Do most people that post pictures of fish and their weights here actually weigh the fish, or do they just estimate? The reason I'm asking is that a lot of the 7 to 9 pounders posted here look like 5 pounders that I actually weigh.

I really might need to have my scale checked because admittedly, I've caught five pounders that looked a lot bigger to me, but my scale said otherwise.

Some weighed and some estimated... you have to take into account the size of the person holding the fish too, I make 5 lb fish look small where as my buddy Steve thats like 5'5" 120 lbs makes a 5 lb fish look like a 10 lbr in pictures.

fishermen always tell the truth, just ask one. Its not the size of the fish, but the enjoyment you get from fishing that matters.

You need a new scale bud. Everyone here catches 40 fish on every trip and they all weight more then yours. Avg TFF bass is about 6lbs!

That is what I keep telling her

bassindawg, each and everyone of these fishermen are here will
tell lies about their accomplishments, except you and me of course. jim

I had one of those $20 Berkley Digital scales that I was questioning so I weighed a 10 pound dumbell and 3 different times and it said 8 something each time.

Are you sure the dumbbell really weighed 10#?

After the last 10 pounder I caught I questioned if my scales were off or not. Everyone kept telling me my fish was well over 10 pounds so when I got home I put a 10 pound dumbell on the scales and both times it weighed 10.00.

Fishermen exagerate and sometimes they just flat out lie. Thats just the nature of the beast!

Certified scales and witnesses don't lie. That is the only way to go these days. Reminds me of all those california pictures where people say "Check out this 18lb 4oz" that looks like an 11lber lol.

Mr.Cameron certified my scale at 20# and its Right On! However I never catch any 20lb. fish/ Just wish he had checked it at 8 to 10 pounds! (LOL)

May be your not stuffing enough lead in to your Bass before you weigh them?

my 8.5 er looks like a 10+ in the pic with me holding it. Of course, I'd blow away like a fart in the wind with a stiff breeze.

The fish in my signature was 8.88lbs on certified scales. I'm 6'1" and was 320ish lbs in that photo.

I've had the same problem from time to time. I fish quite a few tournaments and I used to wrok at a bait shop on lake fork with certified scales. I've weighed wtuie a few fish. There are many factors that come into play with fish weights. Some fish are just heavier than others. Looks can be VERY deceiving some times. Hand held scales are very unreliable to me also. I checked my hand held scales with a gallon of water. It said 8lb 4 oz. which converts to 8.25 lbs. Not bad considering fresh water weighs 8.34 lbs per gallon. I'll take that for accuracy. Then in a tournament I fished on Fork a couple of weekends ago, I caught 24 3/4 inch fish that said 7lb 11oz, which converts to 7.69 lbs, on the hand held. I knew the fish weighed more though. The tournament scales said 9.17. That is a 1.48lb difference. So now I have no Idea what to think.