I was just curious how many guys on this site keep a log book everytime they go fishing? The ones that do, what do you put in this log? How much help has it given you? Have you ever gone to a lake and fished and the exact same date the next year were fishing at the same place? Did your log help you? Thanks guys,
Heather keeps a log of every trip we do together. She briefly describes the weather (cloudy, sunny, hot, windy, etc…) and she documents what we caught.
I use this info on when to go back to the same lake.
I use to, and some days I wish I still did. I thought it was too tough to log 8-10 hours of information. Im not that detailed anymore.
I know it would take some time and the more detailed the more time it will take. i guess you could set up a spread sheet or something and just enter the pertinent data in. You could probably find something like that online and download it. i was just wondering how helpful it is?
Personally, for me, it wasnt a neccesary tool. We all have a preconceived notion of what the fish are doing before we even launch the boat. A lot of us fish the same waters over and over. By doing this we learn our lakes and begin to understand our fish.
I found the things I was logging into the book was a basic breakdown of seasonal patterns and migration. So, the more frequently I fished, the more I relied on memory.
I think a log book is a good tool for someone who doesnt get out much or someone who is just now learning seasonal patterns.
I found what I was logging to be a huge overkill.
I kept track of barometric pressure, sky conditions, air temps, wind speeds and direction, water temps and clarity, moon phases in the spring.
When I did catch fish I logged what depth, which part of the lake, time of day, size, bait used and color.
Now I can just fish from memory and adjust on the water if I need to.
Personally, for me, it wasnt a neccesary tool. We all have a preconceived notion of what the fish are doing before we even launch the boat. A lot of us fish the same waters over and over. By doing this we learn our lakes and begin to understand our fish.
I found the things I was logging into the book was a basic breakdown of seasonal patterns and migration. So, the more frequently I fished, the more I relied on memory.
I think a log book is a good tool for someone who doesnt get out much or someone who is just now learning seasonal patterns.
I found what I was logging to be a huge overkill.
I kept track of barometric pressure, sky conditions, air temps, wind speeds and direction, water temps and clarity, moon phases in the spring.
When I did catch fish I logged what depth, which part of the lake, time of day, size, bait used and color.
Now I can just fish from memory and adjust on the water if I need to.
I used to, now I will make some notes on my lake map and mark the areas I liked.
Does it help from year to year?
Has anyone ever taken photos of the shore or points of interest to compare whether the cover, ie, stumps, brush piles, rocks, etc.. are more or less exposed depending on water depth from year to year?
Sorry for these dum question, just curious, the ponds i fish are totally different this year than last and i was thinking of starting a log book with photos to help me next year and beyond.
Its just a referance, there are areas that produce year after year. It might not be an exact spot, but the general area will. I do have some waypoints in the gps that are money year in and out, certin humps, weedlines, rockpiles just seem to hold fish all the time. If they bite from 1 day to the next is a different story
Its just a referance, there are areas that produce year after year. It might not be an exact spot, but the general area will. I do have some waypoints in the gps that are money year in and out, certin humps, weedlines, rockpiles just seem to hold fish all the time. If they bite from 1 day to the next is a different story
The idea is a good one BUT I have to keep a log book at work, and I don’t want fishing to become like work (even though I LOVE my job). Fishing is supposed to be relaxing. If I do “bookwork” it won’t be .
I started one and my wife said, “You write long notes about fishing, but you won’t write me letters anymore.” I think she’s jealous. I was watching KVD and he said he’ll record the images on his Hummingbird and make comments on what he sees. I don’t have a GPS (yet) so when I find something I like I’ll mark up the map like “between the shed and water tower” (I said too much.). As for as conditions, I go out with a game plan based on general knowledge. I have to remember they are wild animals and don’t always do what they should. In the river the smallies are nomadic so I remember the holes. I’ll fish the river for smallies if it’s a high pressure sunny day. It’s just stuff you keep in the memory bank. Like school was, I might be short changing myself as an angler due to “lacking organazational skills” and “incomplete homework assignments.”
I started one and my wife said, “You write long notes about fishing, but you won’t write me letters anymore.” I think she’s jealous. I was watching KVD and he said he’ll record the images on his Hummingbird and make comments on what he sees. I don’t have a GPS (yet) so when I find something I like I’ll mark up the map like “between the shed and water tower” (I said too much.). As for as conditions, I go out with a game plan based on general knowledge. I have to remember they are wild animals and don’t always do what they should. In the river the smallies are nomadic so I remember the holes. I’ll fish the river for smallies if it’s a high pressure sunny day. It’s just stuff you keep in the memory bank. Like school was, I might be short changing myself as an angler due to “lacking organazational skills” and “incomplete homework assignments.”
I think anything that will help you remember conditions and tactics that worked and didn’t work will help you in the long run. If you keep a log book long enough, you run into a condition you aren’t sure about, that’s where the log book would really shine, got to be something in it that will help you.
Right. A short pencil beats a long memory anyday. I think you could really learn from it. Plus, it’s like planning a fishing trip. It stretches the experience out longer. I’m not disciplined enough I guess.
Right. A short pencil beats a long memory anyday. I think you could really learn from it. Plus, it’s like planning a fishing trip. It stretches the experience out longer. I’m not disciplined enough I guess.
yea, it would definitely take some time. you would have to do it during your time on the water or you would forget some minor details or right after you got off the water, any later and you will start to forget
