Damon M.

I carry a scale with me and weigh most of my fish over 20 pounds. Stripers really arent heavy fish for their size which causes many fishermen to overestimate their weight. I even fool myself sometimes when I think I have a bona fide 30 pounder but it turns out to be about 27. Stripers tend to have large heads and broad shoulders even if they are thin which creates the illusion. What makes a heavy fish is a gut, and it will be round and plump all the way to the vent. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions I found this year, the fish tend to be getting lighter for their size. It seems like it takes a good 38 inch fish or so to break 20 pounds these days.