Fishing Logs - Helpful Or Confusing?

[SENKOSAM]

 

Starting in 1982 I've kept a log book and faithfully entered the many facts surrounding each outing. To this day I wonder the value of all that information especially after comparing year to year, keeping each body of water separate.

I guess the most important thing I noticed from all the effort was that on any particular day, a large variety of lures may catch many fish but on other days only a few lure types caught them. I'd forgotten many of the lures that caught fish in the past and that are now in storage or discontinued, but it makes me wonder how well they might work now.

The other thing I noticed was that the quality and quantity of fish went down in certain lakes I regularly fish. So in a sense log books may indicate changes of a the water fished or angler preferences over the years.

Here are a few other observations:

Looking back, one thing is a constant -

fishing lore

that was refuted by experiences :

•  fish bite on cloudy days;  not always.
•  fish don't bite as well on bright sunny days just after a cold front moves in; fact - not usually true in water over 50 degrees in during the spawn
• smallmouth require a downsized version of largemouth lures

 

Documented observations of patterns that almost always happened:

• As severe weather approaches (especially an approaching thunder storm with heavy downpour and pressure change) - fishing is absolutely nuts!
• When fish were very active, many presentations produced. High activity or a single pattern can last a week or more and in specific areas of a lake or river. Early summer and late summer into early fall were consistently the best times for this.
• Another observance (which may be a false assumption) is that some new lures may do fantastic the first year but less so from then on. This may be because being in the right place and time (of year) made it seem that those lures excelled. Strange that those lures never made a comeback and are now collecting dust in my basement.
• Water draw down (reservoirs and private lakes) almost always concentrates fish and catching fish is predictable and easy.

 

 *** And most important to me as a lure crafter and designer: color, size, weight, design, lure action, modification effects and comparison to others on the market; what presentation(s) did the lure work well with; it's potential for different scenarios and how seasonally universal. Hybrid lures can bring big surprises and need to be documented.

 

Has anyone else kept logs and if so,  found significant consistentcies that can be relied on for future outings?

[*Hootie]

I have not kept a log, but I find your results VERY interesting.

 

Hootie

[scrutch]

I wish I were disciplined enough to keep good logs. I need a quick simple way to keep a fishing log every outing. I'm thinking maybe a gopro camera might be the trick.

[Mike L]

I've thought about keeping a log for years.

As I only fish in Florida lakes I thought at one time it would really be an advantage, but I never did

But since i average 2 tourn a months and we make the cyle through all the major lakes..Big O, Toho [Kissimee Chain] Hariss Chain etc.

and the smaller secondary ones...Istokpoga, June, Caloosahatchee river, Crooked, Placid etc. Over time [a LOT of time] the log kinda stays in the head.

BUT, that being said I wish I would have done it anyway. Can't always remember where, how, when, and what for all, all the time.

 

I too found your results very interesting and makes me wish I started one a long time ago.

 

Mike

[Sam]

Helpful.

 

Even taking a sheet of paper and writing about your trip and what you caught where and when can be helpful the next time you go out.

 

I write on my maps all the time.

 

Just be careful what you use as some of my data has faded into the map. I will be using a black Sharpie from now on to write on my maps.

[jignfule]

Very helpful for me I learn much from going back year by year. Recalling the weather conditions, temperture of air and water. How we fished an area and our suceesses and failure. Invaluable to me. It also act as a journal and brings back memories that might other wise be forgotten the older I get.

[Power Bass]

I have been keeping a fishing log for a couple years now and it has helped me notice some patterns. For example I have noticed that in one chain of lakes the fish bite better on one side of the lake than the other in certain conditions and times of year. I have also noticed that some lakes in the area produce well early in the year but get worse as the the year goes on and vice versa.

[Bankbeater]

I have noticed that certain baits work better during certain times of the year.  Around here tubes work best in the spring.  Cranks, and lipless baits, work best when it starts cooling down a little.  Plastics work best when it is hot, or when it is cold outside.

[SENKOSAM]

Pictures speak a thousand words

A digital camera 'log' can be easy and enjoyable to keep. Not all specifics have to be written down, though it helps if you partner agues he caught the biggest one on a certain date.

 

Photos to document an outing:

 

lures that did well

How often have you looked into your tacklebox and ask yourself, did this really catch one or more fish or a lunker? I either take a pic of a lure in the fish's mouth or put aside many lures that caught fish that day and take a shot with them on the boat carpet or truck's tailgate. After you download them to your pc or photobucket.com, I add notations such as how deep fished or how fast. The date stamp should be enough to answer the question of when.

 

Areas of a lake or river that produced well

You already know how shallow or deep these areas are and from photos of the lures that were used capable of working those areas; weeds that fish were caught in or near, give an indicatation of weed growth stage;  uncommon weed growth such as invasives indicate  whether an area may be unfishable or that will require different tactics in the future

 

Air quality, available light and time of day

The photo shows the amount of sunlight; the water surface shows wind, ripple, calm or rain and the date stamp tells the time and day the picture was taken.

 

photos of fish hanging from a scale or next to a tape measure, prove that your lunker really didn't weigh more than first imagined  (LOL)

 

Memory is the least accurate method of storing data (unless you have a photographic memory) and either writing short notes or taking some pictures make the past less a mystery and more, a true memory.

[A-Jay]

Very helpful for me I learn much from going back year by year. Recalling the weather conditions, temperture of air and water. How we fished an area and our suceesses and failure. Invaluable to me. It also act as a journal and brings back memories that might other wise be forgotten the older I get.

 

X2 ~

 

I am right there with you.

 

A-Jay

[Felix77]

I keep a waterproof notepad and pen. I write down water temp, depth and water conditions at the very least. Then I can fill in the rest from memory later.

[Fishes in trees]

Every year I tell myself that this is the year I'll keep better records and it never happens.  At the end of the day after the boat is on the trailer I'm tired and hungry, more concerned about driving to dinner than writing in a fishing log.  I've made the same resolution this year, but the odds of me sticking to it more than a few times are slim.

 

The one set of records that I am anal about is mileage & maintenance records for tow vehicle and boat.  One of the last thing I do before leaving the house is jot down mileage in the vehicle log.  Next trip, I write down the new mileage number, subtract the difference, etc.

[SENKOSAM]

I keep a waterproof notepad and pen. I write down water temp, depth and water conditions at the very least. Then I can fill in the rest from memory later.

I'm not sure it was useful, but I documented

• water and air temp
• water clarity (clear, muddy, algae stained, pea soup)
• water height (flood or very high, droping, low, tidal)
• weather (sunny, cloudy, rain, snow, fog, wind in mph, pre or post cold front)
• best structure (rocks, humps, points (compass direction), flats, weed beds, depth)

Documentation with pictures does help avoid the pitfalls of a closing or closed mind and I'll bet the pros have excellent memories as well as being able to think outside the box!

[jignfule]

Every year I tell myself that this is the year I'll keep better records and it never happens.  At the end of the day after the boat is on the trailer I'm tired and hungry, more concerned about driving to dinner than writing in a fishing log.  I've made the same resolution this year, but the odds of me sticking to it more than a few times are slim.

 

The one set of records that I am anal about is mileage & maintenance records for tow vehicle and boat.  One of the last thing I do before leaving the house is jot down mileage in the vehicle log.  Next trip, I write down the new mileage number, subtract the difference, etc.

No big deal, just take 30 sec. to write air & water temps. (other specific info. you might find hard to remember) and then wait til the next day or two when you have a few minutes when you can be more detailed.

[Hyrule Bass]

never felt the need to keep a log, just not my style. maybe could be some useful information in there over the longterm, but then again i dont have the time to study it and put it all together either. plus you can have exactly similar days and conditions, yet the fish be on fire one of those days and have lockjaw on the other, in that case a log wouldnt help at all...

[Darren.]

I've never been a journal-keeper. Not my thing. Sometimes I wish I did, and maybe it would make a difference. I don't always have my depth finder with me, so air/water temp/depth not always on my mind as much as structure, contour -- things I already know for the most part at my primary fishing haunts.