Looking to start logging my catches

[IneedAnewScreenNae-5165165]

I'm looking to start logging catches I've made for bass over 14in. I'm pretty set on doing it in excel, and not really looking to use any apps (I don't even like to remember my phone exists while i fish?). Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to set it up.. should I make different sheets for different locations or do it by year, etc. If anyone has any suggestions on how to set one up or some good tips on it or even a file template I could look at I'd greatly appreciate it!

[MN Fisher]

Glenn's already posted a good one...print it out and put it in a 3-ring binder. Or print it half-size and it fits into a Franklin-Covey Classic size...which is what I did.

 

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

[CrankFate]

My book will be like binary code.

 

0101000001011011000111010101

[gnappi]

3 hours ago, CrankFate said:

My book will be like binary code.

 

0101000001011011000111010101

P K 29 5

or

80 91 29 5 ?

 

 

[Black Hawk Basser]

What I do is not very sophisticated, but it seems to help me: I take a picture of every good fish I catch, then rename it starting with date, then time of day, lure and sometimes size of fish if it's really a good one.  I try to capture the sky in the photo to show me what the light conditions were at the time.  Example: 4-24-19 3 pm GrnPmknSenko 20"

 

I then upload the photo to Google Drive, to a folder associated with the body of water where I caught the fish.  Naming them with the date first lets me easily find the time of year I need to reference later.  Inevitably, each year, I don't remember past details before I plan an outing, and these pictures give me a quick glimpse into what was working for me at any given date range.

 

Not exactly what you're driving at, I know, but maybe others will find this to be a pain free way to preserve some info.

[GreenPig]

I've been taking a quick pic with my phone of every fish I've caught for 4 years. I also take a pic of my trucks instrument panel for air temp and  get a shot of my fish finder for water temp. Each pic tags location and time. If it's a nice fish I'll get the pic of the fish with the lure I caught it on. It's simple, quick, and has really improved my ability to replicate some great days. By the time I get home I'm not looking to fill out paperwork.

[Glenn]

On 4/23/2019 at 2:45 PM, MN Fisher said:

Glenn's already posted a good one...print it out and put it in a 3-ring binder. Or print it half-size and it fits into a Franklin-Covey Classic size...which is what I did.

 

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

 

I created this log with my fishing buddy back in '91. It was the first fishing log posted on the Internet.  It's helped me tremendously, and I'm glad to see it's still as helpful and useful today as it was back then!

 

[Bankbeater]

I start new excel spreadsheets each year.  I'll have one for the weekend trips to the local ponds and small lakes, and I'll have one for overnight trips down to the large reservoirs.  At the end of the year, I copy them both into a master spreadsheet which goes back years.

[gnappi]

An Excel or Open Office spreadsheet would be a snap. I made one to better understand local fish habits. A spreadsheet can be one continuous L-O-N-G document, can be sorted and printed by any field, exported to a text file or even a delimited file to import into another database.

 

Here's basically what I considered useful data, for all fields all I have an abbreviation lookup table so it doesn't get wordy or messy.

 

Date, Last rain date, Moon phase, species, # fish caught, weights, H20 clarity /depth, Weather , Location, Notes

 

[osummerer23]

excel is an awesome option, no need to write it down on paper. Easiest way is a bit more advanced. Look up on youtube how to make dropdown menu's to save time. That way you enter all your basic info, from date (autofill on entry) weather, time, location, lure, color, water temp and leave the last box open for a basic description of location. 

[813basstard]

On 4/23/2019 at 5:45 PM, MN Fisher said:

Glenn's already posted a good one...print it out and put it in a 3-ring binder. Or print it half-size and it fits into a Franklin-Covey Classic size...which is what I did.

 

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

Yeah. This is what I use exactly. I’m a pad and paper guy plus when you have a good day, grab a cold one and start writin’. Wife laughs and calls it my diary. Told her she should do one for every time she leaves the car on E. It’d be longer than the Old Testament 

[Sam Janssen]

I have always thought about doing this, I was going to get a waterproof notebook.