Keep A Fishing Log

Can a briefcase help you catch a bass? Depends on what's in the briefcase! If it's full of a secret lure, it might help. It can be even more helpful if it is full of the right kind of information in a fishing log.

I won a January Flint River Bass Club tournament at Jackson Lake because of a briefcase. It was not a secret lure thatI carried around in its own case. A log of past fishing trips won that tournament for me. It is a good example of many other fishing trips that have been more successful because of my fishing logs.

We put in at Kersey's that cold January morning.
The waterwas 41 degrees - not enough degrees to really get excited about catching a bass. The night before, I had read my fishing logs from past January Jackson trips. Most bass caught under similar conditions in the past were taken on small crankbaits crawled on a clay or rock bottom. Several keepers had been taken on a point across from the boat ramp, so that is where I started.

When the point did not produce, I got ready to head down the lake. I remembered a note from a couple of years back to try the bridge pilings so I eased over to them. A four pound bass hit a white spinnerbait fluttered down the first piling. It turned outto be the only strike I had all day. It also turned out to be the biggest of the two bass brought to the scales in the tournament. Would I have fished that piling without my fishing log? Maybe. But I might have headed off to a point at the dam that I wanted to fish and thought would hold bass that day. I never had a strike on that point that day. I'm glad I read the log!

Old Fishing Logs

I started fishing so young that some of my earliest memories are of following my grandmother to local ponds, carrying a short cane pole and a can of worms. I had an Uncle who lived in Virginia and his annual summer trips were looked forward to with great excitement because they meant many fishing trips.

Uncle Mayhu always had "modern" tackle - a rod and reel - and used artificial baits. There was nothing like fishing a Hula Popper early in the morning and then making a choice of what worm color to use - either black or red since those were the only two colors made in the mid 50's! Uncle Mayhu also told me I should keep up with the bass I caught and use that information the next time I went fishing.

I still have the old snuff can note pad with notes like "June5, 1958 - Harrison's pond - four bass by stumps on red Creme worm - biggest bass by stump with bush on top." I kept up with my fishing trips for several years until my teenage hormones in the mid 60's made me pay more attention to other things.

After college and marriage, fishing again became very important. I joined a bass club in 1974 and bought my first bass boat that year. In 1976 I started keeping up with my fishing trips and have logged in every bass I have caught since then. It is fun as well as helpful.

How To Keep A Fishing Log

There are many ways to keep up with your fishing. You can buy log books with fill-in- the-blank type questions ready made on each page. You can buy computer programs that let you type in information and sort it. I use a cheap, simple method that works for me. Any way you want to keep a log is best - if it works for you and you will do it!

In 1976, I used a Coca-Cola calendar for planning my schedule while teaching school. It was natural to start making notes on it on the days I went fishing. The very first note I made was on January 24, 1976 and read "Sinclair - two on chrome Hellbenders on dam riprap." That is very similar to the old logs from my youth!

This process has evolved over the years to include more detailand information. You might want to use my methods and add your own if you decide to keep a log. If you start one, it is easy to get used to keeping it and making it a habit of writing down theinformation.

Each year, I try to find a calendar with large squares for each day with no writing in them. For the past three years I have used a calendar sent out by the NRA. I also like one with the moon phases on it. I have tried fishing calendars in the past, those that show the best days to go fishing, but the ones I tried did not have enough room for my information. Anyway, I think the best day to go fishing is any day you can!