How do you keep a useful fishing logbook?

1. Start with a photo, a species and a date

These three details are enough to find a catch. A photo recalls the moment, the species name helps classify it and the date places the memory in your fishing season.

Choose a photo where the fish is visible. Check the species and date instead of relying on your memory several weeks later. If you are unsure about identification, take time to check it: a photo alone does not guarantee a correct identification.

In Pêchedex, these three details are required to save a catch. Species entry stays manual: the logbook does not automatically recognise the fish in the photo.

2. Add the details you will want to revisit

Size: enter a measurement if you took one. It is better to leave the field empty than turn an impression into a precise measurement.

Bait or lure: note what you were using, such as a spinner. Consistent wording across trips makes your notes easier to revisit.

Description: a few words may be enough: a first catch with this technique, a family trip or a surprise at the end of the day. The logbook keeps the context that numbers cannot tell.

Location: use a reference that means something to you, without feeling obliged to enter an address or a precise position. In Pêchedex, this field stays personal.

These details are optional. Start simply, then keep consistent recording habits. A saved catch alone does not explain why a technique works: the logbook keeps your observations without predicting future results.

3. A short example entry

Fictional example: a brown trout photo, dated 24 September, with a measured length of 20 cm and “Spinner” as the lure.

The description could read: “A late-morning catch after a few casts. First trout in my collection.” The location can stay empty. This entry already lets you find the species, moment and tackle used.

After uploading, check that the catch appears in your logbook before adding it again. Pêchedex requires an Internet connection to open the logbook and save a catch.

4. Distinguish catches from discovered species

Three trout and one largemouth bass make four catches but two species. Your history tells the story of your trips; your collection shows the diversity of your encounters.

In Pêchedex, a catalogue species counts once towards progress, even if you have caught it several times. Species entered outside the catalogue stay in the logbook without increasing the France catalogue percentage.

Revisit your past catches, then consider choosing an undiscovered species as your next goal. The logbook remains a memory of what you actually caught, not a list to complete at any cost.

5. Choose what you want to share

With a private profile, you approve the followers who access your logbook. To keep it just for you, do not approve any followers. A public profile makes the logbook and photos visible to everyone, even without an account.

This setting applies to all past and future catches: there is no separate visibility per catch. Stories stay limited to approved followers for 24 hours.

The location field is not shown in the shared logbook, but a recognisable bank, a sign or your description may reveal a place. Review the text and photo background before sharing. An image already shared elsewhere does not disappear when you switch to private.