Mixed pursuit sessions — using a Specimen tackle profile in a Coarse session

The scenario

You're on a Coarse session at your local commercial — float rod out, working the waggler. But you've also put a heavier rod out with a Specimen tackle profile attached: a carp rod, a ledger rig, whatever it is. You want that rod's catches to count toward your Specimen records, not muddle in with your Coarse stats.

Here's the key: it's not the type of rod that matters. It's the tackle profile's pursuit. The moment you assign a Specimen tackle profile to that rod on the Rod Roost, every catch logged against it goes to your Specimen stats — even though the session itself is a Coarse session.

CatchMate reads the pursuit from the tackle profile, not from the session type. Your Coarse stats stay completely clean.

How CatchMate separates pursuits automatically

When you assign a tackle profile to a rod on the Rod Roost, that profile carries a pursuit label — Coarse, Specimen, Fly, or Sea — set when you saved it in Tackle Profiles. That label is what CatchMate uses to route every catch and cast:

• Rod with a Coarse tackle profile → catches go to your Coarse stats
• Rod with a Specimen tackle profile → catches go to your Specimen stats

The session's primary pursuit — Coarse in this case — sets the overall context and how the session appears in your history. But it doesn't override the attribution. Each rod is tracked independently, based solely on the pursuit of its tackle profile.

What this looks like in your stats — a worked example

Session: Sunday at Kingfisher Commercial (Coarse session)

Rod	Tackle Profile	Profile Pursuit	Result
Float rod	Waggler rig, size 16	Coarse	12 roach and bream, 4lb 8oz
Second rod	Specimen rod	Specimen	1 common carp, 9lb 6oz

After the session:

• In your Coarse stats: 1 session, 12 catches, 4lb 8oz. The float rod fish appear in your Coarse catch history, weight totals, and species records exactly as they should.
• In your Specimen stats: 1 session, 1 catch, 9lb 6oz. The carp is filed cleanly under Specimen — even though the session was created as a Coarse session.

The session counts once in each pursuit's session total — 1 added to Coarse, 1 added to Specimen. That's correct: you genuinely fished both pursuits that day.

Cast Stats follow the same logic. Your Coarse Cast Stats reflect the float rod only. Your Specimen Cast Stats reflect the second rod only. No blended averages.

How to set it up — step by step

Step 1: Create the session

Tap + to start a new session. Set the primary pursuit to Coarse — this is your main objective for the day. Choose your venue and confirm.

Step 2: Set up your rods on the Rod Roost

On the session setup screen, open the Rod Roost.

• Add your first rod and select your Coarse tackle profile (e.g. your waggler or float setup). Catches on this rod record as Coarse.
• Add your second rod and select your Specimen tackle profile (e.g. your carp or ledger rig). Because this profile is set to the Specimen pursuit, catches on this rod record as Specimen — regardless of the session being Coarse.

Make sure Multi Rods is enabled in your App Settings — see the multi-rod sessions guide if you haven't set that up yet.

Step 3: Fish as normal

Start your cast timers per rod. When you get a bite, log the catch against the rod it came from. CatchMate reads the tackle profile's pursuit and files the catch to the right place automatically.

Step 4: Review your stats

After the session, switch between Coarse and Specimen pursuits in the app. Your Coarse stats show the float rod catches only. Your Specimen stats show the second rod catches only. Clean and separate.

Why it matters

Your Coarse stats stay accurate — Fish caught on a Specimen tackle profile rod never inflate your Coarse weight totals, PBs, or catch counts. The records only reflect genuine Coarse fishing.

Your Specimen records stay honest — That carp goes into your Specimen history properly, even though the session was Coarse. It won't be lost or misattributed.

No double-entry, no guesswork — You don't need to run two separate sessions or manually reassign fish afterwards. The tackle profile does the work at the point of logging.

Cast Stats stay clean — Cast timing data is tracked per rod, per pursuit. Your Coarse Cast Stats reflect your Coarse rod only. Your Specimen Cast Stats reflect your Specimen rod only.

Fits how you actually fish — Most anglers don't fish one method in isolation. CatchMate is built around the reality that a session on the bank often involves more than one approach.

Which pursuit should I set as primary?

Set the primary pursuit to whichever discipline best represents your main objective for the day. If you're primarily float fishing and the second rod is secondary — choose Coarse.

The primary pursuit affects how the session is labelled in your history. It does not affect where catches are filed. That is determined entirely by the tackle profile on each rod. There is no wrong answer — just pick whichever feels most honest about what the day was really about.

Make sure your tackle profiles are set up correctly

This all relies on each tackle profile having the correct pursuit set. To check:

1. Go to Tackle Profiles in Settings
2. Open any profile and look at the Fishing Type field
3. Make sure your float and waggler setups show Coarse, and your carp and ledger rigs show Specimen

Once your profiles are correctly labelled, you never need to think about it again — just assign the right profile to each rod and CatchMate handles the rest automatically.

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Ready to try it? Set up your Rod Roost with the right tackle profiles and let CatchMate track both pursuits accurately from a single session.