Greg “Doc Lures” Vinall
ALF Podcast Host & Mad Scientist.
In a previous life Greg was an aquatic scientist and spent a lot of time analysing research data using spreadsheets. These days He’s less involved in the hard science, but still uses those skills to find the best fishing opportunities based on environmental factors.
Greg’s Fish Forecasting Tips
- Predicting fish activity is like predicting the weather – the more data you have, the better you can predict where fish might aggregate, when they might feed and what lure they might take.
- Here’s the conundrum: In weather forecasting, the same information is collected at the same location at regular intervals, allowing a predictive model to be created. In fish forecasting the data is more sporadic, and it’s often different information at irregular intervals. This makes predicting fish behaviour even more challenging and it becomes even more important to collect lots of data…… so start fishing more immediately 😉
- With fish forecasting its all about the quality of your data. If you put poor data into your diary, or if you are sloppy about your record keeping, you won’t get much benefit from a fishing diary. Or worse. it could lead you to making wrong assumptions. Rubbish in = rubbish out.
- It’s best to keep an electronic diary as it becomes very simple and fast to sort and filter to find patterns in the data. An excel or google sheet is perfectly fine for this.
- A challenge of keeping a fishing diary is the time it takes, or the chance of forgetting key information if it’s not recorded straight away. To overcome this challenge, Greg uses an app and recently purchased Fishing Points. This app allows the time, tide, moon and meteorological data, latitude and longitude to be captured instantly and automatically. It only takes a few seconds to add other key info, like a pic of the capture, measurement and notes on the lures or techniques. All of this can be entered into a spreadsheet later for more detailed analysis. Greg likes that the data are kept private, not shared online or with other app users.
- Greg has been in touch with the Fishing Points developers and they have offered a free 7 day trial of the app, with a 30% discount for ALF listeners who want to continue using the premium features. At around $20/yr, this may be the best investment you make in terms of understanding fish better! For a 7-day, no obligation trial of the Fishing Points app Click Here! As their developers say “It’ll take your fishing to a whole new level!” Greg tends to agree!
Another good episode Greg. Your previous shows had me thinking along these lines. Looking forward to checking out the app!
Thanks Gary…. it’s a cracker, hope you enjoy it.
Hey Greg Loving your pod casts, dont give it up, keep on going. Just one other thing I went with your advise and got the Fishing Points app, now all need to catch some fish, thats just another problem in its self. When I clicked on all of you links to Fishing points app via your doc lures page it says in app (on an android) free for 7 days and 29.99 after trial. Did you know if the discount will be applied after 7 Days or not or should I get in touch with Fishing Points?? cheers Mike. PS loved the pod cast on EP 270 Myth busting, funny character 😀
Thanks for your kind words Michael. As far as I know everyone who has come through my links to the fishing points app has received the discount, let me check with the developers though and then get back to you…..