Does anyone have a chart converting inches to pounds for brown trout?
I ask because last week while working on one of Orkneys northern isles i managed a few nights fishing on a small loch. Haveing never fished it and never really heard very much good about it, i didn't bother taking my camera or scales.
Ive regretted it ever since because i had the best weeks fishing of my life, i ended up with 9 fish which measured from 18 inches to 21.5 inches. The biggest fish i hooked made a run and almost emptied my spool It was a new experiance for me catching fish of this calibre and would love an estimated weight for the fish as its by far the biggest ive caught.
I managed to get some pics on my work phone but i wont have access to it for about a weeks time but when i get it i'll post some pics of the fish.
I'm going to the same island to work next week, so if its anything like last week i'll hopefully get some really good pics to update this post with, as ive never before seen fish in such perfect condition
The one downside to this loch is the landowner gets a grant for corncrake protection which means a large chunk of the land around the small loch is unaccessable. Also the land owner is not a big fan of anglers or angling and i believe i was very lucky to be granted access to the loch, as ive heard of a few folk heading for the water and getting kicked of the land before wetting a line
As if the fishing wasn't good enough, to top it all off, the last night out i had on the loch i saw comotion at the edge of the loch, which to me looked like small labrador dogs playing. It turned out to be otters fighting no more than 30 mtrs from me. Ive seen otters a few times before but never so close and always with them well aware that im there. These boys, i assume they were dog otters fighting for territory? had no idea i was there and spent the next 10-15 mins fighting hell for leather right in front of me, i eventually gave up fishing and slowly waded back to the bank and sat down to watch the big fight live The fight ended up in the middle of the loch, where they were chaseing each other around much like penguins jump in and out of the water. All this happened just after midnight and was a very sureal experiance as in Orkney it never really gets very dark this time of year, and being a lightley populated island, with no light polution i was indeed a very luckey man

Cheers Thorfinn

I was at orkney for a week at the start of the month and the biggest fish i had was aprox a pound and a half but i had around 50 fish for my 4 days fishing. what i,ve found is that the depth is as important as the length but from what you,re saying a fish at nearly 2ft with an average girth (imho) would certainly be 3.5 to 4 pounds.

Ally Gowans has a fish weight calculator on his site here

fish weight charts estimate

If you're expecting big fish an unhooking mat is always a good idea and to avoid messing about with a measuring stick you can write measurements on it which means you can take a photo giving unquestionable proof regarding the length of your catch.

Always remember to get a girth measurement from directly in front of the dorsal fin for your calculations.

__________________
Tight Lines. :)

My spreadsheet gives just short of 4lb 4oz for a 21.5" fish in good condition.

__________________
“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Thanks for your reply scooby.
The first night i was fishing i caught 2 fish and i had no measure with me. I caught and kept 2 fish, partly on a promise and partly because no one would of believed i caught such fish. The biggest fish out of the 2 weighed 4.5 pound on a set of scales descined for lamb chops and coo erses so i was unsure how accureate they were especially since the place i was staying weighed it in at 6 lbs? I had it at about 3 to 4 pounds but with the condition they were in and never really catching fish like that before i was and still am unsure how heavey the big one actually was! I do think with out bias it must of been wearing on for 5lbs, i honestly thought it was a double figure fish the way it ran lol.
Ive been fishing in Orkney badley for years and with out a doubt ive never hooked so many fat, well colured fighting wild fish in all my life! And as you say if i get another crack at the loch, i'll take the gurth too

Cheers THORFINN

Ps did you enjoy orkneys fishing?

Cheers for the reply guys.
Its new to me, the gurth measurement, is it from the back of the gills?

Cheers THORFINN

Yes i loved it £20 to fish as many lochs. what would have put the icing on the cake would have been catching something like what you were getting however i was getting plenty between 3/4-1.5lb. I never thought i would ever have preferd catching rainbows over wild browns but fishing for me is all about the fight. if you get the chance give boardhouse a try it,s got a good fish stock and there is meant to be some specimen fish in it . it,s on the main island swanny and boardhouse are joined by a small burn. we were at lochside chalets staying and the chap in the end chalet said he had been broke one on boardhouse with a fish around around 4lb. I,ll be back next year or maybe in august specimen hunting. the people i was with were not fussed about specimen fish they were happy to be catching fish so i just went with the flow.

I think that you may mean Hundland and Boardhouse?


Ian.

Sounds awesome Thorfinn I suppose if the owner doesn't let many people on it will have helped the fish get to that size.
I would suggest you edit your post and remove the name of the loch, up to yourself obviously but fishing of that calibre is rare and should be protected.
Look forward to the pics.

9".... A breakfast Trout
10".... A keeper
12".....nigh on a pun
13"....easily 1.1/4lb
14"....2 pun if it's an ounce
16"..... Well over 2 pun
18"..... Nearer 3 than 2
20"+.....Any weight you want.



Tight Lines

__________________
"The Future's Bright The Future's Wet Fly"