# Getting Your Boga Certified



## bartfromcorpus (Oct 29, 2008)

Last year I was lucky enough to set a new record for a Jack Crevalle on the fly. Could have been any one of them in the school, but turned out to be the biggie - pure luck. But, I started paying attention to the current fly rod records. I've identified more species' records that could be broken on fly in Texas - some inshore some offshore, and I don't mean croaker or piggy perch records. 

I spoke with the Records guy at TPWD. I confessed that the Jack was killed so we could get it weighed on a certified scale. We knew it was a record on the boat, but the Boga wasn't certified. He informed me that with a certified Boga (or any other scale for that matter) I could have released the fish and still had the Fly Rod record, Catch and Release record, and potentially still the water body record. Now it's time to get the Boga certified. 

I want to pass this info along in case others are interested. Obviously, you can join IGFA by paying the $50 or whatever it is, then send your Boga or other scale to them and pay $30 for certification. TPWD will accept that. 

There is also a place in Bastrop, Texas called "Bastrop Scale". You can send your Boga or other scale to them and they will certify it in-house. They charge $25 PASS OR FAIL, plus a little for tax, and a little for return shipping. TPWD absolutely accepts this. It will have a tag you can laminate yourself to put on the scale. 

You do take a chance on your scale not passing. If it can be calibrated they can do it there. I don't think Bogas can be calibrated. If you're interested in this it might be best to just buy a new Boga unless yours isn't as abused as mine. That way, if it doesn't pass you can return it to your local fly shop and get another and maybe try again. 

Some people don't care about records, some people do. Either way, you never know if your next fish is one, so why not pay the $25 to have it certified?


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## bartfromcorpus (Oct 29, 2008)

Oops, forgot contact info:

Bastop Scale
192 Harmon Rd., Bastrop, Texas 78602
Po Drawer 2100, Bastrop, Texas 78602
www.bastropscale.com
512-321-3443 and ask for Roger Beck


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## robul (Apr 26, 2007)

good info.. Congrats on the record..

there is also a few places that sell them pre certified if you need to purchase a new one..

https://nt1.adventuresports.com/fish/Quest/Qshop.asp?Option=Product&Detail=BogaGrip+%26+BogaFloat


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

I have a few questions about using a Boga for record purposes:


I think my Boga has 1/4 pound marks on the scale, but records seem to be measured to the ounce. Do you "round down" to the lower 1/4 pound mark when submitting the weight?
Even given the above, there isn't a specific weight declared on a Boga, like on a digital scale for example, so there always seems to be some guess work as to the specific measurement. I've never worried about this before, but have never needed to know anything more than a general weight.
I've heard that you have to be standing on land, not in a boat, when using any weight measurement device for record purposes. Is that true?


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## bartfromcorpus (Oct 29, 2008)

*Good questions Bruce J*

With my record, we knew it beat the previous one (actually I was fishing with Tom Horbey and he knew it). It was weighed later on a digital scale.

All I can tell you is what the TPWD record guy told me on the phone. He said that if the scale had been certified I would have had the fly fishing record, and water body record, and catch and release record. That tells me that with enough photos you can get close enough to determine the weight. You have to submit photos with the record application showing you holding the fish, close up of fish on scale, and anything else you think is pertinent. I also sent close ups of girth and length. You can send as many as you'd like.

You are correct in that Bogas don't show the small weight increments. The 15lb version does show the 1/4 pound increments, but the 30 and 60 lb only show 1/2 pound increments. It would probably be best to have a digital scale that is certified, but I personally don't know of any that are good scales, although I am sure they exist. That is a good point of yours and certainly worth looking into.

The guy at TPWD is very good about responding to emails, and also glad to discuss things like this over the phone. He told me that he is wanting people to try to have certified scales on the boat so killing fish isn't necessary. He just has not been able to get the word out to the anglers.

Anyone that is interested can certainly email him at: [email protected]

I'm going to look into quality digital scales and will try to post some links to stuff I find. The TPWD records are not as "formal" as the IGFA records, so maybe with enough photos and an obvious difference in weight between existing record and your catch that's all you need. Bruce J's questions are very good and since I started this dang post I will follow up with TPWD to see what their thoughts are.

By the way, for anyone interested, below is a link to the photos and some video we took of the fish being landed.


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## bartfromcorpus (Oct 29, 2008)

Some digital scale options - I don't know anything about how good they really are.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_97487____SearchResults

(I took this from an article about digital scales):
"One of the first things to consider when buying digital fish scales is their weight range. Some designs can only measure 10 to 20 pounds. If you usually go after larger fish, then you should look for digital fish scales that can measure up to 50 pounds. However, scales that measure this much will usually be slightly less accurate."

http://www.culmrite.com/culmrite/mall/fishing.php#Culmrite

There are plenty of them out there, but you might have to do a little research to determine which ones are the good ones. I think I will try to stick with Bogas unless something comes along and changes my mind.


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## bartfromcorpus (Oct 29, 2008)

FYI: I copied and pasted Bruce J's questions and sent them in an email to the TPWD guy - below is his answer. Doesn't seem to help too much, but it does a little.

"As for the weights I round up whenever possible (i.e. 11 oz would be .6875 lbs. I'll round it to .69 lbs) You don't have to weigh the fish on land. This allows anglers to achieve records for weight and catch & release."


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## bartfromcorpus (Oct 29, 2008)

Sorry guys for the constant posts and after this one I'll stop. But I just hung up with Jody Gray at TPWD (512-389-8037). He didn't have a good understanding of how a Boga works and didn't realize that the larger scales only weigh in 1/2 pound increments. So unless it's an obvious 28 pounds or 28 and one-half pounds you're taking a chance. The end result is that a digital scale is better, only finding a reliable one that can be certified and/or calibrated may prove difficult. 

Happy Holidays.


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

Thanks, Bart. That's a big jack, state record or not. I doubt I'll ever seriously chase records, but I would love to chase some more jacks. Have only landed one on fly so far and didn't chase them at all this year. They are awesome fish.

Bruce


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## trout teaser (Mar 7, 2007)

Per IGFA, when using any scale, you must round down to the next visible marking. So for the 15 lb boga, if you catch a fish that weighs between the 11.5 and 11.75 markings, you must submit it as an 11.5 lb fish, even if it is just barely under the 11.75 marking.

In addition, for IGFA records, the fish must be weighed on land.

Congrats on your Jack record by the way.


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## bartfromcorpus (Oct 29, 2008)

*Revised...*

Okay, how about this:

There is a place in Bastrop, Texas called "Bastrop Scale". If anyone ever wants to have a scale certified (Boga or otherwise) for any reason at all, they will do it for $25 (pass or fail).

Their address is 192 Harmon Rd., Bastrop, Texas 78602
or, PO Drawer 2100, Bastrop, Texas 78602
www.bastropscale.com


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

If U are in the Hitchcocok area and have a possible "record" catch, I will verify the catch and use my certified scales. I also have the paperwork for either the saltwater or water body records. IGFA does not Certify Boga Grips anymore for their members. 

PS....Just because a set of digital scales will weigh 50#'s, plus does not mean they are not accurate. Tx Dept. of Agriculture certifies mine w/ various calibration weights. Class lll scales, "Legal for Trade" and other scales will have tolerances acceptable by all Cert. calibration companies. i.e. Thats why scales are cert., to see if they meet all tolerances required by law. Mine are certified every year along w/ license. Pm me for assistance. Phone after 2p daily "Coastal Bend Weigh Team" since 1999 ed Cert. WeighMaster


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