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Posts: 8782
| I've kept a fishing log since the early 90's.
I keep track of simple stuff - date, time, moonrise/set, what I caught, where, what depth, what time, what I caught it on, wind speed, direction, moon phase, majors/minors, air and water temp...
I've looked back on them from time to time trying to extrapolate some valuable information. Everything I've found in my logs is pretty obvious. Weather is the biggest factor. Moonrise is good, Any change of wind or clouds or weather is good... Fish go nuts before a storm. If it was sunny and it gets cloudy - that's good. If it was calm and it gets windy, that's good.
But I've also gained the ability to look around and check the weather at 7:00 in the morning and think "wow. Today is probably going to suck!"
And suck it usually does...
I guess my logs have saved me a few days of strife, knowing we were probably going to be wasting our time out there after seeing the forecast and spending ten minutes outside.
But that's not really a benefit. I miss the days of feeling like we were going to rock the day today, when nothing in the environment would indicate that. I miss the days of feeling like the next cast or the next ten casts were going to save the day, when now I look around and think "well... If they were going to go, it would have happened already. As long as nothing changes, we're fishing the dead sea today."
I'd almost rather have false hope than a fishing log and years of paying attention to what usually happens on this-or-that sort of day...
Anybody else know that I mean?
Or will another ten years of keeping logs unveil something I just don't see yet?
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | logs on gravel in the spring hold big smallies ... |
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Location: Not far enough north! | I know what exactly what you mean. I've kept a log for many years also and read back through them every once in a while. I have yet to find any earth shattering pattern in mine either. The obvious factors dictate fish activity for me too. However I forgot my log book when I went to LOTW this summer and really missed having it. We had a great week up there and couldn't remember anything. We wrote down who caught what but that was about it. The fishing was a lot different than in the years past and it would have been nice to really document it like I normally do. But I will remember how we caught those fish but probably not the exact conditions that made those presentations successful... I'll keep logging but mainly out of habit. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | For once I'm in total agreement with EA. Used to keep one, have no use for them now. Fish when I can, lament when I can't under ideal conditions. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I kept a detailed log for 15 years, as did a colleague, and we then cross referenced the data with local barograph records, Solunar periods, etc. I learned a ton from the logs. It's all about how one applies the data.... |
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Posts: 63
Location: Minnesota | I just use the Lunge log from muskies inc to keep all my info stored on my catches, sometimes get a nice prize for doing that too. =) |
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Posts: 833
| So here is a queston for the more experienced folks. What would they track if they were to log again?
I think tracking weather and it's relation to activity is a really good idea and need to get better at it. No excuses other than laziness on that one. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i'd log the hair on the back of my neck ...
when it stands on end there's usually a fish around ... |
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Posts: 8782
| Brad P - 9/16/2013 1:18 PM
So here is a queston for the more experienced folks. What would they track if they were to log again?
I think tracking weather and it's relation to activity is a really good idea and need to get better at it. No excuses other than laziness on that one.
I never had access to a barometer, but that's something I would look into. #*#*, there's probably an app for that.
Here are the categories of my log, and a few sample entries..
I use a lot of abbreviations when I'm filling the stuff out on the water.
DATE 9/15/13
TIME 11:32a
SPECIES H (Hybrid)
METHOD C (casting)
LENGTH 43.5"
GIRTH n/a
WEIGHT skinny!
LURE TYPE GG (Gerry's Girl)
LURE COLOR(S) B/S (Black/Smoke Blades)
LAKE Eagle
AREA BMH (Big Momma's house)
WATER DEPTH 18/4 (Boat in 18 casting to 4)
TYPE OF STRUCTURE Drop off/Rocks
SKIES CL
WIND DIRECTION SW
WIND SPEED 15
AIR TEMP 63
WATER TEMP 66
WEATHER NOTES Calm and sunny until about 10:45, looks like rain now
MOON PHASE 6 B.F. (6 days before full moon)
MAJOR 12:38a
MINOR 7:33p
MOONRISE 10:32a
MOONSET 11:16p
NOTES: fish followed twice earlier in the day, ate boatside on second cast
PICTURE #: DSC 1398
Lunge Log #: 148693
I keep blank sheets in my tackle bag, fill out what I can on the spot, and then fill in the rest (moon data, SR/SS, etc.) when I get home.
Barometer... That just may be what I've been missing.
You have to train yourself to write the #*#* down right after you release the fish. Takes all of 30 seconds once you've done a few.
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Good stuff, EA. I would add (because it's relevant where I fish) water levels and flow rates (CFS).
Prevailing wind is good too. As is weed condition (if relevant). |
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Location: Contrarian Island | i use to more than I do now... what I found is they helped me identify when to be in certain areas, or bodies of water that have the highest ROI. ie, don't waste your time and money going to Indiana in March when you can save your time and money for MN later in the year... as far as it helping on the water..maybe a little..keeping trip reports w notes to yourself about certain spots and baits that worked helps. One thing I have seen is there are plenty of times you 'think' they should be biting hooks off and they aren't... at least not how we were fishing.... biggest factors to me are simply watching the moon times, and let the fish tell you what they want... a guy can keep all the data in the world and still get skunked when their data shows they should light em up! |
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Posts: 580
| Fishing logs can be very useful. I've kept detailed daily notes during all of my trips to LOTW, going back to the late nineties. I bring all my past notes with me on all LOTW trips and refer to them at times, while up there. Yes, certain things are rather obvious...but other times its more subtle. But much of the time, its the act of actually jotting down the notes themselves that forces you think about what's going on...and for me, that's how the notes have become the most useful. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I agree Matt, I look back at past trips to MN before I go up to 'refresh' my memory of what worked, what didn't, what conditions were etc...I do think it helps and puts a few more fish in the boat...but also I think sometimes we shouldn't 'fish memories' and get too stuck in a rut or what worked yesterday/last year, 5 yrs ago might not work today....
I know I love to read trip reports from you and others and its fun to go back and re-read trip reports years down the road...
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Posts: 1168
| I began keeping fairly detailed logs about a decade ago in order to gather an expansive set of data points that someday would be used more efficiently than just re-reading them before a trip. I recorded as many different sets of data points that I could think of but not on fish caught, it was on fish contact. The data points were:
Barometer: rising or falling, didn't record what the actual reading was
Water temp
Air temp
Water clarity (this was an estimation)
Wind direction
Bottom content
What type of weeds
Water depth
Lure depth
Other structural elements: (point, hump, saddle, open water, etc.)
Time of day
Moonrise/moonset for the day.
Sunrise/sunset for the day.
Moon phase
Sky conditions
Days since last front (which could be drilled down to # of hours)
Days since last shift in wind direction (drilled down to # of hours)
Days since ice out (if I can track this information down)
24 hour forecast
Presence of current
Primary forage on body of water
Other common species on body of water
...and a few others.
Seems like a ton but a lot of that stuff can be acquired when you are not on the water so you don't have to feverishly jot things down when you are on a drift. Over the past few years I've kept a log while ice fishing but the data points are different and specific to one body of water. Things like sun angle, snow cover, etc. were included on that and it became very predictable under certain conditions when fish activity would increase at certain depths. For example...once the afternoon sun dropped to a treeline it was time to move tip-ups into deeper water. If skies were overcast with a dropping barometer pike would be in deeper holes. This type of stuff became so predictable that you could stay ahead of those fish movements from deep to shallow (or vice versa) water. Wheels started turning about the open water journal and how to develop something that would utilize those data points more efficiently.
So...in early summer I built a spreadsheet that organized a decade worth of fish contacts using the data points listed above and began dumping my information into it and as much information from a few others who I trust and are aware of what this project is about. Note that I didn't include type of bait in the data points listed. I did keep that information and it's in the spreadsheet but is not the focus here. First and foremost it's about fish location. Finished adding the data into the spreadsheet back in early September and have the ability to run queries prior to a trip based on what the current conditions are. For example, I can run it based on barometer (rising/falling), water temps, sky conditions, days since last front, wind direction, and it spits out results that can be used to narrow the search. You could run a query on any collection of data points you want. So far it's shown positive results but I'd still place it in the inconclusive category until it can be tested through an entire season.
I'm not sure what the usefulness will be when applied to other bodies of water but it seems to have considerable potential if you have a ton of data points on one particular system. I'm sure that if I try to apply this to an unfamiliar body of water it could make things more confusing. For example, if it spits out "sand point, near cabbage, in 12 feet of water, overcast skies" as a starting point you might not know an area that fits that criteria on a new lake or if that body of water has some unique quirks that throw things off. On the other hand, if you trim the query down to include data points that are consistent from one body of water to another it could do the trick, or at least help eliminate water. More testing is needed and I'm looking forward to the upcoming winter to tinker with and refine things a touch as it's applied to the hardwater season.
Edited by ulbian 11/6/2013 11:26 AM
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | Cool project Bob! Will be interested in knowing how your log and quary results prove out nex year. |
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Posts: 994
Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | "But I've also gained the ability to look around and check the weather at 7:00 in the morning and think "wow. Today is probably going to suck!"
I have now come to the determination that after many years of the above thoughts that there are some truths not utilized.
1. You can't catch one if you aren't there
2. Rather than know it's going to suck take the challenge on of how do I get one interested etc... there are too many variables for us to make 100% statements.
Some of the most fun days have come on nothing days that I put my mind to it and worked on seeing fish. I had a three fish day last year that way. Small fish but they were Muskies in not so good bite!!
I always try to learn something new every time I float....getting confirmation to what you learned is the tough part. But EVERY day on the water is more important than the last. |
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Posts: 1000
| The muskies inc lunge log is fantastic. You can copy that data, dump it into microsoft excel, go crazy with pivot tables, and 20 minutes later you know the avg size for the lake, most product depth ranges for the season, the right lures/colors to use at those depths, and whatever else you like. Those lunge logs can really shorten your learning curve. |
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Posts: 216
| jakejusa - 11/15/2013 1:07 PM
"But I've also gained the ability to look around and check the weather at 7:00 in the morning and think "wow. Today is probably going to suck!"
I have now come to the determination that after many years of the above thoughts that there are some truths not utilized.
1. You can't catch one if you aren't there
2. Rather than know it's going to suck take the challenge on of how do I get one interested etc... there are too many variables for us to make 100% statements.
Some of the most fun days have come on nothing days that I put my mind to it and worked on seeing fish. I had a three fish day last year that way. Small fish but they were Muskies in not so good bite!!
I always try to learn something new every time I float....getting confirmation to what you learned is the tough part. But EVERY day on the water is more important than the last. . Yup I like his train of thought I always say the same goes for deer and muskies if you ain't out there you ain't getting one. A day when my bud and I said "eh it's a marginal day out, no fronts or clouds nothing different then the weather had been all week, we could just watch football, instead we went out and had one my best days ever. |
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Fishing Logs