By: Lance Valentine
Have you ever read a great article in In-Fisherman or Walleye In-Sider then needed the information later for a fishing trip or tournament? Or how about left on a fishing trip and forgot the lake map, directions or lodging contact. Most of us have. Until a few years ago I was like everyone else, rummaging through the back issues, trying to find the right video, and wading through piles of paper to find a lake map or phone number. There had to be a better way.
A few winters ago I came up with a way to keep fishing information categorized and organized for easy reference. A few 3-ring binders, a 3-drawer file cabinet and some file folders were all I needed. Now finding general information about a presentation or lake, or even specific information like when, where and how did an angler win a tournament takes only a matter of seconds. You can be as general or specific with the information you keep, but here is the method that has worked for me over the past few seasons.
The heart of this storage system is a 3-drawer file cabinet. This file cabinet stores file folders that each contain specific information of different lakes. Using 3 different color file folders further categorizes your information. Blue folders indicate lakes that host PWT and/or Michigan Walleye Tour tournaments. Yellow folders are waters that I fish but host no major walleye tournaments and red folders hold information on lakes I have never fished but would like to or have good information about.
What should the files contain? Lake maps from several sources, lodging and dining information, a state road map, bait shop contacts, local guides and any other local information that will make a trip more enjoyable. Along with this general information are some specific locations and presentations. Whenever I read an article, see a show, or watch a video about a body of water, I simply summarize the key points, write them on a sheet of legal pad and then insert them into the folder. After each fishing trip productive waypoints and fishing patterns are also entered keeping the file constantly up to date.
Obviously the blue tournament folders fill up the quickest. Along with the items listed above, the blue folders contain some very important extras. Both the Walleye In-Sider magazine and In-Fisherman videos recap the season’s PWT tournaments and both of these sources provide detailed information on how, when and where the top anglers put together their catch. This information is priceless and needs to be included in the folder. Always obtain as many different maps of the area as possible. You will be surprised with the things missing from one map that will show up on another map.
For example my Lake Erie Western Basin folder includes 4 different Hot Spots maps, 3 nautical charts and a map bought at a local tackle shop. Filling out the folder are county visitor guides with lodging and dining contacts, an Ohio state map, information of all the PWT and MWT tournaments ever held on Lake Erie, and a updated list of the waypoints and techniques that have personally been successful over the years. When heading off for a trip, simply grab the folders you will need and take off. All the information you need is in one, easy to carry file folder.
Yellow and red folders hold the same material as the blue folders, without the tournament information. The “Trip Tips” section of the In-Sider and In-Fisherman magazines provide most of the information that goes into the red folders. If the destination looks good enough to try in the near future, I will obtain maps and contact local chamber of commerce offices to get information regarding fishing, lodging and dining accommodations. I try to hit at least one of my red folder destinations each year, and some have become my favorite fishing holes!
For information of a more general nature such as lures, presentation techniques and general location patterns, use a 3-ring binder with dividers to organize the information. Summarize the information from books, videos and magazines the same way you did for the file folders. Break the information down into categories such as river fishing, natural lakes, reservoirs, trolling and presentations for quick reference. At the top of each page include the magazine issue number or the video title for complete cross- reference. Now you have all the walleye information you ever knew contained in an organized, easy to carry notebook you can take anywhere, even in the boat!
How important is the right information? Ask any successful angler and they will tell you that good information is the key to success on the water. Take a little time to organize all your walleye fishing knowledge using the system outlined above, and better catches are sure to follow.