Fishing Log Website

[Buggy]

I stumbled upon a website where you can maintain a detailed fishing log. Has any one used this website in the past. It seems better than using Excel or Access.


Here's the website:

http://onlinefishinglog.com/

 

[sandfly]

the best log is one you take along when you fish..

 

[buffalo]

I agree with you Sand fly, there is nothing better than sipping down a cool bottle of Chesterfield Ale while changing out of my boots then making notes on the day's fishing,( well almost nothing!)
Buffalo

 

[JDemko]

Sandfly, what type of things do you put in your log... whats an example of a typical page after an outing..

 

[gzacckey]

I think there is a place for each of the three basic forms of logs.

1 - Good old pen and paper

Pluses - It's cheap, reliable and easy to make drawings.
Doesn't require batteries or internet access.
Less duplication of information.
There's just something personal about a nice hand written log that is lost in technology.
Plus if you spill that beer on your paper log it adds character. If you spill it on your laptop :-(
Minuses - Not as easy to integrate pictures, not as easy to share information, not as searchable.

2 - Local PC/Laptop/Blackberry/PDA logs (access, excel, OneNote, specific fishing log applications, ...)

Pluses - you don't need wifi/internet access.
You can keep your laptop in your vehicle for mid-day notes.
Easy to email/print information for others.
I use OneNote so it's also fairly easy to include rough drawings, include links, scan in articles, attach documents, copy web pages, include photos,... Plus I've created my own stationary to dress up the logs. Whenever I'm preparing for a trip everything is nicely linked together and searchable without junking up the log.

Minuses - These devices are theft items.
They run on batteries.
It's something else to lug along on a fishing trip.
Since you don't usually take these to the stream you may need to record notes along the stream and then key them in later on your laptop.

3 - Online logs (there are quite a few to choose from)-

Offer many of the same benefits as locally stored logs.
Some additional benefits are you can read/write notes from any internet accessible device. So if you don't have your laptop/Blackberry/whatever you can still make notes using someone else's device. This method is also the easiest to share information. You simply open your log for others to see or send them a link.

Minuses - Internet/wifi is required otherwise you're writing it down somewhere then re-entering the information online later.
You need to see if you can make local backups that can be read by application on your laptop. Otherwise, if the site goes out of business so does your log.

Some people use more than one method. I tend to use option 2 since it seems to fit my personal preferences and I can't read my own writing at times.

 

[JackM]

I have a file on my computer desktop where I am recording this year's outings. I have been out 6 times and have 4 caught trout to my credit.

I think I did much better before I kept a log. :-(

 

[sandfly]

ive used this one since the 70's...Im not one to use it everyday like i should, i use it or another i have..What nice is i can get new sheets printed up..

 

[sandfly]

lately ive been using(http://www.mydailyfishinglog.com/)since i can print them, and add pics..

 

[tabasco_joe]

I don't understand the need to keep a log. I can remember exactly where I caught my fish last year. Both of em!

Just kidding. I'm going to try to keep my own log this year. I don't trust keeping the data on someone else's WEB site. They could be gone tomorrow. I like the idea of a log book that can go along in the field.

 

[MKern]

Keeping a log always intrigued me and I tried it when I first started out. It looked something like sandfly's paper version. And most of the time I glues the index card I wrote on to the back of the picture of a fish I caught that outing.

To me though, everyday on the stream is different, so cross referencing a log for similar conditions during same point in a week for clues/help just takes time away from fishing; even though it is just a couple minutes. Plus, I never remembered to write any info down whe I got home. I'd rather spend that time replacing lost lost flies or tying up something new for my fly box that matches what ever bug was hatching while the image is still fresh in my mind.

I think logs and journals are wonderful ideas, but for me they are unpractical. If I want to know what's hatching, I'll turn my attention to the bugs around me, and not a chart or reference I wrote.

 

[MKern]

Plus my fishing buddy keeps a really detailed log. So I can always cross reference his.

Or if I'm heading up to the Pine Creek valley, I'll just call the Big Meadows Fly Shop for some quality insight.

 

[PaulG]

The last few years, I've ben using the one that Sandfly uses, my daily fishing log. I like keeping a log and this one works just fine for me.



PaulG

 

[jayL]

For me, part of the fun is getting to the stream and not knowing what to expect beyond "the yellow ones come off this month".

I think that's why I keep letting my subconscious make me fail at keeping the damn things.

 

[Padraic]

JackM wrote:
I have a file on my computer desktop where I am recording this year's outings. I have been out 6 times and have 4 caught trout to my credit.

I think I did much better before I kept a log. :-(

It can work the other way too. I don't keep a log but PaulG does.

A while back, we were talking about the grannom hatch on Penns. I said how frustrating I thought that hatch was, and he says "but you caught ten during it last year." I had no idea I did that well on Penns ...ever!

 

[Giventoflyfish]

I use Wordpress on a USB stick (backup regularly of course). It allows me to keep a journal, but I keep other fishing info on there such as directions and tips. I recently got a phone that has GPS and google maps, so I'm looking at adding GPS points for special spots and where I caught fish.

 

[Chaz]

For a few years I kept a log of where, when, how long, I fished what I caught and the weather. IT is eye opening to look back on, and I know as I get older I will not remember things like I used to, it's already happening. For those of you who are brash and young you won't understand until you're older, but it will happen to you too.
Therefore I will start keeping a log this year for the rest of my life. The single biggest benefit of keeping a log is; referring to it when you return to a stream that you haven't fished in a couple of years. It may not seem like a big thing, but trust me it will be a big as you get older. You simply forget things. Things that are important to know, like the date and what you caught fish on and how many fish you caught.
I have no need to share a fishing log online and frankly there is no rhyme or reason to where and when I fish. However, when I return to a stream it's good to know the basics.
What will my log include?
Weather, where, time, date, what I caught, flies used, where I stayed, who I fished with size of fish.

 

[schrec]

I think keeping a log is a great idea. I'm more of a traditionalist though. As much as I appreciate new technology, there's something more classic and "fly fishing-like" in the leather bound carry-in-your-vest journal like sandfly's. Also -- and perhaps this is the poet in me -- I don't like all the columns and categories with details like Winds -- Very light -- Light -- Medium -- Heavy etc. I prefer to write it all down in paragraph form as I see relevant to that particular trip. For example, "Heavy winds made long distance casting difficult. So close, stealthy approach was the ticket to day." Or " Fishing was very slow, perhaps the cold water temps 45 degrees had something to do with it." I guess it's a matter of style and personal preference.

rising fish always
schrec

 

[lestrout]

My logging system for a few decades now, after trying the written forms and journals mentioned above, consists of A) tape recording my thoughts on the stream and B) later transcribing the major facts (date, water, start and end times, rod, line, reel, fish landed and now USGS water levels) into an Excel that's set up with macros to handle the stats automatically.

I ffish a lot of waters, and as was pointed out above, this system improves my planning for meeting hatches, choosing best times of day, and deciding what rod/line/reel combos to bring. This helps immensely on deciding which way to go when a number of watersheds are available on a given day.

It's great to hear the splish splash of ffishies and screaming reels on tape. This system helps me recall lots of other detail years later since I can relive the moments, adding to the pleasure. In some cases, by linking details which I may not have thought significant at the time, I can improve zeroing on prediction factors (think phrenology with blooming flowers on certain hillsides with a given hatch) and associative indicators like dragonflies and certain hatches/locations.

tl
les

 

[gzacckey]

lestrout,

I never thought of recording my notes. Do you save the recording on your computer or just keep the tapes for later review?

While I'm pretty good at recording the basics after most trips I don't always take the time to put in the extra bits of information. Just lazy sometimes. However, recording would seem to help with that and, like you said, it also helps to bring back that experience of that day.

In my case I would probably use an MP3 recorder and upload the recording so it's linked to that day's log. I just might try that this year. Thanks for the idea!

Or I could even go crazier and use transcription software so it's searchable. Have I gone too far :-o ???

 

[steve98]

i just keep the OLD pen and paper
maybe someday someone will read what i wrote