturgeon I caught up at "The Fishery", except it was 58" & change when it started & 59" & a lot of change later on. I was sweating, let me tell you.....

edsr · 05-14-2003, 01:10 PM

All of the really big fish that I have ever caught have shrunk dramatically by the time someone else measures them!
Honest!

edsr

Mello-Yello · 05-14-2003, 02:17 PM

Another consideration...one would have to believe that as rigermortis (sp) sets in, the muscles restrict...once it's gone, they relax. Might be safe to assume some fish do this more than others. I know something we used to do just cuz it felt neat was, after a trout was stiffened up, we'd grab the head and tail and pull. You could feel each vertabrae pop like the ulitimate chiropractic adjustment. They sure felt like they'd been pulled out to a longer fish....

At this point, we've probably beat this to death. My advice, when you catch a fish, measure it...when you get home, measure it again...

I would not suggest keeping something just under legal expecting it to be legal by the time you reach dock based on our scientific studies though...
:grin:

Fishplay · 05-14-2003, 05:33 PM

You are an honest man aren't you Edsr.

Your also pretty darned funny. :grin:

South Paw · 05-14-2003, 05:47 PM

It all depends on if you stomp on them or not. I used to catch alot of sturgeon when the limit was still 3 of 3 to 6 feet. I've never seen them get longer but I've never sen them shrink more then 1/2 to 3/4 of and inch either I remember one spacificly that was 1/2 under 6ft when I caught it in the morning and after being tied on the bank in the water most of the day when the local Game guy, who knew me well and really would have liked to give me a ticket for an over sized fish measured it it was just 3/4" under 6'. But with these new radioactive fish we catch now days who knows.

Salmonator · 05-14-2003, 06:17 PM

A friend of mine caught a 59 3/4 fish out on desdemona. Many hours later it was measured by F&W at 60 1/8 :shocked: We measured again with our own tape and got the exact same as she did. No ticket, scared me to death though!

Albacore Tuna Captain · 05-14-2003, 06:35 PM

I have seen halibut shrink 1/4 to 1/2 inches over a day's time. That's why I never keep anything smaller than 33 inches. It just doesn't pay.

On the other hand, a fish in the water will get bigger the more frequently it is described. I don't know why this is true, but it's quite astounding!

Miss B Haven · 05-15-2003, 06:11 AM

All my fish seem to get bigger. 20 lbr is 25 once it is fileted and in the freezer. The next day 30lbs. By the time I get back to work it's 35 and by next seasons fishing and story days that sucker was a 40 lb whopper. :grin:

OceanBlue · 05-15-2003, 06:43 AM

Miss B: We seem to have that problem, too.

Those fish definitely grow once they hit the freezer! Well, not ALL of them, but definitely some of them!