# 19" for Fish Ohio Award?



## GarrettMyers (May 16, 2011)

If you look at the top of the page, there is a heading for awards. If you click on that, it has a chart with all the Fish Ohio lengths. It says "Inland Rivers & Streams" and says that a 19" Smallmouth wins an award, not a 20". It's 22" in Lake Erie. I recall someone a few months ago talking about how it should be shorter outside of Lake Erie... Everyone has always said 20" is the length, am I missing something here?


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## QueticoMike (Sep 25, 2008)

You are looking at the chart for OGF awards, not the official " Fish Ohio " chart or lengths. A "Fish Ohio" smallmouth is 20 inches no matter where you are fishing in Ohio.


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## GarrettMyers (May 16, 2011)

That makes sense. Does the length include pinching the tail together?


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## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

GarrettMyers said:


> That makes sense. Does the length include pinching the tail together?


Yes sir. That's how you should measure all your fish.


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## GarrettMyers (May 16, 2011)

That is a bummer. That big one I caught when you and Mike walked up was 18.5" without the pinch... I'm sure it still wouldn't have been 20" but I wish I knew that then.


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## co-angler (Jan 3, 2010)

the last time I pinched a pretty bronze gals tail, she slapped the hell outta me!
And no, I wasn't awarded for it


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## dstiner86 (Jun 5, 2012)

What if i don't technically get the fish out of water but can roughly estimate the size of the fish by the amount of pull it, had to the weight of the pole, and the test of the line, times that by setting of the drag, the tempeture (both air and water), time of day. Compare that to the quality of fish i caught that day and the pattern of sizes, then divide the comparative total size and weight by 2, then finally add the BSity of the story im going to tell my fishing buddies at work. ...think with that formula i can justifiably submit a size and get a fish Ohio pin?

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## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

GarrettMyers said:


> That is a bummer. That big one I caught when you and Mike walked up was 18.5" without the pinch... I'm sure it still wouldn't have been 20" but I wish I knew that then.


It's alright pinching the tail really only gives you about 1/4 inch. That was definitley one BEAST of a smallmouth though!


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

GarrettMyers said:


> That makes sense. Does the length include pinching the tail together?


HOW TO MEASURE A FISH - The measurement of a fish is taken in a straight line from the utmost end of the snout with the mouth closed to the utmost end of the caudal (tail) fin when the tail fin is compressed so that the upper and lower lobes touch or overlap.









Measure fish with mouth closed and tail compressed to determine total length.


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## Matulemj (May 29, 2012)

It's not like you get awards from OGF anyways. I submitted one in August and have yet to see anything come of it. Oh well  

In my opinion, an 18" river smallie is a trophy fish, at least in the LMR. I think they should lower the standards for smallmouths caught in the inland rivers. In the meantime, I'll just have to step up my game!


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

I have only heard of a couple SWOH Fish Ohio smallies since I joined, one from House and one from Stink. Quetico catches 18 inchers all the time though! Honestly I think my biggest from a river was only 16 or 17 inches. I caught one in Lake St. Claire once when I was young though that topped out at over 4 lbs!


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

I think a fish ohio smallie from SW ohio is a fish of a lifetime. I think a fish ohio sauger or saugeye is a great fish but ten times easier to catch. I catch a couple fish ohio saugeyes every year and I'd trade all of them I've ever caught for my fish ohio smally. ( 20 5/8ths october 1st LMR) To me some of the fish ohio requirements seem so much harder to catch than others. A brown trouts 25 inches but it only takes a 22 inch drum? I'd love to see how many of each fish are turned in. I mean a 21 inch largemouth has to be twenty times easier than a fish ohio smallie but still way harder than a 26 inch carp. I guess thats a good thing though or no one would ever get a master angler award. And I will admit fish ohio fish are the only thing I keep track of each year, ive never been a "I caught so many of this fish or thirty of that" kind of guy. I like the fish ohio awards because you dont win anything and I dont think they publish the results anywhere so its something you do for yourself so there is no point in cheating.


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

I did have some guy I know tell me yesterday he lost a 8 or 9 lb smallmouth at the hamilton dam. umm... he's also lost a 100lb carp, caught two ten lb bass, a stringer of fifty 14 inch bluegills, a nine pound saugeye and a catfish as big as him in the last two years. Its a shame he never carries a camera or a scale with him tho I would have loved to have seen them...


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## dstiner86 (Jun 5, 2012)

In all seriousness how exactly do you enter a fish for a fo.. I caught a channel earlier this year that with tail not pinched reached 30.5.. From the little sticker i got from the fair that's 3 inches past requirement but haven't thought much after the initial catch measure and release to how exactly you enter one.. Is a pic needed with the measurement? Ect. Ect. .. Actually very curious because id love my very first fish Ohio pin!

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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

It's all honor system the form is on odnr website 


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## ranger373v (Oct 26, 2012)

i got my crappie pin, never got my sm lm or cat pin


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## Stoney84 (Aug 20, 2012)

I've had 2 FO smallies this summer from a creek, not even a river. I hate to say it but I get the feeling these fish are everywhere. They just don't get that big by being stupid.... I've found more often then not, my bigger fish come from a reaction strike as opposed to a finesse, or retrieve... That being said, it's just luck to hook one of these monsters. Both these smallies came from spinnerbaits and were slammed as soon as they hit the water, to me that says before thy were given a chance to recognize they were artificial lures.... Honestly I wouldn't be surprised to see a few come out around 24" or so... Happy fishing to all and good luck on your Fish Ohio smallie hunt. 


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

ranger373v said:


> i got my crappie pin, never got my sm lm or cat pin


They don't do a different pin for each fish, its a different pin for each year, and every year's pin has a different fish on it.


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## Stoney84 (Aug 20, 2012)

oldstinkyguy said:


> I think a fish ohio smallie from SW ohio is a fish of a lifetime.
> 
> 
> Amen...
> ...


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## ranger373v (Oct 26, 2012)

yeah and i caught mine at caesar creek, on a black jig, on a log in 20 foot of water lol... first one ive ever seen outta caesar...but it qualified


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