Keeping a log

Glassy

New member
Hi guys, im wondering if anyone here keeps a log or records of their fishing missions. Does anyone keep a log of water temps and currents, atmospheric conditions, tackle and gear used for each outing and details of your spot on the day etc?

There are a number of apps which you can record your details on, as well as the old school method of a pen and paper, and some guys i know even record video and voice clips on their phones to take home and add to their other info.

I'm just curious to see how other guys here are doing things.
::tight:
 
nope...I don't

when you do spend enough time at the shoreline, then you get use to what happens and when.

its like 2nd nature.
fish don't always play ball.

just note, feeding frenzies can happen any time in the worst conditions, then all your notes are out the window.
 

Glassy

New member
willem wikkel spies wrote:
nope...I don't

when you do spend enough time at the shoreline, then you get use to what happens and when.

its like 2nd nature.
fish don't always play ball.

just note, feeding frenzies can happen any time in the worst conditions, then all your notes are out the window.

Makes sense Oom, but you've probably been fishing for longer than I've been alive. I was thinking this could help less experienced anglers to get more familiar with which techniques and conditions are best for certain applications.
 

RotsRot

New member
I remember a couple of threads on this topic, all the general consensus was it is not worthwhile. I agree with that, and what Willem says.

Just in my limited experience, I've had days at the same spot with essentially the exact same conditions on the day / the few leading up to it, with completely different results.

Some days everything is perfect but there are no fish, and occasionally it can be the other way around. This is part of the wonder and mystery that is fishing. There are of course certain things that are good / usually mean there should be fish, eg. wind direction / water temperature and colour. But to keep a log is a lot of effort, and then on the day to look back for a similar day and make a call on that too, usually with little reward.
I wonder if it may not also make you trick yourself into putting yourself in a box and only working according to what happened that previous day last season just because today's conditions are the same as that.

Best to learn to read water, as well as what conditions are favorable for the area you are going to / species you are targeting, and go for it. If the fish aren't "playing ball" as Willem said, work with what is in front of you. As my mentor always says, "die idees moet net nie op raak nie" - work hard and try different things, and move if a spot's too quiet. You learn more with every session, and with that your confidence grows - it's a slow process and hard work, but if it was easy it would not be half as rewarding.
 

RotsRot

New member
willem wikkel spies wrote:
just note, feeding frenzies can happen any time in the worst conditions, then all your notes are out the window.

SO TRUE. Just last Friday I went and made a quick throw for something toothy after work. For some reason I took my spinning rod and a couple of spoons along, even though conditions were not favourable for elf / garrick at all - primarily, we'd had SW wind almost all week - opposite of what you'd want.
But not long after I put a bait out on the big rod, a big bait ball of mullet got pushed in against shore right in front of me and it was wild - caught 12 very nice elf 35-45cm in 40 minutes or so.
 
the biggest secret is knowing where the working water is.

thus knowing how to read the water.
then knowing how to fish the working water.
currents and wind does play a role here.

then, when a spot does not produce...moving off to the next spot and to try fishing it.

we tend to be lazy...I like sitting and waiting due to hunting the live bait hunters.
so just put the live bait where they can get to them easily....

but what works for me, will not always work for you
 

Glassy

New member
I have no mentor and almost always fish alone so its a steep learning curve with the new techniques. What you guys say makes sense though - experience will make the difference. Need to get out and fish more often.
 

Pylstert

Sealiner
Nothing wrong with keeping notes some very good anglers do it. You may see patterns or you may not. At least you will be able to know what happened when. Unlike relying on memory that fades and then you start believing your own and other people's stories 😀😂
 

Spool-Song

Sealiner
I count the number of coloured fishermen on the beach. If there are lots, then then the fish are biting. If there are none, I catch nothing;)

I also find that if I step out the car and can smell the sea, seaweed, redbait etc, then it is going to be a good fishing day. No idea why.
 

Glassy

New member
Spool-Song wrote:
I count the number of coloured fishermen on the beach. If there are lots, then then the fish are biting. If there are none, I catch nothing;)

I also find that if I step out the car and can smell the sea, seaweed, redbait etc, then it is going to be a good fishing day. No idea why.

I will keep an eye out for the bruin ous here in Kzn. Maybe tings will improve ::rofl:
 

DJP

Sealiner
Keeping record to increase your chances of success really depends how you measure success.

As recreational angler you might be happy to catch a couple fish and spend the day out driving around looking for a bite. If you fish competitively it's time wasted travelling and searching whereas the odds would have been better if you went on some kind of trend for that specific condition or time of year.

I use to keep an excel log when I fished competitively, and I know of guys that still do. The value of it when done properly and used correctly will definitely increase your success. It not only allows you to go back to correlate the said conditions and time of year with your records, it also makes you methodically question what the actually issue was for the fish not biting. Thus it's as important to annotate successful days as it is unsuccessful days. I have picked up numerous trends I would not have if I didn't annotate it. Things like when certain species arrive and at what time of year their preference for certain baits change, how the size of certain species change etc etc.
 

Glassy

New member
DJP wrote:
Keeping record to increase your chances of success really depends how you measure success.

As recreational angler you might be happy to catch a couple fish and spend the day out driving around looking for a bite. If you fish competitively it's time wasted travelling and searching whereas the odds would have been better if you went on some kind of trend for that specific condition or time of year.

I use to keep an excel log when I fished competitively, and I know of guys that still do. The value of it when done properly and used correctly will definitely increase your success. It not only allows you to go back to correlate the said conditions and time of year with your records, it also makes you methodically question what the actually issue was for the fish not biting. Thus it's as important to annotate successful days as it is unsuccessful days. I have picked up numerous trends I would not have if I didn't annotate it. Things like when certain species arrive and at what time of year their preference for certain baits change, how the size of certain species change etc etc.

((goodp_ Thanks for your input DJP. This is exactly what I was thinking. Should help to improve consistency if done properly.
 

willo

Sealiner
Glassy wrote:
DJP wrote:
Keeping record to increase your chances of success really depends how you measure success.

As recreational angler you might be happy to catch a couple fish and spend the day out driving around looking for a bite. If you fish competitively it's time wasted travelling and searching whereas the odds would have been better if you went on some kind of trend for that specific condition or time of year.

I use to keep an excel log when I fished competitively, and I know of guys that still do. The value of it when done properly and used correctly will definitely increase your success. It not only allows you to go back to correlate the said conditions and time of year with your records, it also makes you methodically question what the actually issue was for the fish not biting. Thus it's as important to annotate successful days as it is unsuccessful days. I have picked up numerous trends I would not have if I didn't annotate it. Things like when certain species arrive and at what time of year their preference for certain baits change, how the size of certain species change etc etc.

((goodp_ Thanks for your input DJP. This is exactly what I was thinking. Should help to improve consistency if done properly.


When i started competitive fishing one of the older boys took me under there wing so to speak . After about 3/4 years of getting to be mates , i was having a beer with him the one night he brought out his " black book " his fishing journal .

He had 20 yrs of history in that book , locations , weather , tides ,moon phase, wind, sea temps , bom temps . It was incredible .

Different baits at different times of the year for certain species .
When certain species started to come into the area and where to start targeting them .
Deep sea , rock and surf and estuary
I was blown away with the in depth way he went about his angling .

I started my own one in SA , but lost it in my travels .

I now just use my phone , take a few photo's and screen shots of the weather , the fish caught and add it to the album . The time and date is stamped and its easy to flick back through time .
 

Glassy

New member
Thanks for the post Willo. That black book is exactly what im hoping to do myself. I just have to make a start with it, and then divide it into spinning and bait/surf fishing. ::tight:
 

Kenty

Sealiner
:cool:..Im no pro fisherman , just a fisherman that likes to throw spoon for kob and specifically in bricky areas and specifically with a multiplier and specifically with nylon....I have been doing this specifically since 2004 so give or take thats 15 odd years throwing spoon for kob ONLY...I have , now 4 diaries/note books of every outing I have ever fished on and its even more specific as to the 50 odd kay coastline from Gonubie to The Kei river and at times even more specific to just sections of this coast line , know to us as The Jikeleza....Folks , let me tell you as a humble amateur , The TREND IS YOUR FRIEND!!!...

Or you can just go gooi n soek , which is also allright as it beats sitting on the couch watching mindless telly...BUT...for me I like the detailed noting of conditions , weather etc etc , fish are no different to any other living being on our blue ball we call Earth , and that is they are habitual...BUT you do get the mavericks in life BUT by n large most species in nature have their habits ...the secret is , is to crack the code at what you after...Im still learning about the kobbie code and I do believe I am 50% there....
I have 5 condition things I look for and these 5 have ALWAYS produced the good . especially should they be aligned....
So...the moral of this little epistle of mine is that one can poo poo the note/diary idea/thing ...BUT...it certainly goes a helluva way to making your fishing outing so much more optimumly productive...I just dont like gooi n soek..._seal1_
 

Kenty

Sealiner
;)Two of my note books...often go back and read them...
 

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Glassy

New member
Thanks for the reply Kenty. You make a lot of sense, and I bet the info those books of yours are priceless. I think i remember reading about those trends in a post of yours on another site. I will locate the posts and study them again.

::tight:
 

Kenty

Sealiner
Glassy wrote:
Thanks for the reply Kenty. You make a lot of sense, and I bet the info those books of yours are priceless. I think i remember reading about those trends in a post of yours on another site. I will locate the posts and study them again.

::tight:
;)Hehe...not sure if they priceless ..BUT..certainly have helped over time to GO FISH when the conditions are ON...according to the trend Ive accumulated over a period of time....Example::..

For the last 10 months we have experienced atrocious conditions here along our coast line ..every weekend (some of us have day jobs..:?) the sea would be out of whack...cold...then HUGE..then surging and so on and on...

Last weekend I was astounded as I saw the systems coming up the coast the week prior and started getting that viskoors feeling...and boy ou boy was I not dissappointed...bar the chilly water the kobbies were around!!...AND..

This coming weekend is stacking up again as a good one ...so we will see...;)
 

Glassy

New member
Those books are indeed priceless - even more so because the info in them works.

I managed to find the "Lazy thumb" story and its really good reading. Impressive that you spin with an Sl30. Respect.

I hope the weekend is good for you, and i hope you pull a beast out. And post the pics here :)
 

Kenty

Sealiner
Glassy wrote:
Those books are indeed priceless - even more so because the info in them works.

I managed to find the "Lazy thumb" story and its really good reading. Impressive that you spin with an Sl30. Respect.

I hope the weekend is good for you, and i hope you pull a beast out. And post the pics here :)
:)Aaaahhh...The Lazy Thumb....still a work in progress and I must update as I have at least 4 more chapters to add...

Jip , thanks , lets hope this weekend delivers and its ALL gonna be about finding that right window...._seal1_
 
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