Logging your catches

[The Guy]

For those of you that keep a log/record of the fish you catch what info do you record?  I started keeping a record over the past two months and wanted to know how detailed you guys get. 

Thanks

[Goose52]

Date, Place, Qty, Catch (species), Rod/Reel, Bait, Line, Surface Water Temp, Notes

I've seen much more detailed log sheets but the above is all I record...

[Wayne P.]

Computer Log:

Date, Place, Air Temp, Water Temp, Total Number of Bass, Number of Bass from 4#-6#, Number of Bass Larger Than 6#

On a paper log:

Date, Place, Individual Weights of Bass 4# and Larger,

Total Number of Bass

[nubasser]

this site offers a free fishing log in the tacklebox section here is the link

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

i use this for most of my trips when I remember to log an outing.

[RoLo]

I use a Harvest Log for each species of fish and my freshwater logs are different from my saltwater logs:

Date Water Name Quantity (Largest) Weather

Apr 21, 2010 Lake Rosalie 8 bass (23.5" x 7lb 9oz) Mostly cloudy, calm winds

Water Temp Water Depth Fish Depth Best Holding Site

78 deg 4 to 6 ft About 2-ft Horseshoe Ledge

Best Cover Best Lure Best Retrieve   Comments

Milfoil + Eelgrass 6 Deathadder Crank & Glide Gators roaring - Mayflies thick

Roger

[wagn]

I use www.fishswami.com

It's a free online log. I really like it. I keep everything online here and can search my old logs, and patterns.

I also print the logs and keep them in a file in case the site ever goes away or something

[Skinnyh2ofishin]

I log similar info to everyone elses: Place, date, time fished, water temp., air temp., wind, pre-,post-, and time-of conditions, cover/structure and time that produced fish, lures and retrieves that produced, ect. 

One thing I started adding a while ago though is what DIDN'T work.  I noticed from old logs that while I knew how I caught fish on a particular day years ago, I didn't know if I did anything different that day that didn't produce.  For example, I might look back and find that I've caught numerous bass on frogs over maidencane in 5-7ft of water, but that shallower water didn't produce, or that s.spooks and pop-r's on the outside edge of that maidencane didn't produce either.  Failure can be a learning tool as well as success.

[b.wedlund]

Thanks for the website, I just signed up.  I like it!!!

[Clark Stewart]

I'm pretty tech savvy, so my recommendation probably won't help a lot of folks on here, but if you have an iphone or ipod touch then spring for the After the Catch app by Paul Woods Software. I think I paid like 5 bucks for it.

It will pull weather data at the push of a button for your gps location, and also plot your location on a google map. This is helpful when you go to a lake often you can see where you catch the most bass. It can be pre-programmed for different species of fish, specific lures, rods/reels and anglers. The more detail you put in the better the app will work later on when you're stumped as to what to throw. I've used it 99% of the time I've been fishing this year and I like it. It also lets you take a photo of the bass you just caught and allows you to enter the weight/girth lure and conditions on the spot. I find it easier and faster to simply take the picture of the fish with the lure hanging out of it's mouth and then fill in the details "after the catch". The app also lets you run a filter and reports for just about any piece of info you could be after such as "what lure caught the most fish" or "how many fish have I caught at this particular spot".

Hope it helps, and it's all the more reason to get an iphone! Truly the greatest invention ever!