Point well taken.
I'd still rather know a fish is legal than guestimate to an inch or so. I have checked and double checked the mark on my rod with a tape measure and never had one read 28-29"'s or more on the rod and turn out to be a short with the tape measure. I probably only keep one in 10 keepers I catch anyway. If you think about it a curve (fishes side) is longer than a true straight line. If you take a curve that measures 28" and press it flat it will always measure longer. Basic geometry.
I'd still rather know a fish is legal than guestimate to an inch or so. I have checked and double checked the mark on my rod with a tape measure and never had one read 28-29"'s or more on the rod and turn out to be a short with the tape measure. I probably only keep one in 10 keepers I catch anyway. If you think about it a curve (fishes side) is longer than a true straight line. If you take a curve that measures 28" and press it flat it will always measure longer. Basic geometry.
