Sick of not knowing how much your prize catch weighs?
There aren’t many sports like fishing where you want to weigh your catch to see if you’ve hit a personal best or have to because you’re in a tournament.
You’ll probably even want to weigh it while it’s still alive and release it safely.
To be able to do this properly and with accuracy, you need one of the best fish scales around which we go into in depth below.
The Best From The Review
Best Fishing Tournament Scale
Rapala Touch Screen Tourney Digital Fishing Scale
An excellent fish weighing tool for tournaments thanks to its technical features and accuracy.
Rapala Touch Screen Tourney Digital Fishing Scale
The best fishing scales for tournament angling is the Rapala Tourney Scale.
This great fish scale is highly accurate and comes full of tournament features. Aside from giving accurate weight, the fishing scale stores weights automatically, has a culling system and has 8 storage bins you can put your catches into.
You couldn’t be better equipped for a tournament than with this fishing scale.
Best Digital Fish Scale
Dr Meter Digital Scale
Best fish scale around in terms of the weight range; it can measure up to 2 or 3 decimal places.
Dr Meter Digital Scale
The best digital fish scale is the Dr Meter Digital Scale.
It’s accurate to 1/10 of a pound and 1/100th of a kilo, has a great range of up 100lbs, is durable, has great battery longevity plus it is easy to see and use.
The scale even has a tape measure built-in so you can measure the length easily.
Top Pick
Eastaboga Tackle BogaGrip Scale
Accurate fishing scales with a maximum weight of 60lbs, that’ll cover most catches you can lift with your hand.
Eastaboga Tackle BogaGrip Scale
The best fishing scales overall are the Eastaboga Tackle BogaGrip Scale.
These are highly accurate, built to survive all conditions thanks to their stainless design, doesn’t require batteries, and are the best for the fish, especially if you’re releasing them.
Our Best Fishing Scales
Boga Grip 315 Fishing Scale
Very accurate scale ideal for most freshwater fishing and can even be used for world records.
Boga Grip 315 Fishing Scale
The Boga Grip 315 Fishing Scale is one of the best fish scales if you want to weigh your catch when catch and release fishing.
Function
They work by using a fish gripper tool that allows you to latch on to the fish’s lip and lift it to get the weight quickly, so you can put them back in the water.
A fish lip grabber does do some damage to the fish but a lot less than a gill hook that you’ll find on other fish scales.
Usage
The best way to use a fish gripper tool with minimal damage to the fish is by putting the fish in a rubber net and weighing both the fish and the net on the fish scale, and then removing the net’s weight to get your fish weight.
Capacity
The Boga Grip Fish Gripper Fish Scale has a max weight of 15 lbs, ideal for most freshwater fishing and it goes up in ¼ lb increments for accuracy.
When tested, these fish scales are very accurate and can even be used for world records.
These fishing scales are made from quality stainless steel and will survive life in saltwater thanks to their corrosion-resistance.
Portability
This fish grip style scale is also highly portable with it’s lightweight and streamlined design.
You’ll be able to slip it into your backpack’s side pocket with ease or hang it with the included lanyard.
Specs
- Light, portable, and easy to put in your bag
- Easy to use, and good for toothy fish like barracuda
- Durable stainless steel build
- Accurate measurements
- A good range for smaller fish under 15 lbs
- You can weigh fish without killing them
- Good for a catch and release fisherman
Pros
- Light, portable, and easy to put in your bag
- Easy to use, and good for toothy fish like barracuda
- Durable stainless steel build
- Accurate measurements
- A good range for smaller fish under 15 lbs
- You can weigh fish without killing them
- Good for a catch and release fisherman
Cons
- A little expensive
- Does damage live fish, even though it says otherwise
- Numbers can be hard to read
Berkley Digital Fish Scale
The Berkley Digital Fish Scale is super accurate and can weigh accurately down to the 0.01 lbs mark thanks to its electronic balance and quality load cells, making it a good tournament fishing scale.
This digital scale also measures weight in kilograms as well as pounds, so no matter what units you’re after it has you covered.
Features
Another great thing about these digital scales is that they auto-save the last 10 fish weighed, so you don’t have to remember each catch.
You can also use the tare function of these digital scales to measure the combined weight of your total catch for the day.
These digital fish scales have a large weight range and can weigh a catch up to 50lbs in weight, so you can even use it as a luggage scale if you like.
LCD
This fishing scale shows you the weight of your catch on an easy to read LCD screen.
The top part of the scale is water-resistant for durability and comes with a corrosion-resistant stainless steel hook to put your catch on.
Usage
This fishing scale is not the best for catch and release fishing, as putting a hook through the gill plate of a fish is likely to gill it.
If you want to use it for releasing your catch, then weigh them in a net and do a conversion, it’s the safest way to weigh fish and let a fish go.
The main downside with these fishing scales is the power and batteries, they tend to run out fast, and if any water works its way in, the battery terminals corrode.
Specs
- Type: Digital
- Units: lbs/kg
- Max Lbs: 50
- Increments: 0.01 lbs
- Length: 5.12 inches
- Weight: 3.68 oz.
Pros
- Super accurate measurements
- Works in both kgs and lbs
- Light and portable
- Water-resistant for durability
- Auto-saves up to 10 fish
- Easy to use and to read the screen
- Tare feature for measuring the combined weight of multiple fish
- Good for a tournament angler
Cons
- Some issues with power & batteries
- Damaging weighing method for live fish, unless used with a net
Best Digital Fish Scale
Dr Meter Digital Scale
Best fish scale around in terms of the weight range it can measure up to 2 or 3 decimal places.
Dr Meter Digital Scale
The Dr Meter Digital Scale is probably the best fish scale around in terms of the weight range.
Capacity
It can measure any catch from 0.2 lbs up to 110lbs. Perfect for big catches and use as a luggage scale.
It’ll give you the weight of the fish in kilograms or pounds and to 2 or 3 decimal places thanks to its excellent load cell and electronic balance, so it’s extremely accurate.
And it comes with a measuring tape similar to the reelsonar digital fish scale, so you can get the length of your catch quickly and easily.
LCD
It displays the fish’s weight on the backlit LCD display, which is easy to read even on dark cloudy days.
The scale also features a tear function for if you’re measuring the weight of your catch in a net. Put the net on the scale, hit tear, then put your catch in to get its weight.
Battery
The battery life on these digital fish scales is excellent, you’ll get at least 50 hours from one set, and they have an auto-off function to save battery.
They are simple to use too. Just turn them, hit the unit button to get kgs or lbs, and hit tare function to zero it out.
Portability
The Dr Meter Digital Scale is also highly portable and light.
It’ll fit into your tackle box with ease and the hook slots into the back so it’s not dangling around hooking everything else in your tackle box.
The fish scales come with a durable high-quality stainless steel hook for corrosion resistance, but the body is not water-resistant, and you might want to keep these in a ziplock bag in your tackle box to ensure they don’t get wet.
Specs
- Type: Digital
- Units: lbs/kg
- Max Lbs: 0.2 – 110 lbs
- Increments: 0.01 lbs
- Length: 5.8 inches
- Weight: 7.05 oz.
Pros
- Comes with a measuring tape for measuring your fish
- Accurate scale in both lbs and kgs
- Light and portable
- Made with durable stainless steel
- Great range up to 110 lbs
- Good battery life and auto-off function
- Simple to use and easy to see
- Good for a tournament angle
Cons
- Not a waterproof design
Top Pick
Eastaboga Tackle BogaGrip Scale
Accurate fishing scales with a maximum weight of 60lbs, that’ll cover most catches you can lift with your hand.
Eastaboga Tackle BogaGrip Scale
The Eastaboga Tackle BogaGrip scale is another one of the types of fishing scales that latch on to the lips of your catch to weigh them.
Usage
These fishing scales are simple and easy to use thanks to the simple fish gripper action mechanism, just open them on the lip, close, lift, and weigh your catch.
They are accurate fishing scales with a maximum weight of 60lbs, that’ll cover most catches you can lift with your hand.
Features
The fishing scales are made from high-quality stainless and come with a comfy EVA foam handle and lanyard.
They’re durable and built to survive saltwater fishing.
The weighing scale goes up in ½ lb increments, which is accurate enough for a leisure fisherman but won’t cut it for tournament anglers.
The weights are easy to read, but seeing them on a dark cloudy day could be a problem, but luckily you can swing them close to your face to get a good look.
Size
These fishing scales are a little long to fit in your tackle box, but they are streamlined and will go in a pocket or will fit cleaning into the side of a backpack.
The only downside to these fishing scales is that they are expensive, almost double the price of the other lip weighing tool we looked at first.
Specs
- Type: Mechanical
- Units: lbs
- Max Lbs: 60 lbs
- Increments: ½ lb
- Length: 15 inches
- Weight: 1.5 lbs
Pros
- A better way of weighing live fish
- Good range up to 60 lbs
- Accurate and easy to use
- Made of durable stainless steel
- Simple to use
- Easy to read
- Light and portable
Cons
- Not overly accurate with ½ increments
- Quite expensive
Entsport Fish Lip Gripper
An awesome tool for weighing a fish for people planning on releasing them.
Entsport Fish Lip Gripper
The Entsport Fish Lip Gripper is an awesome tool for weighing a fish for people planning on releasing them.
These fish weighing scales work by holding the lip of a fish, and then you lift to measure and push a button to let them go. It helps you land fish safely and protects you from their sharp teeth.
Build
These fishing scales are made from quality stainless that’ll last in any environment and have a range of 33 lbs.
They measure in both kgs and lbs and go up in 0.25 lb increments but they are not the best for accuracy and can be off by one lb here and there.
These fish scales also come with a tape measure next to the lip grip, so you can quickly pull it out and measure your fish with ease.
Portability
The fish scales are also light and portable, thanks to their lightweight slender design that’ll happily hang around your neck on the included lanyard, or slip into your backpack with ease.
The only downside to this fish scale is that it isn’t overly accurate, and for people in tournaments or after a record, the measurements given won’t be accepted.
But it’s great for any leisure fishermen who aren’t worried about being up to 1lb off.
Specs
- Type: Mechanical
- Units: lbs/kgs
- Max Lbs: 33 lbs
- Increments: 0.25 lb
- Length: 9.6 inches
- Weight: 8.5 oz
Pros
- Made with durable stainless steel
- Comes with a built-in tape measure included
- Has dual units and solid increments
- Light and portable
- Good range of 33 lbs
- Simple to use and read
- Better than other scales for weighing live fish
Cons
- Not tournament accurate
KastKing Digital Fishing Scale
A water-resistant scale that is light and portable with an easy to see digital display.
KastKing Digital Fishing Scale
The KastKing Digital Fishing Scale comes with an LCD display that is easy to see and measure in both pounds and kilograms.
Capacity
The fish scale has a good range of up to 110lbs or 55 kgs, meaning you can even weigh a sailfish with them if you wanted to.
The digital scales go up in increments of 1/10 of a pound or 1/100th of a kilo for accuracy and come with measuring tape built in so you can get the length of your fish too.
Durability
The fish scales are water-resistant for durability and run on AAA batteries for convenience, as you can just change them out if the scale dies on the water.
The fish scale is also light and portable and won’t take up any room at all in your fishing bag.
The only downside to these digital fishing scales is that it’s not overly accurate and can be out by 1lb when tested.
Specs
- Type: Digital
- Units: lbs/kg
- Max Lbs: 110 lbs
- Increments: 1 oz or 0.01 kgs
- Length: 5.6 inches
- Weight: 6 oz
Pros
- Water-resistant for durability
- Includes a built-in tape measure to know the length of fish
- Shows you multiple units
- Light and portable
- Easy to use and see the scale
- Goes up in small increments
- Good maximum weight
Cons
- Not that accurate
Best Fishing Tournament Scale
Rapala Touch Screen Tourney Scale 15lb
An excellent fish weighing tool for tournaments thanks to its technical features and accuracy.
Rapala Touch Screen Tourney Scale 15lb
The Rapala Touchscreen Tourney Digital Fishing Scale is an excellent fish weighing tool for tournaments thanks to its technical features and accuracy.
The fish scale measures in 0.01 lbs increments thanks to its excellent load cell, making it one of the best fishing scales for accuracy.
Features
The scale has an LCD display that is also a touch screen for ease of use.
It is loaded with a large menu of features from 3 digital display options and 8 storage bins for weights, as well as an 8 piece culling system for tournaments.
The scale will also remember all your fish weights automatically so you don’t have to remember.
Capacity
The scale goes to a max of 15lbs which is perfect for bass, and that’s the kind of tournament the scale was designed for.
But if you plan on going for big fish species like catfish, this scale hasn’t got enough range for you.
Battery
The scale runs on 2 x AA batteries that give it a whopping 400 hours of battery life.
There is also a backup memory that remembers everything in case the batteries die mid-tournament, so none of your data will be lost.
Water Resistance
The scale is water-resistant but water can still creep in and cause it to rust and break. It’s best to keep it safe in a Ziploc in your dry bag until you need to use it.
The scale also comes in a handy storage bag with sewn-in instructions, and you might need them as storing your fish weights isn’t so easy.
Specs
- Type: Digital touch screen
- Units: lbs/kg
- Max Lbs: 15
- Increments: 0.01 lbs
- Length: 14 inches
- Weight: 4.8 oz
Pros
- 400 hours on two AA batteries
- Extremely accurate with minimal increments
- Remembers the weights of each fish
- Sort catches into 8 storage bins
- Has a tournament 8 piece culling system
- Has a backup memory if the power dies
- Water-resistant for durability
- Tells you the outside temperature
- Comes with a storage bag with sewn-in instructions
- Easy to use and comes with a touch screen
Cons
- Storing weights is a little unintuitive
- If it gets wet, it can rust and fail
- Only goes to 15 lbs
What Is A Fishing Scale?
A fishing scale is a scale that is purposely designed to make weighing any fish you catch easy.
They come with special features that hook on to fish easily and survive any conditions they live in, like wet salty water.
Who Should Buy A Fishing Scale?
If you want to know how much a fish you catch weighs then it’s worth owning a fishing scale. In case you forgot to bring one to your fishing trip, this fish weight calculator tool can help.
There is no other way to know, and it’ll save some arguments at the bar when someone describes a fish as 20 lbs and you can weigh it and show them it’s actually 15lbs.
Believe me, it happens often.
They are also useful if you’re fishing in an area that has a catch limit like 10lbs per day, or if you’re in a tournament and have to record and prove the heaviness of your fish in order to compete fairly.
Types Of Fishing Scales & Grips
To find the best fishing scale, you must be familiar with the types available.
Digital
There are two main types of fishing scales, digital or mechanical scales.
Digital scales give you a more accurate reading and can measure down to a tenth of a pound and a hundredth of a kilo.
Most digital scales also have features that allow you to store weights which is useful when fishing a tournament.
The downside is they require batteries and if they get wet, this can cause them to break, even if they are water-resistant.
Mechanical
Mechanical scales, analog scales, or spring scales measure down to ¼ lb and/or kilo. An example would be a handheld fish scale or a hanging fish scale.
Mechanical or analog scales are ideal for weighing fish when you’re wading, as there are no electronics or digital components to get wet and break.
They are made from corrosion resistant materials like stainless and will survive a long time without any worry.
Grips
Scales come with one of two types of fish grips, lip or hook.
Hook grips are designed to go under the gills of a fish to weigh them, and lip grips clasp on to the fish’s lip.
Lip grips are by far the best for weighing fish that are still alive, as putting a hook under the gills is going to cause a lot of damage to fish.
How To Weigh A Fish Without Hurting It
No matter what you see on social media, the top way to weigh a fish without hurting it is by weighing it in a net which you can add to a hook or lip grip.
This ensures the grip does no damage to the fish, and you just have to deduct the mass of the net afterward in order to know how much the fish weighs.
Weighing Up
Thanks for reading the article and I hope you found the best fish scales for you.
Finding the best fishing scale depends on if you’re fishing in tournaments or not and how accurate you want them to be.
I personally don’t mind being out by ½ a pound here and there and would always go with a lip-grip style as they are easier to use, carry around, and there is way less to break, unlike with a digital scale.
If you’re still undecided, here are the ones I would buy.
Top Pick
The top non-digital scale is the Eastaboga Tackle BogaGrip Scale.
It’s easy to use, has a high max of 60 lbs, is pretty accurate, and can handle being submerged and being covered in saltwater, so you should have it for life.
Best Digital Fish Scale
If you’re after a digital scale go with the Dr Meter Scale.
It’s accurate, portable, simple to use, and has a great weight range.
Plus this compact fishing scale has a measuring tape and it’s highly affordable.
Happy Fishing!
I hope you found the article useful and got what you needed out of it.
Please share it around with your friends and family on social media, and check out some of my other articles too.
I cover almost everything you could need for fishing from depth sounders to rods, reels, and sunglasses.
