Does anybody keep a journal of there fishing experiences?  For example what lake was fished, air temp, water temp, then record what each fish was caught on?  I figured this would help to develop patterns?  Just Wondering what you all thought?

Thanks and Tight Lines,

Brian

I have always relied on the computer God provided me, but the memory files are becoming harder to access than in years past. I would highly recommend a journal for anyone.....................Al

Hey BigGameHunter,

First, welcome to the boards!

Check out the top of the page under tacklebox. You'll find a free fishing log there! I've modified mine slightly to suit my needs and I also made mine in an Excel spreadsheet.

If you do a search here for "journal" or "fishing log", you'll find plenty of posts about this subject.

Enjoy!

I just started keeping mine last week.  I've only made three entries so far.

I could see where this would help and it's already help me make better decisions as far as lure selection goes.

If you go to the tacklebox and click on it you see a fishing log. I downloaded it and then customized it for how I fish Once you start doing this you can pick up a lot of patterns etc It was a good way to start for me and probablly will work for you

I recently made a fishing database using Filemaker Pro. I used the form on this site as a starting point and customized it. Filemaker allows you to sort the entries and seach them so you can figure out, say, how many fish you've been catching on sunny days and/or when the wind is coming from the south. I also have it set up to keep a running total of fish and fish species caught as well as the number of hours spent fishing. The database is set up for me and for fishing in my part of the world, but it's easy enough to modify the file to suit your needs.

I'm happy to send it to anyone who has Filemaker. Send me a PM, and I'll e-mail it to you.

I have a fishing log that I keep for a pond that measures the length of the fish, wieght of the fish, girth, and other measurments so that I can keep track of the fishes growth rates. I also have a log for my own benefits that keeps track of what bait is used, presentaion, water type, location,time of day, weight, lenght, etc. etc. It's good to look back if you are going to a lake you havent fished in a while and see what  they were hitting on.

always keep a journal. i have been journaling every trip this year. the president of my club turned me on to keeping a journal. he has been journaling for 10 years, and he chooses sites for our tourny's based on his findings. as a matter of fact,  holiday park here in florida has been red hot. however, it is starting to slow down. our next tourny is at a lake that according to his journal will start firing soon. so it helps when trying to find fish and what baits are working.

A journal is a great idea, therefor I have always kept one.  Have to be disciplined to make entrys after each tournament and significant trips to a body of water.  It is a great reference for future use.