Anyone Else Keep a Log Book?

[mosquito13]

I have been keeping a log book since being a kid. Mostly recording hours and maintance,gas purchased  cost and where. But also locations went and tide , weather , and fish caught. I like to look back previous years see if there is patterns. Reminds me where I am on maintance. And brings back memories of epic and not so days on the water.

[Juan]

Not me. I wish I could. I've tried to make a log book several times but can't keep doing it. I've even tried audio recording info. I'll record one or two trips and then quit. I would use a log for the reasons you mentioned and mainly to remember when and where I caught what. Just too much trouble to sit down and fill out a log after a day on the water or I'm too lazy or a combination of both.

[985crabs]

I tried, but I found that, as a weekend warrior, my data points were so dispersed that they couldn't suggest any trends. I failed and I quit. I admire those who do.

[Juan]

Give us some pointers.

When's the best time to write down the notes?
What information do you record? Do you write it down in a book or keep it on a computer?
Do you use apps for tide and weather?

I know there are some fishing sites that let you record information but the ones I've looked at aren't very helpful.
Maybe if I printed a bunch of forms with topics like date, tide, location, baits used, fish caught, etc. on each sheet it would be easier to just fill in the blanks at the end of trip and I could stick em in a folder for future review.

I've got a buddy that has recorded every detail of his trips as far back as the late 60's. He even makes short videos and saves it all on his computer, so when I need to know when and where we got into a good catch, I usually give him a call.

[mosquito13]

I do it after I have washed everything down, dosnt take five minutes . for fishing tide, weather, water and air temp, location and type, weight of fish. If bait was present & lure used. Also who was on the boat. I use google earth and windfinder for weather/tides. I use a small daily calendar book. When I do maintance write down hours on motor , parts used and price. Gas I write price/and location purchased(I have gotton bad gas) and hours on engine from last fill. I try to keep my tank full to reduce in tank condensation and it is part of my emergancy gas supply.

[gtightline]

I usually just remember where and when...it works for me.

[usurper]

I just keep a google doc of all maintenance and upgrades with dates. I do it with all of my vehicles and it helps with the resale and maintenance schedule.

[RunninLate]

When I fished a lot I kept an Excel spreadsheet with travel time, total time, gas used, sea conditions, miles run and how many people were on the boat. At that time I was putting 80+ hours on the Sea Pro per year, When I got the Mako I kept the same informant. Usage went down in the SeaPro by 80%. Last few years, total hours on both boats is about 15 per year so I stopped.

[tigerhead]

When I lived in Louisiana I did.  Fished the same estuary for years and it was easy to pattern the fish.  Since moving to Texas I've tried but it never took.  I almost never fish during the summer anymore because the bays are so crowded and the heat is exhausting in my old age.  Fall and winter fishing is my favorite but I'm just not mad enough at the fish anymore to care about going to the trouble.  Also fishing with two 7 year old grandson's in the boat is rewarding in a different way.  Fun to watch them experience the trip, but it's hard to call it real fishing.  More like dodge ball but with hooks....lol!  I would record more bird's nests than fish caught.  But it's all good!