Keep a Fishing journal?

[feelay]

I started keeping a journal last year and did pretty good for the first 3 or 4 months. Kind of forgot about it since.

[Slabs Inc]

Yup, on paper. The com or flash drive thing is gambling. I also log data from people that I trust.

[Crappie 1]

Why wait...start it now. After a couple years of data you will be able to go back and see exactly where the fish should be at a certain water temp, weather conditions, etc. The more data you collect the better it works too.Thumbs Up BTW, I keep my info on a spreadsheet on the computer (excel) but after loosing a couple years of data due to a 'puter crash I now keep my excel files backed up about once or twice a month to a zip drive.

Your right, I'm going to start the next time I can get out. I also kept track of who fished with me. I'm also going to put down what line I was using....

[jake_lusk]

i keep a prety good mental log cause i dont have any way to tell exactly hoe fast the wind is blowin or how cold the water is so i just make a good guess and just keep tryin till i find the fish

[Crappie 1]

You can get a lot of information off the weather sites, sometimes even the water temps.

[Eufaula boy]

I give frequent reports on CDC, so I can backtrack to 3 years ago to find out where and when I was catching them. CDC is a journal in itself. EB

[Ranger09]

I have been buying a big desk journal calendar from Wal-Mart for the last 6 yrs and post on each date---what lake,depth,WT,jig color and bait,time of day,outside temps,cloudy or clear,windy or calm,total count of keepers and throwbacks,what area of the lake,method, your gettin the idea. It contains a wealth of past no how and gives me a very good idea where I need to concentrate since I forget sometimes..,Ranger

[Dongotto]

Why wait...start it now. After a couple years of data you will be able to go back and see exactly where the fish should be at a certain water temp, weather conditions, etc. The more data you collect the better it works too.Thumbs Up BTW, I keep my info on a spreadsheet on the computer (excel) but after loosing a couple years of data due to a 'puter crash I now keep my excel files backed up about once or twice a month to a zip drive.

I coulnd't agree more. I have been doing this for a few years and it works well. A friend I fish with has kept a detailed log since 1996 and while some years are off the norm a little at times you can really see a pattern/trend from year to year. Makes catching fish a lot easier. It's amazing the little things you write down but would forget later that can make a difference at times. Good luck.

[Crappie 1]

If you go into a regular bookstore, you can buy a Fishing Log Book. It has space in it for many of these things. I had one a few years ago, and it really was fun to compare things from year to year. I kept it on my fishing on Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron)

[crappiedoc]

I use the VA calender , and refer to it yearly and it helps with colors and temp and time ;of the MOON

Only one so far that mentioned the moon, hmm. We used the Sportsman Digest Calender with the lunar cycles for years, and guess what, it's my number #1 trip planner. Sure you can figure out some really good patterns, but when you only have a little time, that lunar thing sure does work.