Advice on keeping notes for fishing

luvcatchingbass

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For quite a few years I keep saying I am going to try to start keeping notes on my fishing outings so that I have something to reference from year to year or outing to outing.
What information do some of you guys always make sure to include? Date, Lake, Temps, Pressure, water clarity, lure types/colors, species? Thanks for any advise
 


guywhofishes

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I'm out there to get away from brain stress, not add to it. :)

Kudos to those that can convince themselves to do it though - and make it pay off. Thumbs Up
 

svnmag

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Readable English wasn't mentioned. Other than that, I think you've got it covered.
 

MuskyManiac

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Lots of fishing logs you can download online. Along with what you stated you want more specific information on the type and depth of structure you were fishing, wind speed and direction, and moon/sun phase.
 

JayKay

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I figure that anything I write down is better than nothing. Just this past spring I started writing (as often as I remember) the outings, and what I caught, and with what presentation. At least next year I can say "I started wading in mid-april".. or whatever.
 


3Roosters

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I used to track pressure with my handy dandy post it notes on the fridge until the better half decided that was a bad location so just used an old fashioned spiral notebook. I don't do that much anymore although I do make sure to check my weather app for the barometric pressure before heading out to the lake/woods.
I think I know where I got this obsession of sorts to jot these kinds of things down. Way way way way back when I was a young lad, my dad had a semi permanent skid house that we would move on home made skis from location to location on Lake Bemidji. It was a patch work job after being broken into a couple times..yes...#jerkswhowreckthings happened even back then. At any rate, my dad would write..in pencil..on any available wood framing..shelves, doors..really any place with a spot open to write....he would write his fishing diary if you will...hahaha of that days catch or lack there of.. 1 perch-12/17/1975, 2 walleyes 1/21/74..for example. We used that thing for 3-4 winters before the skid house basically needed to go..hahaha. At any rate..it was always fun to enter that skid house to see and read the walls,doors,window ledge, etc of the history of fishing in that house. It was one heck of a fishing diary that is for sure hahhaa.. Great memories of fishing in the past that is for sure. Thumbs Up Kudo's to those others that like to track this kind of stuff! Some folks would love to have their first car back. I, for one, would love to have that fish house back. It would be priceless reading of days gone by. My guess is it ended up in someone's firewood pile. haha
 
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guywhofishes

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I figure that anything I write down is better than nothing. Just this past spring I started writing (as often as I remember) the outings, and what I caught, and with what presentation. At least next year I can say "I started wading in mid-april".. or whatever.

That's why I take lots of pics. :cool:
 

luvcatchingbass

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3Roosters
that's just like my dad's office door when he was a spray pilot. everyone that came in there has signed that door in pencil including my sister and me when we learned to write. I suppose a white paint marker and put notes on the inside of the flip over would be todays equivalent :)
Part of wanting to try is an attempt to get back to being more organized like I was before family life and the fact my memory has began to suck lately.
 

wildeyes

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I have done this in years past. what you find out is how many fish you catch in a year ( you will be surprised by what the total is) and if you do this put down what the level of the water is which is easy on the river or sak. but when it comes to small lakes tougher to do. with years of fishing in and fishing a lot of the same areas I'm like guywhofishes extra hassle that really doesn't payoff for me. one thing I do thanks to cell phone is take pictures when the water is low you see a lot of structure, when the water comes back it pays off more then the fishing log.
 

Captain Ahab

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I have never really kept much for logs. My memory is pretty good so far. That said, I look back at pictures and dates to help refresh my memory. It would be fun to have such a thing to page back to. River levels and where fish hold is the most consistent piece of info I have stored.
 


Biglunch

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My dad has a small not book for every year going back about 15 years. He writes date, air temp, water temp, and who is along for the trip as well as how many every one caught. He started doing it because when fishing Canada you have to write down the reporting number so figured might as well keep the logs. Its pretty fun to look back and see who catches the most. Some times there's a little note like late start had to much to drink night before etc
 

Captainbrad

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I have records of catfishing the Red beginning with the 2007 season. it started out more to know who I was with and how many fish we caught. It has since become much more research oriented. I was able to develop patterns and even write a book based on records research. With that I don't keep very much in terms of daily records. I write down section of river, how many fish, big fish, patterns that worked or didn't work and who I was with.

In the fall when the guiding season is over I go back and look up all the weather and water data online and punch it into excel with the catch rates and notes. It is crazy the stuff you can pick up from looking back at that.

I spend a lot of time on wunderground historical weather watching 3-4 day trends before I head out. That is a great indicator of what will happen. I also look back at it should something really good or really bad happen on the water.
 

KDM

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I tried taking notes for muddin' on the Sheyenne using many of the details you mentioned and after 3 years of taking notes I threw the notebook out. The damn fish seem to go wherever they want regardless of conditions. I've caught walleyes in the same spot with 1 foot of water and 6 feet of water, day and night, overcast and sunny, hot or cold, windy or calm, spring, summer, and fall. That's why I love muddin'. It's so unpredictable and it keeps you on your toes when trying to find fish. I've learned to pick one the many spots on the river and continue hitting spots until I find fish. You just never know where them goofy fish will be at any given time. Hope it works better for you than it did for me.
 

Myk Lund

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luvcatchingbass. If you have the time it is worth it. I just made an Excel Spreadsheet for Mille Lacs specifically for the fall big walleye night bite. I started it in 2000 and it goes to 2014, just before moving here. The basics, what you have listed above, plus a column at the end for special notes, ie where other did well not well. I went from 3, 4 fish a night to 30 plus fish a night on occasion, when it all came together. Barometric pressure and water temp, (tulipee spawn) are huge factors on Mille. The details like crankbait type and color for each months moon phases would be icing on the cake. Anal yes. Worth it for sure. 3 fish 30 to 30.5 and dozens of 28 to 30 as a reward. Lots of pics, all released. Waiting for that 31. :cool: I started a new one here as a newby in ND. The best tip I can give is get a device to record on the water. I have an old handheld voice recorder I would just spit out the info on it like time, trolling speed # feet back, gps spot, etc and later record the details in a spreadsheet. My brain couldn't remember it all at once. If you want to trade info I would be happy to share. Thumbs Up Good luck!
 

Captainbrad

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I have the conditions patterned pretty well now so I can find them. Of course spots change. Some spots that were the best five years ago just don't work now. I don't fish spots I fish patterns mostly based on water temp and flow. I don't care what the calendar says any more I care what the conditions say. I was looking at my web site about a month ago and noticed that the reports from year to year are the same or similar but the dates attached many times are not the same. Usually within 2 or 3 weeks but proof that the conditions are not always the same.
 


Lycanthrope

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Create a google calendar just for fishing information, record whats going on in there, on that day and make it recurring annually. Fishing patterns are fairly predictable at times and knowing what was working during a certain time period last year might give you a good place to start following years...
 

Sub_Elect

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The only notes I really take are based on crank baits. I jot them in my precision trolling book. I have had people ask if they can make copies of the book for the cranks they have, it usually ends with me finding one for them to purchase on eBay or where ever. I don't really follow the book for the dive curves, it is more or less used for feet out at a given depth behind boards, or using 3 way rigs or with the rods off of a gun wall. I was taught by a couple friends who are heads and shoulders above everyone else I have fished with. These guys are great at it and if you are not paying attention to what they are doing you are missing so much it's not even funny.

- - - Updated - - -

The only notes I really take are based on crank baits. I jot them in my precision trolling book. I have had people ask if they can make copies of the book for the cranks they have, it usually ends with me finding one for them to purchase on eBay or where ever. I don't really follow the book for the dive curves, it is more or less used for feet out at a given depth behind boards, or using 3 way rigs or with the rods off of a gun wall. I was taught by a couple friends who are heads and shoulders above everyone else I have fished with. These guys are great at it and if you are not paying attention to what they are doing you are missing so much it's not even funny.
 

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