Fish Finding Methodology

[wakina]

Over the years (@ least 15), I have kept a log for where, when and how. Weather,wind speed and direction and numbers of fish caught. Those logs have proven to be the best piece of fishing equipment that I now own. I cannot stress the fact enough that a log will make you a much better fisherman over time. I keep it in one of those little calendars available at card shops and get a new calendar every year. After awhile patterns begin to emerge and that is when those logs really earn and pay for the time spent on keeping them. Are they always right? No they are not, but over time they will give you more than one location to fish on any given week or day. That is very important to me because if one spot is dead you will have at least one other that has produced for you in the past. I start by fishing or searching the area of the closest log entry for that week/day and work my way to the farther ones as the day progresses, but only if the closest don't produce. I mentioned week/day because over time days start to blend together and become weeks and the weeks over time start to blend together and you can follow the movement of fish from week to week to month by month. I don't like to keep 15 to 16 inch eyes but I will not just drag up and leave an area because of them, but will fish the fringe area around the smaller fish, there are usually larger fish present in the area but they seem to be in a scattered pattern rather than a tighter pod of fish, so the action may not be as fast but the quality usually goes up.

Right now you are probably thinking oh how am I ever going to get the number of logs and log entries that I would need to start seeing a pattern The first thing you do is actually start the log and keep it up to date with your actual time on the water. Next with a different colored ink you supplment your log with information that (trusted) members post here to help you. Before you know it you will have a whole weeks then months then years worth of daily logs for you to use. I just for the sake of knowing who is saying what jot down the posters name and use a different color of ink for those entries provided by other trusted members, that way I know for sure if it was me or a members information that I am reading in my log, enter all trusted posts on a given day from different posters and you will start to see a pattern of fish movement develope and you be able to check that log and go back for weeks or forward to the next year.

Disclaimer: The reason that I used the word trusted member is that a few years ago there was a member that was giving bogus/false reports and then laugh and make fun of those who would follow his reports and burn alot of fuel doing so. That member ended up getting banned from this site but the damage was done. I did not use his name because there is now another member by that name and I did not want to get him confused with the jerk who was banned. Fuel at that time was over 4 bucks a gallon in east harbor and at one point it was $4.59 at the marina where I docked. So that is the reason I used trusted poster.