Colin,
You do provide some valid points.
However, I base my opinion on the fact that there are so many GT anomalies out there and well documented occurrences of these formulas being wrong. I can't see how anyone can claim a formula could ever be more accurate than a estimation since there is not (and I predict never will be) any consistency in these formula results. As Chris mentioned, this has also been proven true through Body Mass Index formulas and calculations.
At the end of the day, estimations are exactly that - estimates! There will always be those that under and over estimate and those that beg to differ otherwise, at least there is no false sense of accuracy that these so-called formulas could provide should they gain further acceptance.
GT physiology still boggles me to this day - it can be quite common to catch a specimens of the same length but have a weighed weight difference of over 15kg or even more. I guess it just goes to show how populations can differ and are obviously greatly affected by environment, food source, currents, depth, water temperature, longitude etc.
Luke
Hey Luke,
Don't wish to prolong this thread past its worth but a couple of points are worth making -
Length is nowhere near as important as girth in the weight of a fish. If you look at lake trout tables, based on thousands of measurements and weighings undertaken by Canada's Ministry of Natural Resources, an inch of girth adds far more to weight than an inch of length - my personal experiences of weighing and measuring lake trout suggests that these tables are accurate to within ounces in 20 pounds. I suggest that different girths is why GTs of the same length can have widely differing weights. I very much doubt that GTs of the same length
and girth could have hugely differing weights 'cause I don't see how the fish's physiology could allow this.
Having said all that, we must all accept that any estimate, however constructed, is still just an estimate. The only value in a formula is if empirical evidence can show it to be accurate to within whatever tolerance the users of it wish to achieve. The Latham guys believe their formulae to be accurate to within around 1.5kgs. Since it is the work of seconds rather than minutes to accurately measure a fish before accurately weighing it, it is theoretically easy to validate their formulae. However, like most guys who fish for GT, I would only consider weighing a fish if appropriately fish-friendly equipment was available.
Even then, for me the real buzz is about that crashing take on a popper or stickbait and the immediate, gut-wrenching feel of being connected to something so poweful. Weights and measures fade far into the background at such times.
Cheers
Colin