Fishing Logs

[NJSquatch]

One of my goals in 2016 is to keep a fishing log.

Researching online there are a handful of web based sites as well as standardized forms to print out that folks have developed.

Curious as to what others are using in keeping records and what information is the most important.

Thanks in advance.

[SplitShot]

I've been using Fisher's Log the last few years..... good for analyzing the data being kept :D

[Skunk City]

Last year I kept track of how many Pike, Walleye and Hybrids I landed, date, and location. This year I'm looking to get a little more in-depth. I'm assuming there are some decent apps for this, but I'd like to find one that incorporates weather conditions into the logs without having to manually input it. Anyone have any suggestions?

[SplitShot]

Last year I kept track of how many Pike, Walleye and Hybrids I landed, date, and location. This year I'm looking to get a little more in-depth. I'm assuming there are some decent apps for this, but I'd like to find one that incorporates weather conditions into the logs without having to manually input it. Anyone have any suggestions?

Fisher's Log does all that for you Skunk.... Water Temp, Air Temp, Wind MPH, Wind direction, Water Clarity, sunny/partly sunny/overcast, you can upload your fish pics into the report and write all the details of that outing. Then you can query any of these details and see how the catching was with those conditions.... it's pretty cool.... It was $19.99 with lifetime license and I have it on my desktop computer :)

[Chrisper4694]

i've just been literally writing it all down like a school girl does in her journal. I even draw a sketch of the outline of the lake and mark the catch spots, depth, wind direction blah blah everything. this program looks great though. I'll have to check it out.

can i mark the catches on a map with this program? lures that worked and lures that didn't work?

[SplitShot]

Chrisper... you can enter a lot of detail in your trip report. Enter the day and it'll give you the sunrise/sunset times, moonrise/moonset times, moonphase and how many days from or till Full Moon. You can enter if the barometer is steady/falling/rising.

You can also rate the trip from 0-5, lousy to excellent, then type in all the details you want from that trip.

If you draw a map on paper and put x's where you fished, you can then take a pic of it and upload it into the trips details...

I spoke to John Skinner (from Long Island) who wrote the progam before I purchased it and I'm glad I got it.... Check it out.. FishersLog

[Chrisper4694]

I will absolutely try it out and do exactly what you said about taking a pic of a marked up map sketch!

Only problem is i need to buy a new computer cause my crap box from college will probably explode if i attempted to download anything hahaha.

The program even has a 7 day free trial! pretty cool! I'm going to try it for sure.

...i'm tired of laying belly down on my bed in pink slippers after every fishing trip and writing 'dear diary, today i caught a fish...'

[ScowardNJ]

I keep my fishing log using a MSWord document stored in my Dropbox. I can access/update it from anywhere on any device. All my fish pics get uploaded right there also. It's pretty handy and costs nothing.

[acabtp]

years back i used to keep a log, but found it was too much work, so i gave up on it

i've been meaning to get back to it, so i'll have to think about a google doc or check out one of these apps though

I spoke to John Skinner (from Long Island) who wrote the progam...
that guy's into a lot of different fishing stuff. he has some great videos on his youtube too, like this one of fluke chasing bucktails
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtdaE_XFEW4

[bassnblues]

I use an excel spreadsheet with the following columns:

Date Place Target Tide Wind Air Temp Water Temp Weather Areas Fished Caught Comments Crew

[AndyS]

I got 5 log books going:

1.) Back bay, crabbing, clamming
2.) Offshore
3.) Inshore
4.) Freshwater
5.) Surf

All hand written dating back as far as 1992

You learn what NOT to do again, PRICELESS !!!

[SplitShot]

The most important thing about logbooks.... is you HAVE TO USE THEM!! When I did a handwritten one, I had to go back and decipher all the trips I recorded when I was looking for info on certain spots, conditions, etc.

What sold me on FishersLog, once the data was in there, I could analyze everything I was looking for in seconds with the click of the mouse...

For example, if I wanted to know how many bass I caught between certain dates, with a NW wind, at a certain location, etc, with a few mouse clicks, up pops a color bar chart with the answers. Since I don't know Excel good enough to build a program to do this, it was certainly worth the $20 to get FishersLog. I've certainly spent a lot more then $20 on crap I really didn't need, but this time it was worth it.

But no matter how you keep a log, the key is referring to it to help your catching!! :)

[bassnblues]

When I had a boat, I would mark my gps waypoints with a code. For example "06-06-r-F" would mean June 6, rising tide, fluke.

Just another way to keep track...

[dakota560]

Bassnblues,

Codes are great especially if you do an alpha sort on way points and your way point codes have an alpha character in them to identify species. For instance for fluke you could have fluke way points which all start with F FRC1 (fluke red church 1), FRC2, FSROC (Fluke shrewsbury rocks outer can), FAC65 (Fluke Axel Carlson 65 feet) etc etc. Easier to set up routes as well when you incorporate a naming convention into your way points. Sounds like FishersLog incorporates some of this functionality, as can an excel spreadsheet if your familiar with excel. The biggest mistake most of us make and in the long run the most important thing anyone can do to have continued success on the water is pay attention to details and if you have a boat learn and use your electronics. Every trip good or bad was good or bad for a reason. Taking the time to really learn the functionality of your electronics and keeping a log will significantly increase your knowledge of the water over the years and track the impact conditions have on the fish your targeting. You'll be amazed the patterns you see develop when you start logging and analyzing trip information. Most fish are creatures of habit and their patterns and behaviors are the same year in year out. Just have to understand how they'll behave relative to changing conditions regarding water temperature, barometric pressure, sky condition (clear / overcast), tide (if salt water), moon phase (since it influences tide and some fish migrate / feed more at night), water clarity, wind, bait, etc. etc. When you find a pattern and it all comes together, it will almost certainly make your future fishing trips more productive. And if not, like I mentioned earlier, noting conditions when you have bad trips is as important as noting conditions when you have killer trips. Both will tell you something about your target species behavior and or your presentation.

[SplitShot]

Very well said Dakota :)

[acabtp]

When I had a boat, I would mark my gps waypoints with a code. For example "06-06-r-F" would mean June 6, rising tide, fluke.

Just another way to keep track...

Bassnblues,

Codes are great especially if you do an alpha sort on way points and your way point codes have an alpha character in them to identify species. For instance for fluke you could have fluke way points which all start with F FRC1 (fluke red church 1), RFC2, FSROC (Fluke shrewsbury rocks outer can), FAC65 (Fluke Axel Carlson 65 feet) etc etc. Easier to set up routes as well when you incorporate a naming convention into your way points. Sounds like FishersLog incorporates some of this functionality, as can an excel spreadsheet if your familiar with excel. The biggest mistake most of us make and in the long run the most important thing anyone can do to have continued success on the water is pay attention to details and if you have a boat learn and use your electronics. Every trip good or bad was good or bad for a reason. Taking the time to really learn the functionality of your electronics and keeping a log will significantly increase your knowledge of the water over the years and track the impact conditions have on the fish your targeting. You'll be amazed the patterns you see develop when you start logging and analyzing trip information. Most fish are creatures of habit and their patterns and behaviors are the same year in year out. Just have to understand how they'll behave relative to changing conditions regarding water temperature, barometric pressure, sky condition (clear / overcast), tide (if salt water), moon phase (since it influences tide and some fish migrate / feed more at night), water clarity, wind, bait, etc. etc. When you find a pattern and it all comes together, it will almost certainly make your future fishing trips more productive. And if not, like I mentioned earlier, noting conditions when you have bad trips is as important as noting conditions when you have killer trips. Both will tell you something about your target species behavior and or your presentation.
FANTASTIC ideas, thanks for sharing. definitely more useful than the marks names i've been using.

[Capt. Lou]

Yes definitely , lakes , ocean , streams ! Over time patterns develop especially in freshwater that become good info!
Oceanside the patterns r more difficult to ascertain due to so many factors that govern species .
When alls said N done the most important factor for any fishery boils down to water temps , all others obliviously play a part but this is my go to point !
My original patterns for lake fisheries R still accurate from 40 years ago !
Offshore Canyon don't go anymore but I'll bet my temps prove valid if taking from modern day satellite program !
Bear in mind temps useless if ur in bad location , case in point I stream fish several days a week in winter , if ur not in proper holding water then temps will not buy u a fish , so no matter location & temp even in stocked streams once trout develo holdover patterns must be located & it's surprising some days what u'll catch even under trying conditions !