KAS - Diaries

KARIBA ANGLING SOCIETY
Diary Page

Link to Free Fishing PC Diary and other Angling Software

This page is about diaries (log book?), why you should keep one and where you can find some for your computer. A computer is easier than a hard copy in a book, (Why he says !!) because you can search through for connections easier, and possibly come up with good answers.
For years I kept a diary, and seldom used to read it. Until I got stuck one day on a dam that I hadn't fished for quite a while. The first day we had caught almost nothing, as the conditions had changed from my fishing partners practise and previous visits.
I went home and decided to have a look at my old diary. Strangely, I found conditions similar to what we had experienced on that day, but with successful catches, and so I used the information to fish the next day, and amazingly we caught A LOT of fish.
With this in mind I used it again a few times after unsuccessful trips, and when information was available for good catches, the information worked again and again.
SO IT IS USEFUL.

What to write down
The information that you need to keep does not have to be that detailed so it includes wind speed in knots, direction, air temperature, water temperature and all the other silly bits of information.
What you need is to provide a "memory bank" of basic data about the days fishing, such as :-
Lake/dam, date/month, how was the basic weather at each spot, what you did or didn't catch and how you caught it, what lures/bait you used, which way the wind blew, and so on. You don't have to get really technical about it.

I have included a small section from my own diary below to illustrate what I mean. You must use your own "pet names" for your spots, so that "you" will know what and where you are talking about.
Sample (This is true, believe it or not)
1st January 1984. Lake Mac. Bird Sanctuary going back towards S & D.
Outer anthills, Fished for robbies with jig and shadrap (perch). Jig needed to be right in the cover, (3ft) caught good fish, one per hill, using red flecked tail. Shadrap produced a few fish, mostly smaller and got snagged a lot. Not much wind early in the morning till after 8.30.
Stopped on the corner to try for Macs with Algae (Masaka). Wind blowing (medium strong breeze) along the edge from the River end, so good drift for floats along the edges. A few fish caught quite far out from the edge (4 to 6ft) after leaving the weed edge.
Fished the outer submerged anthills and caught a few Mellies drifting algae over the hill (3 ft). Most seemed to be on the wind facing side as if waiting for food to come in with wind drift.
(Went back at around lunchtime, caught my traditional New Years day Mac.)

Some people just prefer to use a simple form that you fill in the blanks, (almost like a computer page) and I am sure you can come up with one of your own. Personally I prefer the story type, its good fun reading back on your memoirs.
(But sometimes it makes you feel really "OLD")

Computer Diaries (Software)
I have only found ONE freeware version on the net and the link to it is provided at the top of the Page.
There are various sites on the web where you can download "Demonstration" software, and full time software to keep your diaries on the computer.
Most have to be purchased for you to get the full functionality of the programs.
For those of you with forex or an international money card it should be easy, and they are not that expensive (unless you start turning the forex into Zim dollars).
Some of these are listed below. You just have to click on their names to go there. Have Fun.
THE FISHING DIARY + DATABASE
The Ultimate Fisherman's Diary
Classic Fishing Software Tools for Windows
Fishing Software: Utilities and Games
Visit the Sites and have a look. I will continue to look and see if I can find some more "Freeware" for this, and will advise if I find anything. Of course if you already know of some Freeware around, then let us all know,
by contacting the Chairman or the Web master and we will put it on the pages.

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