When fishing, you need a reliable fishing scale to weigh your catches efficiently. It is a vital instrument for any angler, especially for those who take part in fishing competitions. Fishing can be a hobby, a living, and even a sport. However, to enjoy fishing, you must have the right equipment or tools. One of these must-have tools is a fishing scale.
Fishing scales have come a long way. In the last years, fishers have moved away from the traditional designs to more advanced digital fishing scales. Their main purpose is to weigh a fish that you clamp or hand to a hook.
However, there can be secondary features as well that can help make the weighing process more manageable. Just by weighing a fish, you can learn a lot about its health and environment.
They are typically water-resistant as you are surrounded by water when you are fishing. The accuracy of the scales varies as well. Some are highly accurate while others can be a bit off. It is all about how accurate you need it to be. Accuracy is usually of importance to competitive anglers.
The Rapala Tourney Scale
Here, we have a popular fishing scale—the Rapala Tourney Scale. It is commonly used during fishing tournaments where both speed and accuracy are crucial. Let’s check out its feature and how does it perform as a fishing scale.
Key Features
The Rapala Tourney Scale is a 15-pound scale that has a lot of details. Here are its most common features:
- Large Display Screen
It features a large touchscreen LCD that displays a number of different things besides the weight. There is a backlight as well to assist you when you are fishing in the dark. The touchscreen makes it a very convenient scale for those who are looking for ease of use.
- Functionality
This is not your run-of-the-mill scale as it has the ability to weigh up to eight fishes at once with its eight-piece culling system. The culling system makes it easy to identify fish. The scale also has a stainless steel clamp that is heavy-duty. You can hang the weight with the composite clamp or the stainless steel hook.
You can also see the ambient temperature on the scale. Since it is designed specifically for fishing, it is water-resistant. This means that it can work with a little contact with water but may not work underwater.
- Accuracy
There are three different weight display options in this scale. You can weigh the fish in lbs., kg, and oz. This makes it incredibly easy to weigh all the fish and add the current catch in the total weight. You can add the weight of up to eight fishes on the top and bottom of the screen. Just one tap and the weight is added to the total catch.
- Other Features
This device runs on two AA batteries and can last up to 400 hours. The scale comes with a storage bag that has sewn-in instructions to help you use the device. On top of it, all the weight readings are backed up in memory. Even if the battery is down, everything is stored safely.
The Pros
- Multiple features
- Can weigh multiple fishes at once
- Easy to use for beginners
- Perfect for fishing tournaments
- High-quality construction
- Long-lasting battery and backup
- Great value for money
The Cons
- Not waterproof
- The clamp is a bit hard to open in the beginning
Summary of the Features
The Rapala Tourney Scale is high-quality, 15-pound scale packed with features that make it ideal for fishing tournaments. Its sturdy clamp and hook can weigh many fishes at the same time and help you manage the weight of your catch with ease.
In addition to quality, modern features, and durability, the accuracy of this scale is what makes it better than many other options. It comes from a manufacturer that is known for producing great fishing products.
Rapala has designed this scale for professional anglers and those who take part in fishing tournaments. The only problem with this scale is that it is not water-proof. This means that it will not do well if it is raining heavily.
Comparison
If you are to compare the Rapala Tourney Scale with any other fishing scale, you would hardly find any as efficient as this one. Most scales are not capable of weighing multiple numbers of fishes. They may be easy to use, but they are certainly not as versatile as this one.
For instance, the FishFun Scale is not designed to weigh multiple fishes like the Rapala Tourney. It has a weight capacity of 110 pounds, and a high accuracy, which you can also find in the latter. However, the FishFun Scale achieves this accuracy through an aluminum alloy sensor.
The FishFun lacks in power too as it requires three AAA batteries and gives only 120 hours whereas the Rapala gives 400 hours with just two batteries. The former saves battery by shutting down after 60 seconds of inactivity. It has three hold modes: auto hold, peak hold, and no hold.
FishFun has produced a great fishing scale that gives a highly accurate reading, but the Rapala Tourney Scale comes out on top when you take into account its many features and sturdy hook/clamp. There is a big price difference between the two as Rapala is more expensive given its design and capabilities.
Nevertheless, it is great value for money as it will last pretty long and will be a useful asset during fishing tournaments and otherwise.
The Verdict
The Rapala Tourney is definitely worth your money if you participate in fishing competitions. The fact that it can help manage your catch’s weight so well makes it the perfect scale. There could be improvements though, especially in its water resistance. But most people fish on clear or sunny days anyways.
It is a good device to add to your fishing equipment that is quite dependable given its long battery and memory backup. The touchscreen also makes it highly usable. All in all, this scale is highly recommended. It is the best choice for a fishing scale if you want something dependable, strong, and high-quality.
