In-Fisherman Senior Editor Steve Quinn reports that on May 7, 1996, he and a companion landed 46 crappies ranging from a little one of a half pound to a couple of toads that pushed 15 inches. He doesn’t have a photographic memory—instead, he’s kept a record of his fishing excursions since 1978. Keeping detailed fishing records may not be for everyone, but Quinn and many other avid anglers enjoy doing it and gain interesting and valuable information on fishing trends that help define new patterns. Records serve as a check on the memory. “Often I recall a trip from memory,” he says, “then look back at the data and find that I’ve exaggerated, or sometimes have underestimated the catch. Water temperatures and precise dates are readily lost, as well, by the frail human memory.”

Quinn began his diary by using a commercial version (more on these shortly). He soon expanded data entries to include the length of the fishing day and precise location; times of catches, along with length and weight; lure or bait used, including size and color; air and water temperature, pH, and clarity; the moon phase; and weather observations.

“Keeping up with record-keeping isn’t always easy,” he admits. “The sooner you record data after the trip, the more accurate it will be. Precise time of day can be elusive, though the significance of this aspect may not seem critical to some anglers. But if you’re interested in testing for effects of solunar periods on catch-rates or catches of big fish, times must be quite exact.”

The Value of Records

Quinn’s stack of files stands some 30 inches high and weighs nearly 22 pounds. “I often refer to these records when returning to a body of water after not fishing it for a while,” he says, “or to check on seasonal patterns that worked in the past. Records also help me as an editor and writer, as I can accurately call forth information on water temperatures, catch-rates, lure and bait preferences, and so on. They’re also a great starting point when planning a trip.”

“Records also can be a pleasant source of nostalgia,” he adds. “As you review catch records, you relive the moment to an extent, recalling with satisfaction how you pieced together the eternal fishing puzzle and made a good catch, or how the fish flummoxed you once again. During the winter months, it’s entertaining to go back and review the past year or years, looking for week-long or month-long hot bites, or other trends in the data.”

Anglers interested in solunar effects or whether moon phase affected the catch can now perform analysis on a large set of data. Those with a more scientific bent and perhaps some training in statistics can apply tests to see whether apparent differences in catch-rates, say between full and dark moons, actually are significant.

Record-keeping software—In recent years, several fishing diary software packages have emerged, allowing easy recall and analysis of the information entered. You can then select for review by time of year, fish species, trolling applications, reservoir type, moon phases, and more. Obvious advantages to electronic records are quick analysis of data for time of year, fishing location, or species sought. With a keystroke, all pertinent records can be summoned, rather than thumbing through scores of loose hardcopy.

The most advanced record-keeping system we’ve seen so far is the Prologue Systems (prologuesystems.com), a fishing log that works in conjunction with today’s fastest growing data management device, the hand-held Pocket PC PDA that uses Windows Mobile. With the unit in a waterproof pouch, you can record catches and information as you fish. The system costs $39.99 (not including your mobile hand-held computer).

When using GPS, it’s wise to record locations of waypoints in a hardcopy logbook. Daily fishing records work fine for this too, as key information will include body of water, waypoint number, and date, as well as latitude and longitude. Handwritten records serve as back-up in case of unit loss or power failure, and also help organize a growing collection of GPS data.

Many anglers object to the time required to keep full and accurate records. Indeed, it can be tedious when work schedules or other activities become demanding. Some simply cannot sit down and do this, or don’t care to.

It’s also admittedly possible that going back and checking past patterns and catch locations might keep some anglers in a rut. Constantly referring to records could keep you doing what worked in the past, instead of breaking new trails and perhaps discovering a better fishing pattern, bait, or location. To avoid such a rut, try to balance following old paths with new experiments, based on changing water conditions, season, or other variables.

Barometric Basics

Earth’s weather is affected by a never-ending series of high- and low-pressure fronts that generally move from west to east in that part of central North America sandwiched between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians. The term “front” applies to the leading edge of these air masses, which may be warmer and of lower pressure (warm fronts) or cooler with high pressure (cold fronts).

A barometer measures the pressure exerted on the local environment by the atmosphere. It reports pressure as inches of mercury called millibars—an inch of mercury, for instance, equals 33,864 millibars. This system dates to the late 19th century when Norwegian meteorologist Vilhelm Bjerknes defined a formula for measuring atmospheric pressure. Barometric pressure is greatest at sea level and decreases with elevation, thus the need to adjust instruments for local elevation.

As commonly reported on the nightly TV weather news, barometric readings are noted as inches of mercury, ranging from 28.5 (extremely low) to 31 (extremely high). Avid weather watcher and In-Fisherman reader Irvin Decker of Issaquah, Washington, notes that the midpoint of atmospheric pressure is 29.92 inches of mercury.

During June 2000, Decker recorded barometric readings made by the National Weather Service in Seattle every three hours. “Barometric pressure varied between 29.65 and 30.32,” he reports. “A major front passed near the middle of the month, resulting in a pressure drop of 0.67 inches of mercury. To put that in perspective, the highest barometric pressure ever recorded was 32.0 in Siberia in 1968. The lowest occurred in the eye of a typhoon in 1979 at 25.9.”

Following several days of stable, mild weather with increasingly hazy skies, the approach of a cold front brings a falling barometer, along with increasing clouds and wind. According to the typical scenario, bass at this time feed actively, and good catches are common as a weather system approaches. After the front passes, the barometer rises rapidly, accompanied by clearing skies, northwesterly winds, and lower temperatures, particularly at night.

During these conditions, best termed “postfrontal,” the bite is tougher. Good catches can still be made, but typically on smaller baits fished slowly in thick cover, where groups of bass have gathered. While trolling small crankbaits and midsized tubes may have worked as the front approached, miniature plastics and finesse hair jigs fished adjacent to weed clumps or in thick brushpiles may be the best way to tempt bites from crappies on the back side of the system. Anglers persisting with faster-moving horizontal baits likely catch smaller crappies, and not too many of those. Every experienced angler has experienced such changes.