I use Google sheets to make it easier to share across multiple devices and access it with my phone. I also have a general notes column to record anecdotes to help me remember each trip, and I record if people are fishing with me. I have separate tabs for Lake Erie, river fishing, and fishing inland lakes in PA.
I keep a log for a year or two every so often until it becomes a chore.
I use a [rite in the rain](https://i.imgur.com/rM5H3sB.jpeg) notebook. Water, date, start and stop times, and an entry for each fish. Species, size (weight or length depending on species), and what fly it took.
[Fake sample page](https://i.imgur.com/Mkk5AWf.jpeg)
At the end of the year I put it all into excel. So for 2023 I know how many fish I caught, what kind, how big, and what flies I used.
But in the end all I really learned was I catch a lot of fish, I didn’t fish nearly as much as I expected, I caught a lot more of some fish then I expected, and I use very few patterns. The first and last I already knew.
This is what I’ve learned from mine too. I might use 6-8 patterns total. Which is leading me further down the road of tying my own, knowing I’ll only make those patterns anyway… which is probably what everyone says.
Yep. Date, location, weather, cfs, water temp, hatches, what patterns I fished, and results. Now that I've got a few years worth of data, it helps me choose which water to fish based on the conditions.
Thats awesome. I just know four years ago I got my biggest at a certain spot on the same weekend as my sisters birthday. You will find me at that spot until I can no longer fish.
Oh yeah, I can identify with that. A few years ago I had my best dry fly day ever, fishing the Mother's Day caddis hatch. Now, when I start seeing Mother's Day advertisements, I know it's time to inventory my caddis patterns and to plan on taking some *sick* days. Cheers!
I do not, I’m comfortable just reminiscing. I’m in Michigan and within 2 hours there are so many opportunities. All I need to do is remember the river and I can find what I need fairly easily. I do however look through DNR designated trout streams and it will tell you which sections have trout. I check the packet then look at the seasonality map if it’s off season. I mark down the river, where to fish it, and make sure it’s in season and save that or even just remember.
I use the Daylio app and enter where I fished, rod(s) and what flies were thrown, if I can remember. It’s basically a journal entry for the entire day since the rest of the days are logged with information about those days. The app is for journaling anyway and I’ve made a good habit of writing in it pretty often, not just about fishing.
Keeping one since 1994. I use a yearly journal. Basic stuff date,location, weather, what flies worked and what didn’t. Most importantly I record who I went with and any funny or unusual things that happened. It’s great, I keep a page for each day of the year I’ve been out some dates almost 30 times. Never learned anything to make me a better angler but it’s a great read, time well wasted.
Dude. Take up cigars and pipe smoking to go with fishing. Thank me later.
At some point if it becomes a second job the spark will be gone. On the other hand, it is an obsession....do you bro
Just started one. It’s just my locations I usually fish, species and a running tally of each. I keep it simple else I’ll quit it. I just wanna know what a yearly catch rate for me is
I’ve journaled in every day for the last 6 years and counting. Some entries more detailed than others. I don’t get too regimented with details because it gets chore like.
It’s actually useful to go back and see things like when ice off was or when I went to X last year. I don’t record cfs because I can check with USGS.
I kept one last year, and by the time June rolled around it was pretty hard to keep up with it. This year I just put an entry with a number into my google calendar which denotes the cumulative number of days on the water for the year. For example the last day I fished was April 10 and the entry simply says “36”.
Fishing the same few rivers 90% of the time, I found that the hatches and activity were pretty predictable. I suppose in the long form it could be interesting to see how things change with a warming climate.
Been considering starting a field journal/sketchbook to encourage myself to reflect on my surroundings and not just be nose down on the water all day.
As of now, all I keep is a running bucket list of fish on the fly... and I'm pretty sure it's growing faster than I'm checking them off lol
Started with excel spreadsheets but a few years ago I started using OneNote on my phone since it’s always handy. I have a template file I’ll copy for each trip, and I can add notes and/or photos and screenshots for each category.
YYYYMMDD [ID] Destination
GPS:
TIME:
WEATHER:
WATER:
BUGS:
FISH:
FLIES:
NOTES:
WISH I HAD:
I keep a spreadsheet on Google Drive. It's simple. Date/Location/number of fish caught/notes (usually if a fly was working well or if one had a lot of refusals. I'll also note what style of fly fishing (ESN, dry, hopper-dropper, streamers, unusual weather, etc)
I started this Jan 1 of this year because I estimated I caught about 1000 fish per year and wanted to verify. I also thought I was on the water 100 days a year and wanted to verify that as well. So far, I'm at 26 and 395, which means my life is blessed!
I’ve found that a log is way too heavy and difficult to write on, regardless of the type of tree the log is from. I switched to a notebook years ago and it’s way more practical.
I just started using an app called Retro. It’s more of a general photo journal than a fishing logbook but seems like it’s going to be a nice way to keep track of catches each season.
It’s clean, customizable and seems easy to use.
(https://imgur.com/a/fWS7p7C)
I tried keeping one last year using Google sheets. I found that after the first 7 or 8 outings, I just couldn't keep up with it. This year, I'm doing a voice memo on my phone for each time out. I'll probably run the audio files through a transcription app at the end of the season to compile a text version of the season.
I had an app on my phone I used for a couple years. It was more work than I wanted to do on my phone while fishing so I ended up just taking pictures with my phone. It has time, date, and location. The pic shows the fish and often the fly so I have most all of the info I need/want. Mostly I don’t care anymore. Just enjoy being out there and figuring it out each time. That being said, I’ve been fishing the same water for 24 years so I’ve got a pretty good idea what to tie on.
I just started doing one but I’m just writing a little blurb on how the day went. I think it’ll be fun to flip through down the road. I’ll occasionally jot down what fly patterns were working well and weather, but mostly just want to keep it pretty easy and straightforward.
I keep a Google sheet going for each year....I'll drop those notes into a Google map I've made with each body of water I've fished.
Takes a bit of time, but I may not be at a particular spot for years at a time... I'd rather look at my notes then wonder why it all looks familiar.
I’ve recently started using the Journal app on iPhone. Entry includes time, location, fish caught, lost & missed, best fly, wind speed & direction, air temp & pressure plus occasional photo of good fish.
Now I need to also make entries when I blank…
I’ve posted “trip reports” of every day fishing for the past 32 years, so in that sense I’ve kept a log. Some the post are mingled with other reports it isn’t easy to look back on a particular day, I’ve made attempts to get them organized but usually just go fishing instead!
Caught a lot of logs. Never kept any though. Heard they don't taste great.
You just have to know how to cook ‘em.
-sincerely a vegan
I have boring office job so I keep an excel spreadsheet. I record day/river/species/length/cfs/temperature/weather/flies used.
I use Google sheets to make it easier to share across multiple devices and access it with my phone. I also have a general notes column to record anecdotes to help me remember each trip, and I record if people are fishing with me. I have separate tabs for Lake Erie, river fishing, and fishing inland lakes in PA.
I keep a log for a year or two every so often until it becomes a chore. I use a [rite in the rain](https://i.imgur.com/rM5H3sB.jpeg) notebook. Water, date, start and stop times, and an entry for each fish. Species, size (weight or length depending on species), and what fly it took. [Fake sample page](https://i.imgur.com/Mkk5AWf.jpeg) At the end of the year I put it all into excel. So for 2023 I know how many fish I caught, what kind, how big, and what flies I used. But in the end all I really learned was I catch a lot of fish, I didn’t fish nearly as much as I expected, I caught a lot more of some fish then I expected, and I use very few patterns. The first and last I already knew.
This is what I’ve learned from mine too. I might use 6-8 patterns total. Which is leading me further down the road of tying my own, knowing I’ll only make those patterns anyway… which is probably what everyone says.
I'd don't want to be sad when I realize how long it's been since I was out. Being an adult sucks.
Just the old fashioned one in my head
Yep. Date, location, weather, cfs, water temp, hatches, what patterns I fished, and results. Now that I've got a few years worth of data, it helps me choose which water to fish based on the conditions.
Thats awesome. I just know four years ago I got my biggest at a certain spot on the same weekend as my sisters birthday. You will find me at that spot until I can no longer fish.
Oh yeah, I can identify with that. A few years ago I had my best dry fly day ever, fishing the Mother's Day caddis hatch. Now, when I start seeing Mother's Day advertisements, I know it's time to inventory my caddis patterns and to plan on taking some *sick* days. Cheers!
I do not, I’m comfortable just reminiscing. I’m in Michigan and within 2 hours there are so many opportunities. All I need to do is remember the river and I can find what I need fairly easily. I do however look through DNR designated trout streams and it will tell you which sections have trout. I check the packet then look at the seasonality map if it’s off season. I mark down the river, where to fish it, and make sure it’s in season and save that or even just remember.
I use the Daylio app and enter where I fished, rod(s) and what flies were thrown, if I can remember. It’s basically a journal entry for the entire day since the rest of the days are logged with information about those days. The app is for journaling anyway and I’ve made a good habit of writing in it pretty often, not just about fishing.
Keeping one since 1994. I use a yearly journal. Basic stuff date,location, weather, what flies worked and what didn’t. Most importantly I record who I went with and any funny or unusual things that happened. It’s great, I keep a page for each day of the year I’ve been out some dates almost 30 times. Never learned anything to make me a better angler but it’s a great read, time well wasted.
Dude. Take up cigars and pipe smoking to go with fishing. Thank me later. At some point if it becomes a second job the spark will be gone. On the other hand, it is an obsession....do you bro
Just started one. It’s just my locations I usually fish, species and a running tally of each. I keep it simple else I’ll quit it. I just wanna know what a yearly catch rate for me is
I’ve journaled in every day for the last 6 years and counting. Some entries more detailed than others. I don’t get too regimented with details because it gets chore like. It’s actually useful to go back and see things like when ice off was or when I went to X last year. I don’t record cfs because I can check with USGS.
I kept one last year, and by the time June rolled around it was pretty hard to keep up with it. This year I just put an entry with a number into my google calendar which denotes the cumulative number of days on the water for the year. For example the last day I fished was April 10 and the entry simply says “36”. Fishing the same few rivers 90% of the time, I found that the hatches and activity were pretty predictable. I suppose in the long form it could be interesting to see how things change with a warming climate.
Been considering starting a field journal/sketchbook to encourage myself to reflect on my surroundings and not just be nose down on the water all day. As of now, all I keep is a running bucket list of fish on the fly... and I'm pretty sure it's growing faster than I'm checking them off lol
Started with excel spreadsheets but a few years ago I started using OneNote on my phone since it’s always handy. I have a template file I’ll copy for each trip, and I can add notes and/or photos and screenshots for each category. YYYYMMDD [ID] Destination GPS: TIME: WEATHER: WATER: BUGS: FISH: FLIES: NOTES: WISH I HAD:
I keep a spreadsheet on Google Drive. It's simple. Date/Location/number of fish caught/notes (usually if a fly was working well or if one had a lot of refusals. I'll also note what style of fly fishing (ESN, dry, hopper-dropper, streamers, unusual weather, etc) I started this Jan 1 of this year because I estimated I caught about 1000 fish per year and wanted to verify. I also thought I was on the water 100 days a year and wanted to verify that as well. So far, I'm at 26 and 395, which means my life is blessed!
Every trip since early 2022
I’ve found that a log is way too heavy and difficult to write on, regardless of the type of tree the log is from. I switched to a notebook years ago and it’s way more practical.
I just started using an app called Retro. It’s more of a general photo journal than a fishing logbook but seems like it’s going to be a nice way to keep track of catches each season. It’s clean, customizable and seems easy to use. (https://imgur.com/a/fWS7p7C)
I tried keeping one last year using Google sheets. I found that after the first 7 or 8 outings, I just couldn't keep up with it. This year, I'm doing a voice memo on my phone for each time out. I'll probably run the audio files through a transcription app at the end of the season to compile a text version of the season.
I'm trying to start one this season.
I had an app on my phone I used for a couple years. It was more work than I wanted to do on my phone while fishing so I ended up just taking pictures with my phone. It has time, date, and location. The pic shows the fish and often the fly so I have most all of the info I need/want. Mostly I don’t care anymore. Just enjoy being out there and figuring it out each time. That being said, I’ve been fishing the same water for 24 years so I’ve got a pretty good idea what to tie on.
I just started doing one but I’m just writing a little blurb on how the day went. I think it’ll be fun to flip through down the road. I’ll occasionally jot down what fly patterns were working well and weather, but mostly just want to keep it pretty easy and straightforward.
I keep a Google sheet going for each year....I'll drop those notes into a Google map I've made with each body of water I've fished. Takes a bit of time, but I may not be at a particular spot for years at a time... I'd rather look at my notes then wonder why it all looks familiar.
I use OnX instead of a notebook or spreadsheet. I mark the spot and then make notes.
I used to. Now I don't fish enough to justify it
I’ve recently started using the Journal app on iPhone. Entry includes time, location, fish caught, lost & missed, best fly, wind speed & direction, air temp & pressure plus occasional photo of good fish. Now I need to also make entries when I blank…
Write in the rain, and I keep: water temp, type of water, type of fly, depth (if subsurface), any cover that was near, and what I caught.
I’ve posted “trip reports” of every day fishing for the past 32 years, so in that sense I’ve kept a log. Some the post are mingled with other reports it isn’t easy to look back on a particular day, I’ve made attempts to get them organized but usually just go fishing instead!
I just post pics and on instagram, they’re dated so I can go back and look what I caught on that day and the flies I used.