http://www.americanbassanglers.com/fishingsoftware.php

I just downloaded the trial, and this fishing log has so many features it's crazy! You can search for queried results. For instance if you are fishing in spring, air temp 70-80, clear water, largemouth bass, water temp 57, and the ph 3. It will go into your past logs and find what worked for you in this situation. This is only a trial for 20 days, but I wanted you guys to snoop around and tell me what you thought of it.

I can't imagine anyone keeps enough actual "data" that a database is needed. Plus, how do you adequately qualify all the parameters? Then, who fishes enough that they could expect to revisit the same sets of conditions. Even if you fished the same areas on the same body of water, things change year to year. Live systems are far from static.

Don't want to be a party-pooper here, but I question the value of such a log, beyond gimmick. Maybe someone has made good use of such a thing and can chime in.

Those are great points Paul. I didn't really think about it like that.

This is the BassResource.com Fishing Log which can be downloaded.

You can also find it in the "Tacklebox" at the top of the page:

http://www.bassresource.com/fish/fishinglog3.gif

8-)

I really like that fishswanni website. It's kind of like a fishing myspace lol.

useful information is never a bad thing

Well let's see Paul, Ive keep records of every trip on every body of water I fish since 1972. While conditions may or may not be exactly the same as far as weather, water clarity, more or less vegetation the structure will be the same since it does not and will not change. I fish some of the exact same structure on Toledo Bend that I fished the first time on the lake in 1972. I also fish yearly with no less than 10 or 12 of the top Professional Pro Anglers and every one of them do the exact same thing. Tommy Martin who lives on the Bend has kept every copy of Lake Caster Magazine ever printed, in these magazines are listed every tournament ever fished on Toledo Bend and Lake Sam Rayburn. In these are found tournament results and found in these results are areas fished, baits used, techniques used, time of year, lake conditions ECT. To an inexperienced angler a fishing log would be considered a gimmick but to an experienced angler a wealth of invaluable information.

Just to add a little something more to consider my youngest son was reading over my log on Toledo Bend and said he found no less than 181 different locations that I have fished over a 36 year period. No way could I have ever remembered each had I not documented it but with the information I have listed I can find every one.  

I really like that fishswanni website. It's kind of like a fishing myspace lol.

x2

I love this website, makes keeping a log very easy, and i love the calender showing me my poor vs good fishing days, as well as the fish count for the month and year.

I really like that fishswanni website. It's kind of like a fishing myspace lol.

x2

I love this website, makes keeping a log very easy, and i love the calender showing me my poor vs good fishing days, as well as the fish count for the month and year.

what website is this?

its fishswami.com

I use the B/R log in the tacklebox section. It is simple yet gives me the information I need. Too much is just too much.

I really like that fishswanni website. It's kind of like a fishing myspace lol.

I love this site to. I love all the charts and graphs it builds for you. And it will auto send each entry to your buddies. I keep tabs on a friend in FL. Keeps photos of each trip.  Oh yeah it's FREE.

i keep a log of every trip i go on so i can look back on it the following years to see what was working and what was going on at the time.

I've slightly tweeked BR's fishing log to fit my needs and entered my data in an Excel spreadsheet. I keep a log of every trip as well. If I get in a rutt, my logs have come in VERY handy to get me back on track!

Well let's see Paul, ...To an inexperienced angler a fishing log would be considered a gimmick but to an experienced angler a wealth of invaluable information.

Catt, I guess you've said what you wanted to say, with an edge. Why the barb, I dunno.

I too have kept a detailed journal, since 1976. I didn't question the use of a journal or log. But I do question the value of a full blown database -the question asked here.

To this question I ask: Just how do you put things like weather, water temperature, how the wind factored in, what bait was present (species and activity), how many other anglers were present, not to mention presentation details, etc... -the myriad of details that make up a day, into neatly categorized fields?

Take water (surface) temp: i.e. "62F" -Where? The whole lake? So you should have a sub-field for each micro-spot on your lake? How about time of day? Was it a rapid change? Or a slow one? Did is start heating, then fall?

Take weather: i.'e "Sunny" -The whole day?? What about the previous 2 days?

Take presentation: i.e. Jig -Hmmmmm, there are a ton of possible configurations and manipulations to fit the day, or the hour, that are worth describing. Weight? Trailer? Color? Did they take on the fall, an acceleration, at splashdown, hopped, ripped, ...? Did you make any adjustment that mattered? Have to adapt in any way? Was it the same all over the lake? How many sub-fields there? Or did you just fish a "Jig".

Fishing requires an awful lot of variables that would be practically impossible to fit neatly into database fields. Someone could do it I suppose, but you'd have an awfully complicated base. And then you'd have to sit down and enter it all in appropriately -after a days fishing .

I had a guy contact me directly (he knew I keep detailed records) from a company that produces such a database for fishing. Site was very exciting, (all jazzed and hyped up) even had testimonials about how his software had helped anglers catch more fish. It's touted advantage was to provide the weather and astronomical data for your very lake. Sounds GREAT, at first. Turned out to be mostly gimmick in my book, for the above mentioned reasons I've already suggested, but also considering this:

I asked where the weather data came from. It came from the nearest airport 30 miles away from my house.

Now, In my immediate area (a 5 mile radius) we have about 40 weather recording stations, and the readings vary enormously over this area, because weather just isn't the same everywhere, even close to one another. When I upload weather data it's from within a mile of my fishing site. I also choose sites that fall within the same micro-drainage (cold air flows like water), and proximity to  urban landscapes (concrete holds heat). Best I can do. Would love to have a weather  station at each of my ponds though. That's just temperature. What does "partly cloudy" mean? What about amount and density of cloud cover? When did those clouds roll in? Did they impact your fishing?

As far as fishing logs in general, they are a VERY useful tool -if you record enough good info, and keep it up. A printed log can be used to fill in the modicum of useful info. If you prefer booting up a computer after a day's fishing, fine. That can work. (I prefer a journal style, written in prose to flesh out the day.) I view a true queriable database as overkill -way more power than most people will see, or bother to record.

But, maybe someone out there has done it successfully?

Let's play nice boys.

Sorry Paul, I agree with CATT.

Falcon

I too have kept a detailed journal, since 1976. I didn't question the use of a journal or log. But I do question the value of a full blown database -the question asked here.

The advantage of a database would be in allowing one to create reports and/or access data in a much easier manner.  Handwritten journals and spreadsheets work, but finding and linking datapoints is much more time intesive and difficult.  Building queries in a database would allow one to search their entire fishing history in minutes and not have to open and search 30 spreadsheets or read through 30 journals.  A database does not have to have every possible variable, just hit the high points and add a free text field for other notes.

Tyrius,

I see. That makes practical sense, especially with the text part.

Falcon,

Not sure what you're agreeing with. Tom never mentioned anything about database software. And I never said keeping records was a gimmick.

I always play nice, but I'm not timid.

I start by putting all my information into a Microsoft Word Document and then into an Excel spread sheet for search proposes.

As with any part of fishing simplicity is the key so do not over complicate the information; basic information is all that's required. In my data base is listed the following information.

Date: 02/09 02/11/79

Area: Polo Gaucho

Depth: 8 12'

Cover: Lily pad stems & Willow trees semi circle north & west

Structure: Under water farm pond

Weather: 38 degrees barometer rising, north west wind 17 mph, over cast

Water Condition: muddy murky; surface temp 51

Time: 10:30 am 3:30 pm (nothing early or late)

Lure: 3/8 oz single spin/copper blade/pink & chartreuse skirt, Arbogast Mud Bug crawfish

Total: 36 largest: 4.5 lbs

Tournament results: 1st place 15 bass 72.78 lbs

Notes:

Weather before the tournament was sunny, lower to mid 50s, south west winds light & variable

As with any part of fishing simplicity is the key so do not over complicate the information

I'd love to keep it simple, but nature just isn't.

As to a useful computer database, I can see if you fish a particular water body, often enough, you could use that power to delineate seasonal patterns and basic baits.

I prefer prose for my records it's a lot more fun.

Cheers!

Databases themselves are only so helpful. But i've never used a database program, including fishswammi.com, that doesn't have a text field in it.

The database info helps with a quick comparison

And the text section allows me to add the details that i need that database questions do not cover

It's a great combination of simplicity and complexity depending on what i need