majorlifts Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 How much would you give me if I told you I had a book with all the details of every fishing day that produced on every lake in Ont, with location, time, day, temp, depth, size, lure, sure to put you on the big ones in minutes of your docking location? Well I don't, but the years have passed, I'm 41 and there is one thing for sure, youth is fleeting. I fished many many years with my good fishing buddy Erik, and I hope there are many more to come. Erik and I, owe a lot to the great ones who have come before us, they have helped increase our knowledge and catching ratio, however since the years have passed fishing has become more difficult for Erik due to his inability to maneuver as he did when he was not stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. As the saying goes, when we are out on the water "time is of the essence". Putting together what we have learned even from many here on the board the fishing itself is like waiting for the tide to come in, and its not as if we have`nt done our homework. I am writing this to pass on a great tradition that should be in every fisherman's arsenal. Here it comes,... you ready,... The note book and pen,.....Ta Da!! Here is the one thing I have missed out on and therefore have missed out on some great opportunities. The secret to this game I believe is to write everything down throughout the day especially after the great catches. Even bad catches are to be logged, time of day, temp, of the air and water, depth, type of fish, size, GPS and or landmark locations, what lure was used and most of all how much time it was between catches. Trust me, I regret never taking notes, in almost 20 years of fishing with Erik I never took a note, not one, aside from the usual mental note. As tedious as this may sound, boring and time consuming, this is the ticket for future big fish, and more of em! this will cut down on kill time and searching. I am sure many of you already do this, but I wish someone would have passed this tip to me 28 years ago. So for those who don't, I pass it to you, even in the age of technology a pen and a small book of paper can be worth a lot of dough ray me. Good luck out there and be safe on the ice.
Roy Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Excellent subject and post, Dude. Most of us don't take notes. It's a great habit to get into.
Guest gbfisher Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Notes?.... Ya!.... They're all up here. ..somehwere.
beginner Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 good read and info.. i think it would help alot in my fishing.. thnx
irishfield Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 From the last few posts around here it appears some just take pictures to remember what happened! lol Great post Dude...I'm sure Erik sees you as a true friend as well.
Jds63 Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Great story, I too have thought the exact same thing many times (note to self take notes about my fishing days), but never did I was looking for a Iphone app for this ? anyone out there have an app that may do the job ? never too late i guess !
misfish Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Great topic. I am in the works at home,to show my book that I kept all you said in. I finally found it. It will take me a bit to scan everything of importance,so bare with me til then.
Aaron Shirley Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Good topic. I used to take notes of every day on the water for about 10 years, many of them while guiding the Niagara area. I made a template and printed them off and filled them out after every trip when I got home. I had a sharp memory back then I found it too difficult to take notes while on the water unless I was trolling for musky. It was all pen and paper, so compiling stats and graphs were cumbersome at the end of each year, but very rewarding. I learned a lot from my notes and was able to get dialed in to the fish a lot quicker after the knowledge I had attained. I don't take notes after fishing anymore, I don't have the time after each trip that I did when I was single. I really had "holy crap" moments when reviewing the data though, and it helped me realize a lot about the fish I targeted, their movements, conditions etc. I think this was most effective due to fishing the same watersheds all the time as well.
troutologist Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Agree Aaron, there have been some lightbulbs (albeit 40watts..) that have gone on after studying a few years of fishing logs. Definitely fishing the same waterbody consistently, provides insight into trends much better, I found recording river levels and time from flood to clear, amazingly useful. Especially on northern rivers without gauges, it pays to take careful notes on rainfall and gauged rivers to be able to correlate these to conditions on your target stearm Now I keep a Rite in the Rain notebook (waterproof) in the boat at all times. Lets me note what waypoint numbers mean, what fish hit, and any other tidbits of info that seem relevent. Another thing I have taken to is drawing structure using the finder and GPS onto paper. GPS maps only give a rough estimate of a hump, for example, and there are many spot on the spots on each on, that you can map out on your own. Having this reference is priceless should you lose your GPS data. Topic 2: Back up your GPS data regularly, and in 2 different places.
Aaron Shirley Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Topic 2: Back up your GPS data regularly, and in 2 different places. I learned that the hard way. I lost hundreds of valuable waypoints when my 937 went for a crap. I back up my waypoints onto a card and my pc now. Great tip.
Roy Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 There are dozens of applications for fishing logs. Google is your friend.
solopaddler Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Preparation is one of the biggest keys to success in angling. Taking notes and analyzing them are a part of that. Been doing it for years. Not only does it help in obvious ways but it's fun to go back and read old logs. Most times you get an instant mental picture of the day and it's a nice trip down memory lane.
majorlifts Posted January 12, 2011 Author Report Posted January 12, 2011 I like that there are those who really put their back bone into it with dedication, it shows the true passion of the anglers on this board. Its cool to see everyone here has their own perfect mathematical system to break it down, Aaron and Jay make interesting points leading me to believe that although I missed the boat on that one, there still is time to make it happen and I should probably do it regardless of my age and limitations. Thanks guys.
Moosebunk Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 2000 in Attawapiskat I recored every patient seen for 18 months. 1067. Age, diagnosis, treatment. 2002 ... patients out the window... the Fishing Journal began... First entry was my first day on the North French River. Reads like this... 1. Date - Monday May 20th, 2002. 1400-1830 hrs 2. Company - John P 3. Weather - Sun & cloud, around 10C, windy. 4. Moon - First Quarter 5. Water - 8-14 feet, cold, fast, stained. 6. Location - North French @ Trappers Camp. 7. Fish - Walleye 8. Gear - (not gonna say, it's embarrasing..) 9. Tactic - casting bottom bouncer with Floating Rapala, slow retrieve thru large eddy. 10. Catch - 3 walleye. John 5 walleye. The odd time in the journal after the catch, something interesting about the day may get recorded. Last entry in there from December 23rd 2010 reads like... Day 96. BOQ. Mike-P. Walleye. 6 for 7. Baits - yada yada yada. The journal simplified after the move south, rather than give it up. There's only about two pages left to fill sadly... completing 2011 will mark 10 years logged. If people have the time and interest, and can stay motivated to keep up with it... it really helps improve your fishing. There weren't online benchmarks or other online anglers fishing where I lived before. No reports to look back on. Journaling allowed insight, a measuring stick, and the ability to compile cool stats at the end of the year. I'd almost like to revisit the North French after having filled a tackle box with only the things that have caught fish in the past. Then, choose a week period, moon phase, whatever, that has historically proven to be best time and go fish using the tactics that worked. Pictures and online reports do well to seal it in memory somewhere too. And what Mike said... Most times you get an instant mental picture of the day and it's a nice trip down memory lane. Out fishing is our happy place... the more places to visit when you're not fishing, the happier we'll be.
chilli Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 Awesome topic Aaron do you share your data with any of the related agencies?
PikeMolester Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 I'm 25 and planned taking notes like that for the rest of my life lol Maybe we can compare in 10 years
splashhopper Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 excellent reminder... now where did i put those notes
BillM Posted January 12, 2011 Report Posted January 12, 2011 I keep notes everytime I go out steelheading. Got the book for Xmas actually. Extremely valuable, it's amazing what you'll forget.
Guest blairwelsh Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) *SMILES* Edited February 1, 2011 by SecretSpot
ehg Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 Interesting post Dude and great replies! You should start keeping a journal to keep track of the stats and success rate, according to location and conditions. That should remind you of the little things that may be missed. Really you should do it. Remember this... For instance, last year 13 inch jointed musky baits produced in the Kawarthas. Trolling rattletraps in 10-15ft caught the most bass, not spinnerbaits tossed at shoreline structure. Having a journal would clearly remind. lol A clear enthusiasm and passion for the sport helps me remember. Pictures and online reports do well to seal it in memory somewhere too. I always tried to do an online report(still will) to share this passion. Last couple of years haven't fish much but will. Great replies!
majorlifts Posted January 13, 2011 Author Report Posted January 13, 2011 2000 in Attawapiskat I recored every patient seen for 18 months. 1067. Age, diagnosis, treatment. 2002 ... patients out the window... the Fishing Journal began... First entry was my first day on the North French River. Reads like this... 1. Date - Monday May 20th, 2002. 1400-1830 hrs 2. Company - John P 3. Weather - Sun & cloud, around 10C, windy. 4. Moon - First Quarter 5. Water - 8-14 feet, cold, fast, stained. 6. Location - North French @ Trappers Camp. 7. Fish - Walleye 8. Gear - (not gonna say, it's embarrasing..) 9. Tactic - casting bottom bouncer with Floating Rapala, slow retrieve thru large eddy. 10. Catch - 3 walleye. John 5 walleye. The odd time in the journal after the catch, something interesting about the day may get recorded. Last entry in there from December 23rd 2010 reads like... Day 96. BOQ. Mike-P. Walleye. 6 for 7. Baits - yada yada yada. The journal simplified after the move south, rather than give it up. There's only about two pages left to fill sadly... completing 2011 will mark 10 years logged. If people have the time and interest, and can stay motivated to keep up with it... it really helps improve your fishing. There weren't online benchmarks or other online anglers fishing where I lived before. No reports to look back on. Journaling allowed insight, a measuring stick, and the ability to compile cool stats at the end of the year. I'd almost like to revisit the North French after having filled a tackle box with only the things that have caught fish in the past. Then, choose a week period, moon phase, whatever, that has historically proven to be best time and go fish using the tactics that worked. Pictures and online reports do well to seal it in memory somewhere too. And what Mike said... Most times you get an instant mental picture of the day and it's a nice trip down memory lane. Out fishing is our happy place... the more places to visit when you're not fishing, the happier we'll be. I like how you noted the moon phase as Erik and I are right on that one. That made a huge difference in our fishing years ago.
majorlifts Posted January 13, 2011 Author Report Posted January 13, 2011 Interesting post Dude and great replies! You should start keeping a journal to keep track of the stats and success rate, according to location and conditions. That should remind you of the little things that may be missed. Really you should do it. Remember this... For instance, last year 13 inch jointed musky baits produced in the Kawarthas. Trolling rattletraps in 10-15ft caught the most bass, not spinnerbaits tossed at shoreline structure. Having a journal would clearly remind. lol A clear enthusiasm and passion for the sport helps me remember. I always tried to do an online report(still will) to share this passion. Last couple of years haven't fish much but will. Great replies! Funny thing is though, you do have a better memory for the fishing spots, times, and gear used, however I am a little caught up in the details sometimes. Like if you remember the moon phase we caught all those smallies on, was that full dark side? I looked back on some of those pics the water was like glass and we had beau-coup fog on the lake. That`s why fishing with you is an absolute pleasure, there is no fuss or argument about where to go on what day, because I know you not only do your homework watching trends, reading charts, weather patterns n such, that I know we wont get skunked, and to be quite honest we have`nt been skunked yet. okay maybe once.lol
Fish Farmer Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 Good thread Myself, the most important thing is remembering the time spent enjoying the sport with friends and by yourself remembering about times past. Catching fish is a bonus. You can do the same thing every day in the same spot and things will be different. Way points seem to be the best referent's, Lose them as Aaron states and you have to start over, but it's the memory that helps. It's nice to always catch the big ones but being on a nice school of Crappies or Perch with ultra lite tackle, joking with my Buddy's, doesn't get any better than that. I don't think you have to write down about the great times you had with your buddy Dude. You could write a diary, but when you have the chance to go fishin, you go. If I waited for the perfect day, I think my boat wouldn't see the water much. But that's just me. This is a great topic Dude.
Victor Posted January 13, 2011 Report Posted January 13, 2011 This is a great post! Good job 'Dude' haha. I used to keep one as well, just a very simple excel spreadsheet. After each trip I'd type in a few words: where, when, who, what, etc. for a period of time I was going out quite alot so I stopped doing the journal (it's like coming home at night and then get ready for next morning). This certainly made me want to start again!
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