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News Release
FWC TO CLARIFY HOW TO MEASURE TOTAL LENGTH FOR SALTWATER FISH

March 18, 2005
CONTACT: Lee Schlesinger (850) 487-0554

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is proposing rule amendments to clarify and standardize how fishermen should measure saltwater finfish.

FWC’s saltwater fishing rules express size limits of marine fish in either fork length or total length. Size limit measurements for fish expressed in fork length, such as Spanish mackerel, pompano, and cobia, are considered to be easily understood by fishermen and do not need further clarification beyond “from the tip of the snout to the rear center edge of the tail.â€

I use a yard stick.....

That's helpful to know but if it comes down to squeezing or not squeezing the tail to make it a legal fish, I generally toss 'em back in the water.

You gotta squeeze, its going back.

IF THE FISH DON'T FIT, YA GOTTA QUIT

First I unroll it and then get the tape ready....It's still the same.

I usually don't keep anything under 18" i'm now worried about the fish they may find over 20".

I can't catch a fish, so it doesn't matter to me.

Jumptrout51 wrote:I usually don't keep anything under 18" i'm now worried about the fish they may find over 20".

Yes, that is the largest problem here with large trout and redfish.. I can see some folks getting slammed by the wildlife officers on this one.

It seems like ya'll like to brag about throwing the little ones back, but who will actually admit to keeping an oversize one? Measuring gets more and more difficult as the beers progress.

Nathan

How true, it is.