Fishing Record Keeping System - Logbook/Diary

[Peter K]

G'day everybody.

Just a quick one. Ive noticed this past month or two that quite a few people from this site have mentioned that they have a diary/logbook to keep record of their fishing outings. Just wondering if anybody can give me some advice for starting my own. What key info should I acknowledge in my diary. 

Some write up the species caught, tides, moon, time of day, date, water clarity etc

does anybody have a rough template, or just suggested subtopics that might be handy to keep recorded in my attempt of a lifelong fishing logbook?

Many thanks,

Peter

[sashkello]

Piggy-backing off the main topic (sorry if the OP is opposed to it - I can start another topic if so) - anyone can recommend apps which can do it for free? I used fishbrain, and it's OK for recording catches and then it has tools to summarize your stats... But, it's not free and was crashing on my phone a lot. Handwritten or custom Excel table log is cool, but if there is something available already with ability to summarize info without putting your own work into it, I'd use it!

[Peter K]

No worries mate, an app would be cool too, i do like the idea of hand writing it myself, then looking back at my records in 20 years time. the convenience of an app would be unmatched though.

[Steve0]

I used Excel and automated a lot of data fetching (recognise a lot won't be able to do that, and scraping websites for data sometimes 'breaks' when a site is updated). It was automated to the extent I had weather, tide, swell, etc every day, whether I went fishing or not.

OTOMH (may not have remembered a couple of things, but I'm sure someone will add anything missed):

Day, date, times, tidal state, phase of moon, location, wind direction, weather (overcast/clear/rain), swell size, swell direction, water clarity, bait/lure, hookups, landed, species, size, released, kept, notes.  You might even link to photos. However, it's your diary. Keep only what is important to you.

You need multiple lines in a spreadsheet when you change location, bait, lure, catch different species, etc.

The advantage of a spreadsheet is you can filter (e.g. to only show Bream). Because you caught a number of fish at {location X} on 30/9/2024, does not mean you'll repeat it next year or next year on the first date after that has the same tidal state.  I found that writing notes was enough to make me think about what happened, improvement came over time.  Now, I don't bother. I'd fishing over writing about it

[Peter K]

Thanks for that Steve.

That excel table of yours must have been crazy! Really cool what you created.

I do want to give it a go and see if its for me, if not, i just fish how i always do and don't bother with keeping records, photos of new PB's will do.

Would you mentioned about being able to customise/filter info displayed is really interesting and I would assume could be a very handy thing.

Thanks for the pointers, that has truly helped a ton.

[sashkello]

8 minutes ago, Peter KH said:

No worries mate, an app would be cool too, i do like the idea of hand writing it myself, then looking back at my records in 20 years time. the convenience of an app would be unmatched though.

Yeah, both ways have their advantages and disadvantages. Not every app allows to download data in a neat format, losing it would be a disaster (no app lasts that long)...

Currently I'm using a custom database to record my trips, in hopes I can write some scripts to summarize my data when enough of it accumulates. Basic weather stuff + location + bait & lures + comments etc... Also one important element is water clarity and overcast conditions, started recording it only recently when I realized there is a pattern. I don't think what I do is extremely useful unless you code as a hobby

The main problem for me is that it is important to keep track of both good and bad outings, and I'm not quite sure how to properly summarize such things. Because if 99% of the time you come out fishing in good weather at midday and catch 5-6 good fish in that time, it might seem that those conditions are prime time on paper, when compared to 2-3 good fish you caught during that one time you fished in heavy rain, if you only record actual catches. You need to somehow weigh them by time spent. I  started to record start and end time of each session for that reason. 

Anyway, in simplified form my pattern looks like this, I use json format because I'm kind of used for it in my line of work:

{

start_time:

end_time:

location: 

weather: {wind_speed wind_direction clouds swell_height swell_direction water_quality}

catches: {time lure_bait tide_stage species size comment}

comment: 

}

Some people might consider it important to add leader type here as well, but I'm kind of settled on what I use, so don't bother with it too much. I've only started doing this recently, so there only like 5 entries there, and it is a bit bothersome TBH, needs more automation, that's why I'd be more happy with an app... Like Steve0 said, you can pull weather data using some kind of API, I'll need to get on it at some point and then all weather-related things will be autofilled. But yeah, I know I'm going to overengineer it at some point and maintaining it will be a separate hobby altogether having little to do with fishing at that point

[Peter K]

Thanks sash, some great tips there. Making sure i record donut trips is my key takeaway. Thanks for the details.

 

Cheers,

Pete

[Green Hornet]

I’ve kept a diary going for just over 40 years and these days it’s almost identical to what @Steve0 has described on an excel spreadsheet. Different pages for some of my favorite species and all the relevant conditions I feel necessary. Even when land based I record water temperature, by using a simple pool thermometer either dropped in a bucket of water or when wading, tied to my waist or belt loop on a thin cord for 10 minutes or so. The thermometers are cheap and take up next to no room in the backpack.

 

 

 

 

[Peter K]

Thanks GH, i didn't even think about water temp, 40 years is very impressive, truly dedicated to fishing you are.

Cheers, Peter.

[Little_Flatty]

 

@sashkello apple shortcuts or the android equivalent is the bomb. I have an IOS shortcut to get for weather and tide data with location and time as an input, you just need to get your own API key. It stores the data as JSON. Can share via PM if you’re on IOS but if you’re an android user you’re on your own 🙃

@Peter KH the gen Z (and younger) approach would be to get the date, time and location (and any notes) and then API the rest of the information in. You’ll need some level of coding knowledge (good chance to acquire some). Big upside is that you can retrospectively update your records with only a little effort.

But in all seriousness, @Green Hornet is the king of the diary. His diary should be willed to a university. Which goes to show, it’s, not about the technology; it’s about the discipline and habits that one develops over time.

[Green Hornet]

@Little_Flatty Nobody is getting their hands on my diary LOL. I have a mate that jokes about how he’s going to break in while I’m not home and steal it. I tell him it’s encrypted and hidden where he’ll never find it.

Seriously though, I’ve never been one to keep secrets and have told him and many others everything I’ve learnt over the years.

[sashkello]

44 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

@sashkello apple shortcuts or the android equivalent is the bomb. I have an IOS shortcut to get for weather and tide data with location and time as an input, you just need to get your own API key. It stores the data as JSON. Can share via PM if you’re on IOS but if you’re an android user you’re on your own 🙃

 

Yeah, I'm on Android, but thanks for the tip, I'll figure it out from here

[Peter K]

Thanks, @Little_Flatty, I would be classified as Gen Z, but trust me, I am far from one, my tech skills are about the same as a mid 60's old bloke. Seriously, I know the basics of operating a computer/phone. But ask me to do any form of coding or CAD exta, I'd be there for years, I'm hopeless at that stuff. Words like JSON, API etc go way over my head. I do like the sounds of the old fashioned 'write it out yourself on paper ' style. 

Is GH's diary on excel or paper, I'm a bit confused.

 

Cheers, Peter

 

[faker]

These days I just fish whenever stopped caring about records. Just my species understanding and my area of fishing changed

[Little_Flatty]

4 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

@Little_Flatty Nobody is getting their hands on my diary LOL. I have a mate that jokes about how he’s going to break in while I’m not home and steal it. I tell him it’s encrypted and hidden where he’ll never find it.

Seriously though, I’ve never been one to keep secrets and have told him and many others everything I’ve learnt over the years.

There may be ‘bad actors’ from the big smoke (or even in the pub!) trying to obtain your diary and then selling it for a bitcoin bounty 🤣

3 hours ago, sashkello said:

Yeah, I'm on Android, but thanks for the tip, I'll figure it out from here

Yeah the phone automation piece was a game changer for me. Turns your phone into a diarising powerhouse.

I’m using exif data from photos as a starting point but the disadvantage is that I need to take a photo to record information (which means I only record if I catch a fish).

Design problem right there! But because no one’s paying me and fixing it will take up valuable time when I could otherwise be fishing, it’s going to be a while before it’s rectified!🤣

Won’t be hard for you to set up something better, given your skillset.

1 hour ago, Peter KH said:

Thanks, @Little_Flatty, I would be classified as Gen Z, but trust me, I am far from one, my tech skills are about the same as a mid 60's old bloke. Seriously, I know the basics of operating a computer/phone. But ask me to do any form of coding or CAD exta, I'd be there for years, I'm hopeless at that stuff. Words like JSON, API etc go way over my head. I do like the sounds of the old fashioned 'write it out yourself on paper ' style. 

Is GH's diary on excel or paper, I'm a bit confused.

 

Cheers, Peter

 

GH’s diary started as paper, but became excel. But it’s not the medium of the diary, it’s the discipline behind it that’s impressive.

Good time to learn some programming skills. Regardless of what you end up doing in life, it will be useful! And there’s no better project to learn with than something you’re interested in. By all means start with a spreadsheet, but there’s a lot more you can do when you get some coding skills. We were all beginners once.

[Peter K]

Thanks @Little_Flatty, the idea of getting coding skills sounds good, but in reality, not sure how well I'll do and it my just put me off from doing the whole record keeping system or even worse, fishing in general. I think paper is the way to go for me if I do go down this path.

[riveRecon]

I do this in the Deckee app. I’ve picked up my successful patterns using this. I get to see the trip track and where I stopped too. I’m sure the functionality will progress further one day and I get to keep my insights for those I want to share it with. Here’s a link to this trip of the pictures here if you’d like to take a look… https://deckee.com/maps/trips/summary/855840

[Peter K]

@riveRecon Very interesting, that looks simple enough to managed, thanks to the suggestion.

[mrsswordfisherman]

11 hours ago, riveRecon said:

I do this in the Deckee app. I’ve picked up my successful patterns using this. I get to see the trip track and where I stopped too. I’m sure the functionality will progress further one day and I get to keep my insights for those I want to share it with. Here’s a link to this trip of the pictures here if you’d like to take a look… https://deckee.com/maps/trips/summary/855840

Thanks for showing members the functionality in Deckee app.

 

[mrsswordfisherman]

https://support.deckee.com/en/articles/4965913-how-do-i-log-a-trip-or-activity
Here is how to log a trip in Deckee app

This question has come up many times over the years. Do a search on here for previous posts. 

A few members use fishraider as their electronic diary as well as a paper one!

They place a report each time they go out fishing and they can then look back on the details  
Here is a good post with what to add into the fishing report 

 

[Mike from DECKEE]

Interesting thread! If DECKEE built a catch logbook into the app, what would be the killer features you would want it to have? 🤔 

[Little_Flatty]

31 minutes ago, Mike from DECKEE said:

Interesting thread! If DECKEE built a catch logbook into the app, what would be the killer features you would want it to have? 🤔 

SO many things Mike.

Tide, Moon phase, swell, location, barometric pressure, wind, bait/lure details would be a great start. For the catch details, species, size etc. The option to take a photo with location enabled. Also of course the free hand notes. At time of capture and also maybe averages during a trip.

For viewing the data, an easy way to browse records. Plotting catches on a map, charts to record catch statistics by species, time of year, tide etc would be useful. Also the downloading of data would be useful.

Privacy is an issue to protect spots and also for personal safety. So maybe make catch sharing optional. But I suspect aggregated information might be ok, for instance if we see that catches of a certain species are on the up in a certain waterway, that might influence one’s decision with regard to trip planning.

It’s not just about catches. Logging trip details whether there was anything caught is useful. All the usual trip details that Deckee already records are useful. Members like @XD351 already use these in their reports from time to time. I have thought of using it to log trot lines when fishing a shoreline (I still don’t own any water craft).

One thing I struggle with is being consistent with logging trip details. Not sure if the on water detection feature might be tweaked to ask if we are fishing and maybe encourage the logging of a fishing report on the app?

 

[GoldenHourFishing]

Google photos is my diary, I get weekly updates "On this day 1 year ago" etc 

 

It will show me pictures of the fish I caught that day or week a year prior, so I know that certain seasonal fish will probably be on the bite again in that location that I took the photo. Its not an exact science but neither is the diary. 

[noelm]

Years ago I used to keep a diary of sorts, and over time it is interesting how things kind of fit together, but, I found the actual conditions seemed to be reasonably constant over the years. Periods of strong winds/big seas and so on were quite regular over the years. Certain months seemed to fish better than others, but then, I used to just fish whenever I could, rather than check my diary/calendar/chart and what the conditions were dictated where I fished and what I fished for. Plus over time, my target fishing species changed too. During winter, even during those horrible westerlies I still fished for Bream in the boat, right in close to the rocks. The summer north eaters saw me Snapper fishing or beach fishing, so the diary kind of reflected those activities. I haven’t kept the diary for years now, don’t even know where it is, but then, my fishing is very simple now, Whiting and crabs are my “thing” with the odd Flathead drift thrown in when the weather is nice. Might take up Snapper again when I sort out my boats.

[mrsswordfisherman]

@Mike from DECKEE

Here is a report that I did a few years ago on Hairtail. 

See in the screenshots where I logged some of that trip in Deckee app and in the notes section I posted a link to the report I did that sits here in the forum. 
It would encourage people to follow the link to a report and join the community hub. 

I have thought for a long time that a fishing report template could be built here. It is why I did that fishing report in so much detail. Members could use the template or continue to craft their own style of reporting. 

You may get interesting data. 
No need to build fishing reporting in the app, it’s all here 😃