how long

[gshadow]

Hey one of my friends at work went to the berry on sat. he caught a nice cut and he measured it it was 21 1/2 to the v of the tail and 22 3/8 to the tip of the tail. he put it back not wanting a ticket for keeping one under 22 inches. when they measure fish is it to the tip of the tail or the v of the tail?
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[Kayote]

Tip of the tail is the proper measurement.

Kayote
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[fishmagnet]

To be the most accurate lay the tape under or next to the fish not over the top as this will add for the curve of the fishes body, then squeeze the rays of the fishes tail together to get your measurement.

FM
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[bigben1]

You may also want to open the fish's mouth and stick out his toungue[]
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[Gumbo]

FM's right. It reminds me of the pro walleye fisherman (can't remember his name) who got ticketed at a national tourney several years ago for catching a fish that was just barely within the slot limit--with tail fanned. A conservation officer walked up in the middle of the weigh-in and pinched the tail making the fish larger than the upper limit of the slot, then he wrote the guy a ticket right there in front of the crowd.

Get a hog trough to make measurements more accurate. That's what the DRW will be using. So make sure you're measuring with the same tool they are. I think Sportman's Warehouse started carrying them when they imposted the slot limit on Strawberry. But you can get them mail order if you can't find them locally.