Fish trip log books.

Many people have told me to keep track of each fishing trip so you can learn. Do they make books especially for each trip?

Yes, books are made for this very purpose and you can find most of them in the fly fishing sections of places like Cabelas and the big name stores. You can accomplish great results by using a $0.59 4×6 spiral bound notebook and just writing the conditions of the day on a page, along with specifics you used that were productive or not. Think about all the variables and make a list, then pick the most important ones you feel made a difference in your fishing day…for example on the river I use water clarity, flow, level, amt of sunshine to cloudy, wind, significant hatches that I know of, time of day, date etc etc. Have fun, this is really a good method of learning what works and replicating it later.

if you have your own computer a better way would be to create something like this in access or excel, i am in the process of changing myne from excel to access, makes everything a whole lot easier!!!!!!!!

Gimpy;At your age if you keep a log book just think of the welth of info you will have in 15 to 20 years!!The poor fish will just give up and jump in your boat knowing they dont stand a chance

A log is a great help, weather conditions, water temp, size, type of fish, lure, color, location,water temp. The list can be as detailed as you want it. One thing I also do is keep a big fish log. After doing this for a few years you can really cut out the guess work.

I keep a log for everyday I fish. It helps as you almost know where the fish are going to be.

I keep a log everyday as well. They are great!!! I jot down some key info on a note pad everyday and then enter that into my computer which will sort the data out for me according to date, species caught, wind, weather, water temp, ect. A few years of data like this is one of the best tools you can have. Just remember to stay consistant with it. A fishing log is only as good as the information that is in it

Great question…. and great timing!
When I’m not on the water, I’m a computer geek in a cube. I am currently developing my own “system” that will allow me to enter in info, make it searchable (along with GPS waypoints overlayed on a map), blah blah blah. I’ve got many of the above listed items to keep track of…. was just wondering what most of you like to keep track of?
I am going all the way down to moon phases, baraometric pressure (and pressure trends), the whole 9 yards.
It is one of those things that will take time to fill up, but evetually, it will be a goldmine just as many of you who have been doing this for sometime already realize.

Please excuse if this is advertising or detrimental to the site because it is not meant that way, but I am in the process of starting a log book and have been trying to find a “pre made” list of things to include or a form to use. I think I want to get it into a spreadsheet, but there is a very complete list of things on bassresource. com- the site on what i printed off is: http://www.bassresource.com/html/fishinglog3.gif

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I started keeping a log book in 1999. I got a day planner calendar from Office Max with a page for each day of the year. It is small enough I can bring it with on trips and record each days’ events while they’re fresh in my mind. I use it for all my hunting and fishing trips. It is useful to have the raw fish catching info handy, but I think nicer to have a journal to record the special parts of each trip (who you spent the day with, sunrise,sunset or fall colors etc). Nice to look back on all those trips and remember them with more precision because of the notes that were taken. By what ever means, start keeping a journal. Bret

Gimpy – I sent you a copy of the computer generated fishing log and journal that I use. I made them in Microsoft Excel and Word. I sent them to your e-mail address shown on your profile. These work good for me. Let me know if you got them OK.

Steve

Steve- any chance you could swing a copy my way at [email protected]? I would like to get mine on excel but am somewhat computer stupid- if I had a template I might be able to figure it out. Thanks for considering. JJ Patton