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Get more from every session

For a fuller setup before your first trip, read Setting up CatchMate before your first session. It covers the settings, venue and tackle libraries, and practice sessions available to experienced users.

Want to start fishing now?

Before your first session, open Venues and create a saved venue for the water you plan to fish, or use one that is already saved. Selecting the saved venue when you start the session links your fishing to reliable venue history and analytics.

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Start a new session from Home, choose the pursuit, and add the session details before creating it.

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Saved venues can be selected during setup and opened for map and history context.

Minimum path to your first live session

Use this recommended path to link your first session to the right water. Tackle, peg, bait, weather, and the other setup details remain optional.

1. From Home, tap Start new session.
2. Choose Coarse if necessary.
3. Leave Logging a past session? turned off. This creates a live session rather than a historical record.
4. Search for the venue and select the existing saved venue record. If it is not listed, go back to Venues and add it first.
5. Enter a session name.
6. Optionally add a peg, tackle, bait, groundbait, weather, keepnets, duration, or rods.
7. Press Create Session. This creates and opens the new session.
8. Once the live session opens, press Start Session if the Cast timer setting is off, or press Cast Out if Cast timer is on. This starts the fishing activity.
9. Use Add Catch, select the species, enter the catch weight, and save.

For the most useful records, enter the real weight of the fish. The app accepts a weight of zero, but an accurate weight is important for meaningful records, personal-best tracking, and analytics.

Fastest possible route

Venues → create or select a saved venue → Home → Start new session → select the saved venue → enter a session name → Create Session → Start Session or Cast Out → Add Catch → choose a species and record the weight.

Recommended setup before you fish

For the best CatchMate experience and the richest, most useful fishing statistics, we recommend adding as much of this detail as suits your fishing. These are recommended features rather than requirements, and none is required to start a live session.

Tackle profile

A tackle profile stores a reusable setup such as a rod, method, rig, line, hook, hook length, and bait information. It is useful for saving different coarse methods, such as pole, feeder, waggler, or float setups, so you can load them into a session instead of entering them repeatedly.

You can create and start a session without a tackle profile.

Venue

A saved venue is useful for regular waters. It can include a name, postcode, and other location details. Selecting a venue can auto-fill session information and enable live weather when a postcode is available.

When starting a session, search for and select the saved venue record whenever possible. If the water is not listed, add it in Venues first rather than relying on a similar name typed into the session. This keeps the session connected to reliable venue history and analytics.

Bait library

If you have Bait Tracking enabled, go to Profile → App Settings → Manage Bait Library and add the hook baits and loose offerings you use regularly. The library can also hold flavourings and additives linked to saved baits or groundbait and mix presets. These entries are optional and appear during session preparation when the relevant features are enabled.

Groundbait and mix presets

If you have Groundbaiting enabled, go to Profile → App Settings → Manage Bait Library and add the groundbait or method mixes you use regularly. You can link relevant flavourings or additives to a saved mix, then review them during session preparation before deciding what to use.

Rod setup

Rod Roost and multi-rod setup are optional. They are useful when you want separate catch buttons or catch attribution for individual rods.

A rod setup is not required. A single catch action remains available without pre-configured rods.

Other optional settings

You can also add:

• Peg number
• Postcode and weather
• Keepnet count
• Session duration and countdown timer
• Notes
• Competition or league information, where available

These settings improve the quality of the session record but do not prevent you from starting a live session.

During a live session

The session is created as live when Logging a past session? is left off. You can log catches as you fish.

Cast tracking is optional. You do not need to create a cast before recording a catch unless you specifically want cast tracking. Historical-session date and time rules do not apply to a normal live session.

For more advanced setup

If you would like to configure CatchMate in more detail before your first trip, read Setting up CatchMate before your first session. It covers the settings, venue and tackle libraries, and practice sessions available to experienced users.

You can start simply and add more detail as you become familiar with CatchMate. A session name and your first catch are enough to begin; profiles and presets help you save time and build a richer fishing record.