Keeping Notes and Developing a Strategy
It's a beautiful day on the lake - slight breeze, partly cloudy, very few boaters, and a lunch to die for. Your buddy pulls out his fishing notebook and states that we're headed to Wahoo Creek, Marker Four". "Why are we going there?" you ask. Response: "My fishing journal reports that I caught some Stripers there last year on this date." All of us fall prey to this type of thinking. What should be our considerations? Certainly, water temperature, Lake level, weather conditions, barometric pressure, and moon phase.
The maintenance of a fishing journal is a "wonderful thing." When used properly, it can steer you to places where the fish ought to be on any day of the year. Handwritten daily journals provide valuable information regarding past experience but, there is only so much information one can gather and collate with respect to a handwritten journal.
Undoubtedly, keeping notes in your fishing journal puts you in front of the folks who fail to do so. What information is important to you and how do you use it? Take a close look at the following list and compare its contents to your journal.
- Fish caught by location
- Water temperature
- Fishing method
- Fishing technique, i.e., artificials, down lines, etc.
- Type of bait used, if applicable
- Weight and number of fish caught by location
- Air temperature
- Moon phase
- Depth of lake
- Weather conditions
- Wind – both force and direction; did the wind change direction during the day?
- Water clarity
- Cloudy, clear, etc.
- Barometric pressure and whether it was rising/falling/steady
- Lake level
The above items represent the minimum data to be collected and used. As you begin collecting this information, I think you will agree that over time your journal will be extremely useful and lead you to success.
In lieu of making your own journal, have you considered purchasing a software program that will gather this information? For a nominal amount of money, one can purchase a fish-based software program that will allow you to first enter all of the above information as well as other data from each trip whether you were the captain or a passenger. The best feature of the software is its ability to collate and deliver useful information in an instant. As an example, you are planning to fish a tournament tomorrow and have not been on the lake in about two weeks. From your friends or internet you learn the lake temperature ranges from 53 degrees F. to 56. In one to two seconds your software reports every lake location where you caught fish within this temperature range. This is a good start!
Whether you maintain a journal or utilize a software program, please consider the importance of having a history of fishing on Lanier. If you can find a good software program, make the purchase because more than likely, it will deliver the exact information you need to develop a fishing strategy for any day of fishing.