Fishing Notebooks: Making the Right Choice

For you and many others, fishing trips are more than a vacation. They're a serious hobby, something to share with families and fishing buddies alike. You have a weather-beaten, 20-year-old box filled with all kinds of lures from all kinds of trips for all kinds of fish. You have the best fish you've caught mounted on the walls of your home.

It's for fishermen (and women) like you that fishing notebooks were created.

Why would you want a fishing notebook?

A fishing notebook is basically a journal for every fishing trip you take. Instead of trying to remember where exactly on Lake Texoma you caught that giant catfish and which lures you used to do so, you can keep track of information like that in a fishing notebook.

Not only does it give you information for future trips, but it also saves the memories of the trips you've taken with your family and fishing buddies. Remember the time little Johnny caught his first crappie? Or that time you and your buddies broke the lake's record for a large-mouth bass? You can save those memories in your fishing notebook and share it with your friends and family.

What to look for in a fishing notebook

Like fishing lures, not all fishing notebooks are created equal. In order to have the notebook that's most effective, you should look for a few specific traits.

1) Rainproof pages. You never know how the weather will turn out. When you're going to be spending most of your day on a boat, you don't want basic white notebook paper that will turn back into tree mush if it gets a little damp. Rainproof fishing notebook pages will stand up to the wet, and you won't have to worry about your notes turning into illegible blurs.

2) A space for notes and a form for details. You need one page for detailed breakdowns and nitty-gritty information, and one blank, lined page for general notes. The detailed breakdowns should include everything: where you were (which river or lake, GPS coordinates or latitude and longitude, and the weather conditions), the time of day, what equipment you used (lures, line weight, rod), the water temperature, and, of course, what fish it was and how much it weighed.

It will also be helpful if the fishing notebook pages are perforated, with holes punched in the side so they fit nicely in a corresponding binder. The perforations will let you remove the paper from your notebook without leaving behind those annoying paper bits, and you'll be able to save your notes from previous trips somewhere other than the notebook itself.

3) Although it's not necessary, an all-weather pen can be a very convenient addition to your fishing notebook. These pens are rated to write in extreme heat and extreme cold, and you can usually find one that's able to write upside down and on wet paper. A pen like this works well for a fishing notebook, because you never know when or where you'll need to make notes.

Keep your fishing secrets safe

Fishing notebooks are a must-have accessory for any serious fisherman. It keeps a paper log of the trips you'll never forget, and gives you another way to share your passion with those you care about most. Plus, you'll always remember where you found that perfect fishing spot, or what lure you used when you caught the big one.

Tony Brobst is the president of The Camo Shop, which features camo bedding and home accessories for every outdoorsman (or woman). Visit them online at http://www.thecamoshop.com to see how they can help you show your outdoors passion in every aspect of your life.