BY ALLISON MILES
The winter months for us anglers tend to be filled with “tidy-up” time for our tackle, shopping for the latest “sure-fire” lures and numerous shows to get the blood pumping and excitement going for that first expedition of the year.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a big proponent of continued education when it comes to this sport. If you love fishing or are in a love-hate relationship with it, then take it from this angler, start a journal and track your journeys.
The first few years of my fishing career, I was more concerned with reelin’ them up as quickly and as frequently as I could while keeping a bragging count. Yeah, the competitive side of me isn’t always endearing and it can also have a negative effect on my overall game. In many of the lectures I’ve taken over the years, the topic of keeping a journal has been spotlighted. And as soon as the fishing season got underway, I’d have every intention of doing it right and writing it all down. But as soon as the bite was on, the record keeping took a back seat and before I knew it, we were headed into the dock and I’d look at my notes and say “Well, I’ll keep better track next time.”
beginning of my record keeping.
The next year, we’d fish our favorite go-to spots where we had epic days the previous year and catch ¼ of what we were used to and say “What the fish?” This is where the journal comes into play. If you record the tide, wind conditions, method of fishing, weather conditions, water temperature, and the depth for example, you might be able to determine why the results were different than your expectations were. Over the last few years, I have taken the time to stop-drop and record and have seen the importance first-hand. Thinking you will remember it all and “just know” when you need to ask yourself the question “Why aren’t we catching?” You’d be kidding yourself and actually holding yourself back.
There are plenty of phone apps out there created specifically for this purpose and templates created by fishermen to help you keep track of the important information. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated or scientific to the point you just say, “Ah, forget it.” And like me, you’ll realize that sacrificing a few catches to make sure you jot it all down will actually increase your overall catches year to year.
To download your copy of this fishing log, click here: Fishing Log
Allison Miles is an award winning angler, fishing enthusiast and blogger. She is Pro-Staff for Esca Lures and an Ambassador for Pure Fishing. You can follow her angling adventures at www.gopogy.com
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