I started keeping my fishing journal in 1983 and have kept it religiously ever since. At first it was just the place fished, # of fish caught etc. It's advanced quite a bit over the years into a logbook that I take with me everywhere I fish. It has columns for date/time/water conditions/air and sea temp/weather conditon/stage of tide and if ebb or flood/GPS coordinates for place of catch/lure and color/species of fish and weight or if boated or released/lost etc. and then a summary column of my overall impression of the day. I frequently refer back to a log for and area when I haven't been there for awhile to refresh myself on GPS coordinates and gear used. I always complete my log as we fish during the day. I have found this very helpful over the years. Plus it's fun from time to time as other's have said to read back and remember events from a trip.