Fishing Journal/Logbook

[wet_dream]

Hey BR,

 

I'm thinking about starting a detailed journal/logbook of my outings going forward. I think it would be a great reference to identify patterns and not only differentiate productive spots, but also see when they were most productive. Most of my fishing is done in saltwater from my kayak, but I'd like to track all my fishing whether it be salt or fresh, kayak or from shore.

 

Do any of you do this? And if you do, are you doing so on old-school pen and paper, or via phone app or excel spreadsheet? Do you feel that doing this has helped you hone in on your fishery? I'm sure some of the seasoned veterans on here know their home waters like the back of their hand, but for the weekend warriors or those who just aren't on the water as often, I'd think it would be a great asset instead of just relying on memory.

 

Cy

[roadwarrior]

https://www.bassresource.com/fish/fishing_log.html

 

 

[Jig Man]

I have been using a spread sheet for the last 21 years.  I record every trip.  I keep track of time/date/water temp/air temp/sky conditions/hours fished/who's boat/launch site/moon phase/depth fish taken/main productive baits/best bait color/lake level and many more items.

 

I keep all the records right here on my laptop so I can refer to them before and after trips.  One of the best factors for me over the years is the lake levels.

[the reel ess]

I kept a log for a while but I got tired of it. The wife gave me a log for Christmas one year and I used it for a couple years. It was fun to look back on a couple years worth of fishing, but I got tired of writing it down. After several years of fishing the same places,  the log tends to be in your head. I don't have a photographic memory, but I do remember if I caught a bass off a particular rock, point or log. I do take pics of any fish of noteworthy size. 

 

[wet_dream]

17 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I have been using a spread sheet for the last 21 years.  I record every trip.  I keep track of time/date/water temp/air temp/sky conditions/hours fished/who's boat/launch site/moon phase/depth fish taken/main productive baits/best bait color/lake level and many more items.

 

I keep all the records right here on my laptop so I can refer to them before and after trips.  One of the best factors for me over the years is the lake levels.

Wow, that diligence is commendable and I'm sure you have been rewarded for taking notes of all your trips. The fact that you are able to look back on 21 years of records must offer a different type of confidence than going by memory alone.

[Jig Man]

1 hour ago, wet_dream said:

Wow, that diligence is commendable and I'm sure you have been rewarded for taking notes of all your trips. The fact that you are able to look back on 21 years of records must offer a different type of confidence than going by memory alone.

Yes it does.  I think I have a good memory until I look back.  I fish as many days as I can, sometimes 100 times per year.  There is no way I could keep track in my head.  A few times each year I go for a 2 week extended trip.  If I did not keep it on the computer in my camper I would not be able to separate the days.

[Catt]

I have detailed records covering the last 51 yrs totalling 9484 days on the water

[wet_dream]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

I have detailed records covering the last 51 yrs totalling 9484 days on the water

Wow, that's dedication! How do you keep it all organized? Spreadsheets, or just a notebook?

[lo n slo]

3 hours ago, the reel ess said:

I kept a log for a while but I got tired of it. The wife gave me a log for Christmas one year and I used it for a couple years. It was fun to look back on a couple years worth of fishing, but I got tired of writing it down. After several years of fishing the same places,  the log tends to be in your head. I don't have a photographic memory, but I do remember if I caught a bass off a particular rock, point or log. I do take pics of any fish of noteworthy size. 

same here

[the reel ess]

It certainly does help take a lot of the mystery out of fishing. I should probably go back to it.

[Tracker101]

I too keep a Log , I like to look back and see when and where I fished on a certain date and the results of the trip was. 

[Catt]

2 hours ago, wet_dream said:

Wow, that's dedication! How do you keep it all organized? Spreadsheets, or just a notebook?

 

I started in 1968 so everything was hand written ?

 

I went from hand written to typing to Microsoft Word to Microsoft Excel. 

[Ppennin986]

Taking a picture with your phone is worth a thousand words I take a photo of everything I catch it always jogs your memory plus the date and time stamp are there too 

[Bankbeater]

I use to handwrite everything down.  Then we got excel and I spent about a month and a half creating a spreadsheet. Now I can view the information however I want to see it.

[kjfishman]

I keep an old school hand written log book.

[FCPhil]

On 1/26/2019 at 1:37 PM, wet_dream said:

Hey BR,

 

I'm thinking about starting a detailed journal/logbook of my outings going forward. I think it would be a great reference to identify patterns and not only differentiate productive spots, but also see when they were most productive. Most of my fishing is done in saltwater from my kayak, but I'd like to track all my fishing whether it be salt or fresh, kayak or from shore.

 

Do any of you do this? And if you do, are you doing so on old-school pen and paper, or via phone app or excel spreadsheet? Do you feel that doing this has helped you hone in on your fishery? I'm sure some of the seasoned veterans on here know their home waters like the back of their hand, but for the weekend warriors or those who just aren't on the water as often, I'd think it would be a great asset instead of just relying on memory.

 

Cy

I use a spreadsheet on my phone. I just record details about every catch over one pound. I think it helps. It helps separate fact from the fiction of my memory...helps me get a more realistic gauge on what actually is going on.