We get asked all the time about fishing tournament scales that are used at competitions and weigh in’s. That’s probably because we’ve sold these types of scales for many years. So in this article we’re going to list off a few of our top choices for best fishing tournament scales for 2016 and provide you with our overall buying recommendations.

First, we would suggest that you decide what your budget is going to be and what features you must have and what features you want to have.

This can also be described as wants vs. needs. For example, you might want to have a remote display that connects to your scale so the crowd can see the weight. But you don’t necessarily need that luxury at the moment.

You’re also going to see that in many cases there is no 100% perfect scale.

Sometimes individuals will give us a list of a dozen requirements and say that they’re looking for scales that meet all these and almost always that will not happen. That is why we say to please come up with a realistic list of features that you need/want and then let us show you what we recommend for you.

Many years ago Doran Scales was the obvious choice for this market. They offered two different types of scales that were very popular. They offered a stainless steel bench scale and they offered a mild steel counter top scale. Both included “fishing tournament software” built into the scale and it would average the readings until it found the proper weight and then the weight would lock on the display.

These were really nice scales and were very popular with fishing clubs.

Unfortunately, Doran updated their main boards several years ago and the fishing software configuration was no longer available.

Now that doesn’t mean you can’t choose a Doran. In fact, we recommend if you’re looking for a long term solution a Doran 8000XL is a great choice. And, if you’re looking for something that is truly “waterproof” this scale is a great choice as well.

The only catch is that it doesn’t have the weight lock functionality and the scale indicator is rated IP69K which is excellent at water protection. So the Doran would be a great long term investment if you have the funds.

We also currently offer the 640 series. To be totally fair at this time, we are still evaluating it and can’t really provide much information other than to say it has some promise when it comes to averaging the scale weights and then locking in the weight but the system is fairly expensive.

Speaking of money, that is when customers often start going down the list looking for less expensive choices.

At this point, we start looking at items like the SL-3700 and BWS series. The SL3700 features a nice, high quality digital indicator that has some good filtering and weight lock capability. Meanwhile the BWS features a really large weight display which is easy to read.

When money is tight, folks often look at the Sportsman which does fulfill a lot of the requirements that club president’s do have. The scale is built for basic weighing environments and the fact is that it does a good job for the most part. But the scale is certainly not water proof and has its limitations for sure.

That leaves us with the WeighMaster. And overall, we think this is probably the best overall digital scale for fishing club weigh-in’s and tournaments.

The scale is built very well and features basically what we would call industrial construction. The weight indicator can be powered by regular 110VAC power or the built in rechargeable battery. The scale does have the ability to filter or average the weight on the platform and then lock the weight on the display.

This scale is overall the best choice we have for most everyday fishing tournaments. Now it does have its limitations as well. It’s not nearly as “waterproof” as the Doran 8000XL. It doesn’t display weight in ounces for example.

But overall for many folks, we think this is the best value and investment that you and your club can make. Contact us (919) 776-7737 or complete our RFQ form on the sales page and we can provide you with product recommendations and prices.

Since we offer so many great fishing scales for clubs and tournaments we thought it might be interesting to our readers to share a story. You may have already heard about it but there was a record catch that was made recently on the North Carolina coast. Neil Manning of Ashburn, Virginia, reeled in a 138-pound fish Nov. 16 while fishing off Hatteras. The fish measured 85 inches from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork in the tail. At one time you could see  all the North Carolina Saltwater Fishing records on a site we had linked here but it is no longer valid.

Some of the fish you’ll see listed in the North Carolina records link above include: Albacore, Amberjack, Barracuda, Black Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Cobia, Croaker, Dolphin, Drum, Flounder, Grouper, Hogfish, Kingfish, King Mackerel, Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Perch, Pigfish, Pinfish, Sailfish, Scamp, Blue Shark, Hammerhead Shark, Lemon Shark, Tiger Shark, Snapper, Spadefish, Spearfish, Swordfish, Tarpon, Triggerfish, Trout, Tuna and Wahoo.

Getting back to the original point of the post, the previous state record for white marlin was 118 pounds, 8 ounces, caught off the coast of North Carolina’s Oregon Inlet in 1976. In case you’re curious, the all time record world wide for white marlin was done in Brazil and weighed over 180 pounds.

Most of our scale systems that we sell on a regular basis to fishing clubs and tournaments are lower capacity models designed for weighing small mouth bass for example. Our standard capacity is usually around 50 pounds and the scale has an actual platform that is usually around 12″ x 12″. However, in order to weigh some of the larger saltwater fish that are mentioned in the article above, we would typically recommend some type of digital hanging scale. We have a variety to choose from and likewise several price points are available as well. You can contact us M-F 8-4:30 at (919) 776-7737