I’m not what you would call a good note taker. About 5 minutes into a meeting at work I stop writing down pertinent information and start doodling.
My notepad looks like Picasso’s 2nd grade sketch book. That’s just the way it is. So I’m about to tell you to do something I don’t do myself. You need to keep a fishing journal.
Journals aren’t just for 12 year old girls, smart anglers keep them too. Anglers with really short memories need to keep them too. That’s the category I fall into. I have a buddy that calls me every year in February to remind me of a great day we had fishing almost over a decade ago. He remembers it because it was the day his nephew was born. I remember the fishing trip, but not the date it was on. I’m lucky if I can remember to wear clean socks to work.
Let me give you a great example of why you need to keep a fishing journal. I know that last year there were certain areas of a local lake that held massive amounts of crappie. There were times when we could go out and catch 100 fish per angler. I know exactly where these spots are, I just don’t remember the exact weeks or conditions involved. I didn’t write down water temperature, air temperature, dates….nothing. So now I’m relying on my faulty memory and luck to hit these same spots at the right time in order to catch a few fish.
Like I said, I’m not a smart angler. So do as I say, not as I do. Keep a fishing journal with information like dates fish were caught, baits used, water temperature, then you can look back at it next year and I guarantee you’ll catch more fish.
