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QUEEN CREEK, Arizona — Catch and release fishing is great, but when safe handling techniques aren't used, fish often die shortly after being released. An Arizona-based company is developing a scale that significantly reduces the amount of handling required to measure a fish.
The Tail Scale was recently launched on Kickstarter by Nørre. According to the product description, the scale allows anglers to estimate a fish's length and weight by simply measuring the width of the tail. It claims that multiple scientific studies prove that fish tails grow in proportion to their overall body size.
A quicker measuring system definitely sounds more fish-friendly. Angling guidelines from the National Parks Service recommend that you don't remove a fish from the water because it can result in suffocation or internal injuries. They also discourage excessive handling because it's so easy to damage a fish's mucus layer that protects them from disease.
With the Tail Scale, an angler can keep the fish's head underwater throughout the entire process. And because the tail is the only portion of the fish's body that needs to be handled, the fish will typically be released much healthier than with traditional methods.
It would appear that many anglers are anxious for a simpler measuring system because the Tail Scale was fully funded on Kickstarter. An update on the Kickstarter page says the manufacturer hopes to begin delivering the innovative scale as early as April 2016.
Nørre Tail Scale How To from Natalie Rasmussen on Vimeo.
Grant Olsen joined the KSL.com contributor team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, travel, product reviews and other interesting things. You can contact him at grantorrin@gmail.com.
