If you were to track your bass fishing what is relevant?

[done]

So if you are keeping a fishing log, what data points would you want?

I can think of a mess, Weather( how granular though pressure, clouds, temp, etc), date and time, fish count (by species). Maybe a note on where you went on the lake?

What information would keep on each trip to make the most of this listing?

[bassmajor]

I try to keep it simple in mine:

Air temp. and cloud cover

Barometric pressure (number and if its steady or erratic)

Wind (direction and speed)

Moon phase

Fish caught (numbers and est. sizes)

Time of day

Locations and depths

Baits and presentations

I would add water temp. but I don't have a good thermometer yet.

Here's an example:

11/2/09 Round Lake 4-8 pm

Temp: 56 cloudy

Pressure: 29.8 steady

Wind: NW 10-15 Moon: 1st qtr.

Fish: 4 LMB (2-6 lbs.)

Baits: grn sweet beaver T-rig, Blk/blu senko (6#-er)

Location: under dock of green duplex, or on "dead tree" point, shallow weeds, ect.

Here I add any notables: light bite, in the shade of trees, next to brush piles, ect.

Keep it short or you'll be less likely to do it everytime. And make sure you log even on the days you get skunked!!! I use "wunderground.com" to go back and record the weather conditions.

[dinkman]

the free fishing log in the tacklebox section is the best one i've ever seen.  when i actually remember to make a log that's the one i use, it's got just about everything i can think of.

[Mottfia]

I take down the Lake's name and date. Then I list them as so

Season: prespawn...fall..whatever the season

Weight: how many pounds was it worth

Location: I like to say which part of creek or main lake but I might be specific with the location if its just one or that good.

Depth:

Primary Cover:

Structure:

Water Clarity: by feet. I don't care to label it stained or muddy cause everyone interprets it different

Water Temperature: ex...72(dropping) or 85(stable)

Water Level: ex. Raising ( .51 feet high)

Weather: I get a weekly forcast from Weather.com it has everything weather wise I'm concerned about.

Wind: I throw in speed and direction

Technique: I put everything else here. Its mostly about what lures and retrieves I did but if there is some side note that I find important then I record it here too.

Well thats what I've been using for the past year. It really helps put the day into perspective. I hope this helps some.

Mottfia

[Chaz Hickcox]

Glenn's got a really good one here. Covers all the wickets.

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

I totally breezed over the other post saying the same thing.

[bassfisherjk]

I have kept a fishing log for the past 9 years.I pretty much follow the one we have here on the site.I also try to get as many pictures as I can.It's interesting and fun to look back over the years of info.

[n8sbassin]

This may turn out to be a different thread, but how many of you that keep track of stuff,  end up using your records a year or two later?

I keep mental records of where I catch them say... in the summer when the water level is high, or several other conditions.  But I know the older I get, those mental notes kinda get blurred together!

I can definately see the benifits of keeping a log if I could just stick with doing it!

[cart7t]

In the first 10 years or so of bass fishing I kept one.  It was handy in learning what worked from one season to the next and helped me learn trends that often exist from lake to lake.  Then I just stopped.

!. I often found myself trying to recreate past successful fishing experiences instead of fishing within the moment.

2. Carrying a log book around on the lake would've inevitably led to the log book getting ruined.

3. As I came more proficient, I was able to recollect past experiences when fishing in the here and now.

The log I've seen on this site is as good as any.  With any fishing log, use if for reference and as a learning tool to understand how the fish were behaving given the conditions that were present at the time and NOT for using as some sort of guide to recreate past successes.  Fish in the here and now and you'll succeed vs trying to live in the past.

[Catt]

While some rely on memory I've learned that memory can be deceiving; cover your *** with paper

[Jig Man]

I have been keeping a log for a lot of years.  I keep it on the computer and log at the end of each trip.  I use microsoft data base so I can run filters to extract different types of information.

Here is some of the stuff I track.

Launch site

day or night

moon phase

water temp

frontal condition

water level

trolling motor operator

depth of fish

air temp

wind speed

wind direction

productive baits

best bait colors

number of fish

number of keepers

number of lunkers if any

[Lund Explorer]

After a number of years of fishing in tournaments, I got a system down that seemed to work.  The final fishing log included the normal stuff such as weather and water conditions, season, what stage the fish were in, along with the results of the tournament.

But, I also took it step further.  Prior to either a pre-fishing or tournament day, I would write out a milk run plan for the body of water, and then transfer it to a copy of the lake map.  After I got home from fishing, I would write down how the day went, and I would also mark a "master map" with the location of each keeper that I had caught.  I kept a file for each different lake that held all of the logs for that lake.

My trip log for a lake such as White Lake might have started with something like this:

Plan to start on slab wood pile in front of "A-Dock".  Baby Spook, Tandem Spinner, Black/Chart. Power Craw, Avacado/Christmas Kalin's Grub.

If I'm catching, work onto "B & C Docks".  If not, work shoreline to leather plant.  Remember to work Power Craw along this shoreline.

Next move over to Nellie's dock if boat is still there.  If not, head up to ring the bell.

This plan would continue on until it covered a full days worth of spots to hit.  When I got home, I would write something along the lines of this:

Started on the "A-Dock" and caught two dink SM's.  Moved onto the shoreline heading towards the leather plant.  Picked up one good LM (15") on Power Craw.  Picked up a keeper SM (14") on grub in front of water release at the plant.

Moved over to Nellie's dock and picked off a nice keeper LM (19") with craw. 

Moved up the lake to ring the bell  and caught a SM (15") and two dinks.

Using this story type fishing log along with a marked map allowed me to visualize my day on the lake.  After a number of trips to White Lake, I could also see the spots where I caught most of my fish.  It also showed me the places I hadn't even tried, and that might be worth some time spent during a future pre-fishing trip.

With today's technology, I would probably switch out the lake map for a GPS unit that showed numbered waypoints.  But I think the "story" is still an important consideration because you can think out the types of lures, and the results.

[roadwarrior]

For river fishing, current is everything!

Water temperature and seasonal bait migration

are the only other factors. Weather and moon

phases have little or no impact on river fish.

8-)

[angler1]

I agree 100 % with cart7t. I kept a log and would study it before fishing that patricular lake. I ended up trying to recreate a day from the past. That's no good. Fish the present day and conditions. You will never see two indentical days with indentical conditions, just won't happen. Things will be similar but never the same. I still keep a log but it is limited to the name of the lake, date, what I was using, and the weight of the fish. Keeping an extreamly detailed log can be overwhelming, at least it was for me. With my log I like to look back and see my pb for the season, which month was the best, what the average bass weight was, what lure produced the best, and what patterns I put together and did I realize it at the time. I keep it simple, its the easiest was to learn. As you learn more and understand what you learned from simple info, add a little more info to the mix. Just my opinion.

[Tin]

Write down whatever you want, it is useless unless you study and use it.

[Mottfia]

You are absolutely right, Tin! I don't think people should use it so much for recreating exact situations cause that will never happen but to find reoccuring situations within the season or year and how to fish in them.

   Pattern fishing. If catch fish a certain way say fishing spinnerbaits on 2-10ft laydowns in the main river. If you are able to do this a number of different days then you can look through your notes and find out the prevailing(same or like) factors that may be responsible for this.

   

Mottfia

[Tin]

I have learned a ton from this. I know the exact spots where big fish will bed every year in my home lakes, it is has been dead on the past 3 years.

All about trees. I have discovered two rules. If the pine tree in the water is older than 2 seasons, dont bother fishing it, while birch trees always have fish on them.

What you can learn through in-depth journals is nearly limitless. I'm lucky to have the hard-water period to study and review them.

[WRB]

Glenn's chart is good for keeping track of multiple lakes.

I kept records for about 25 years, then stopped.

Today my routine is to check the factors that affect my type of fishing in deep structure local lakes.

1. The first I do before heading out to fish is check the weather conditions and note the moon phase.

2. The next thing I do is determine the surface water temperature when I launch the boat.

3. Then determine at what depth the thermocline is and baitfish fish are holding.

4. Check what direction the wind is coming from and current weather conditions.

5. Based on the above information I have confirmed what the seasonal period should be, what depth I expect the bass to be at and what type of baitfish the bass maybe targeting.

6. Ready my tackle based on what I expect to start fishing with and head out into the marina and recheck the water temperatures, thermocline to make sure the life zone is where I think it is, look around for birds, fish activity and a general sense of how the lake feels this day. Then I go fishing.

Back when I used a paper graph, I would make notes on the paper and save the rolls. Today I may make a few notes in a small ledger, if something note worthy happened.

If you are a serious bass fisherman, keep a ledger; use Glenn's format and add the thermocline data, if you own baot with a good sonar unit.

WRB

[rubba bubba]

Water temperature and seasonal bait migration

are the only other factors.

What is/are the seasonal migration patterns for baitfish in a river system?

[roadwarrior]

Baitfish tend to move upstream in the spring

and summer to spawn which concentrates them

below the dams on the Tennessee River. Different

species are predominate at different times.

In the fall, the yellowtail (threadfin shad) move

to the back of coves in shallow, warmer water.

The concentration can be amazing.

In the winter, baitfish tend to school in open

water. Fishing can be challenging in this situation,

but the predators are there, following the bait.

Most importantly, during the winter here in the Mid South,

smallmouth move from deeper water to shallower

haunts. They sometimes concentrate and will spawn

in late winter. Prime time is mid October through

early March. 

8-)

[rubba bubba]

How cold is your air and water temperature for your late winter in the mid-south?  For rivers, that is.

[MALTESE FALCON]

This is everything I have on my fishing log.

Date

Species

Time

Wind speed and direction

Air and water temperature

Water clarity

Depth

Bait and color

Location

Number of fish caught

Size

Missed fish

Falcon

[Chaz Hickcox]

For river fishing, current is everything!

Water temperature and seasonal bait migration

are the only other factors. Weather and moon

phases have little or no impact on river fish.

8-)

RW I fish a river that is completely below the fall line and is quasi-tidal.  I say quasi because the tide is not from the normal moon and sun pull that one would think of in say the California Delta or the James and Patomac in Va, this river's tides are controlled by the winds over a period of days.  With that being said, I have found that weather plays more of a factor in fishing than the moon phases.  Water level is there too, but not as much.  Would this type of system also fall under your statement?

[roadwarrior]

Probably not...I am not familiar with tidal rivers.

8-)

[Glenn]

A friend and I developed that log back in the mid-80's, so I put it up on this site when it launched in the 90's.  Glad to see so many people have used it and seen positive improvements as a result.

[bassmajor]

When counting numbers of fish caught, I actually am counting "hook-ups".  Even if I don't land the fish I still consider it a positive reaction to bait, presentation, location, ect. 

As for estimating it's size........well ALL the ones that I have lost have been HUGE!