Fish or mid-length? Comparing the two from 150 boards

Updated 2026-09-19

A fish is faster off the bottom and looser through turns in small, soft waves. A mid-length paddles into more marginal waves and holds a line better once a wave has some size or power to it. If most of your surf is small and weak, lean fish. If your waves are average to good and you want one board that copes with a bit more, lean mid-length.

What the two categories actually look like in the log

Twenty-six boards in the full log carry a fish-style tag, running from 33.5 liters up to 55.4 liters in volume. Ten carry a mid-length tag, running from 42 liters up to 61 liters. The overlap in the middle of that range is real: a 45-liter fish and a 45-liter mid-length can suit a similar rider, but they get there in different ways, one through a wider, flatter outline built for speed and release, the other through more length and a more continuous rocker built for glide and hold.

In the current rack, a 6'1 fish at 44 liters and a 6'4 fish at 45.1 liters sit at the shorter, looser end. On the mid-length side, an 8'8 board at 61 liters and a 7'2 board at 52 liters sit at the longer, more forgiving end.

Where a fish wins

A fish earns its place on small, weak days. One I rode regularly, a flat-fat outline with a keel-style fin setup, paddled better as a twin than a similar board did as a quad, had more fun in the turns, and held a better line than the wider board it replaced. Another fish in the log, built as a genuine groveler, turned out to be a small fat wave blaster that also surprised me in good waves, better than its shape suggested it should.

That is the pattern with a well-built fish: it does more with less power in the wave, at the cost of some hold when things get steep or fast.

Where a mid-length wins

A mid-length holds its line better once a wave has some push behind it, and it paddles into marginal waves that a shorter, flatter fish will miss entirely. The trade is maneuverability. A mid-length turns on a wider arc than a fish of similar volume, and it rewards patience over quick direction changes.

If you surf mostly point breaks or beach breaks with some size and power, a mid-length is the more versatile pick. If you surf mostly small, soft beach breaks, the fish will get you into more waves and be more fun doing it.

The sessions data backs the fish for everyday use

One fish in the log has seen more use than almost any other board across the entire 150-board collection, current or sold. That is not a coincidence. A fish that fits well tends to get ridden constantly, precisely because it performs well across the kind of average, unremarkable conditions that make up most surf sessions, rather than needing a specific swell to shine.

Mid-lengths in the log do not rack up sessions quite as fast, but the ones that stay in the current rack tend to be ridden across a wider range of conditions, from small days right through to genuinely good ones, which is exactly the versatility a fish gives up.

Speed tells a similar story

Top speed data reinforces where each shape's strength actually lies. A current mid-length in the rack has clocked 41.4 km/h (26 mph), among the fastest speeds recorded across the entire log, achieved on a board built with enough length and a refined bottom contour to hold that speed through a longer, more powerful wave. The fastest fish-tagged boards in the log top out lower, in the high 20s km/h, not because a fish cannot generate speed quickly off the bottom, but because it does not hold top-end speed through a long, fast wall the way a longer, more purpose-built mid-length can.

That is a useful way to think about the difference: a fish is quick to get going in short bursts, while a well-built mid-length can sustain more speed for longer once a wave has real length and power to it.

The honest answer for most people

Most surfers asking this question surf average conditions most of the time and occasional small days. In that case, a mid-length in the lower volume range, around 45 to 50 liters depending on your weight, covers more sessions than a fish will. Add a fish later specifically for the small, weak days once you know your local conditions well enough to justify a second board for them.

Questions people ask

Is a fish easier to ride than a mid-length?

In small waves, generally yes, because the flatter rocker and wider outline generate speed with less paddling effort. In waves with more push, a mid-length is usually the steadier, more forgiving option. See are fish surfboards hard to ride for the full answer.

Can one board do both jobs?

Not well. A true fish and a true mid-length are shaped for different jobs, and a board that compromises between them usually does neither particularly well.

What volume should I look for in a fish versus a mid-length?

Similar volume can work for both, but a fish needs a bit more width and a flatter rocker to make that volume paddle-friendly at a shorter length. See surfboard volume explained for how the numbers interact.

Is a mid-length just a shorter longboard?

Not really. A true longboard trades almost all maneuverability for paddle power and noseriding. A mid-length keeps meaningfully more turning ability. The full comparison is in mid-length or longboard.

Which one should a small-wave specialist buy first?

The fish, if small and weak days make up most of your local conditions. See surfboard for small waves for more on matching a board to weak surf specifically. This page is part of the choosing a board section.