Depth pins and depth profiles

Depth information in CatchMate can come from map pins, swim-photo annotations, or readings saved in a peg depth profile. This guide explains how those sources relate, how to organise specimen-angling readings into separate approaches, and how to review projected pins safely.

What depth profiles are

A peg depth profile is a saved record of the depths you have found from a particular swim. It belongs to the venue and peg, and can be organised into named approaches such as Central, Left Margin, or Right Margin. Use it to keep a useful history of plumbing-up readings rather than treating every reading as an isolated map marker.

Where depth readings come from

Depth information can come from:

A Depth Marker placed directly on the venue map
A Depth annotation added to a swim photo
A reading entered into a peg's Depth Profile

These sources can be brought together while retaining their source context. A photo annotation is a reading marked on an image; a map depth pin is a location marker on the venue map; a profile reading is the saved reading within an approach or transect. For an automatic pull from a photo, the photo must be explicitly linked to the correct peg and the map reading must include the required depth and location information. A nearby or camera-visible pin is not enough when peg ownership is unknown. A linked automatic pin is a map pin connected to profile data after an explicit placement or projection. A manually placed pin is created and controlled directly by you. Existing matching annotations should be left alone rather than duplicated.

Creating and editing a peg depth profile

Open a saved venue and select the relevant peg or swim.
Open View Peg Profile or the venue's Depths tab.
Choose an approach or create a named custom transect.
Add each reading with its depth and, where useful, the cast distance from the bank.
Save the profile and review the chart before relying on it at the waterside.

Cast distances are stored consistently and displayed in metres or yards according to your selected preference. Keep the order of readings meaningful: a fully positioned profile preserves the saved reading order.

Central, Left Margin, Right Margin and custom transects

Named approaches are meaningful profile boundaries. If a reading is labelled Left Margin Middle, it belongs to Left Margin when it is inside that saved approach. The word “Middle” does not automatically move it into Central.

Readings are shown as separate transects where appropriate. CatchMate does not join unrelated Central, Left Margin, Right Margin, and custom transects into one misleading lake-bed line. Custom map-aware transects remain separately named and grouped.

The chart is a visual guide to your saved readings. It is not a surveyed shoreline, an underwater survey, or a guarantee of the lake-bed geometry between readings.

Setting a bearing or map anchor

When a profile has map-aware geometry, set the peg's facing direction or choose an anchor on the map. The facing direction is a compass bearing from the peg towards the water. Shoreline and bearing information can help organise far-bank and cast-distance references.

Changing a bearing or anchor does not silently move existing pins. If CatchMate offers to move linked automatic depth pins, inspect the preview and confirm the action explicitly. Only the linked automatic pins are affected; manually placed pins and the peg itself are not moved.

Reviewing and projecting linked pins

Projection is a convenience for organising depth information. It uses the peg position, saved bearing or anchor, and cast distance to propose a position; it is not a precise survey.

Before saving a projection:

Check that the reading belongs to the correct peg and approach.
Confirm the depth and cast distance.
Review the proposed map position against the actual swim and water.
Correct the reading or pin if the real-world situation differs.

Do not assume that every suggestion needs action. Existing correct pins and readings should be left alone unless you intentionally need to update them.

Working with photo readings

Photo depth annotations can be included in a peg profile while retaining that they came from a photo. A photo's own location label takes priority over generic direction wording when organising the reading. If a photo has a camera bearing, CatchMate can use it to relate the view to map positions.

For the complete photo workflow, including peg linking and annotation review, see Mapping swim photos.

When should I use this?

Use a depth profile when you want to compare plumbing-up readings over time, keep separate approaches for a swim, or make useful depth references available during a live session. Use map pins for location-focused markers, and use photo annotations when the image itself helps explain where a depth, feature, snag, or catch spot sits.

What should I check before saving?

Is the correct venue and peg selected?
Is the reading in the intended named approach or custom transect?
Are the depth and cast distance recorded in the right units?
Is the bearing or map anchor appropriate for the swim?
If a pin is linked or projected, have you reviewed its preview and position?
Are you updating an existing correct reading rather than creating a duplicate?

Troubleshooting

A reading appears in the wrong approach

Check the saved approach boundary and the reading's selected approach first. A label containing “Middle” does not override a saved Left Margin or Right Margin approach. Move the reading to the correct named approach explicitly, then save and review the separate transect.

A photo and map appear to show the same reading

Compare the source context, peg, depth, cast distance and location label. A photo annotation and a map pin can describe the same real-world reading without needing two new records. Do not create another pin until you have checked whether the existing information is already linked.

A map pin does not appear in a photo

Map pins and photo annotations are different views of depth information. Check that the photo is linked to the correct peg and that the reading has the required depth and location information. Use the visible placement or pull-from-map action only after reviewing what is missing.

A projection looks wrong after a bearing changes

Changing a bearing does not silently move existing pins. Review the new bearing, peg position, cast distance and proposed preview. Confirm a linked-pin move only when the preview matches the real swim; manually placed pins remain unchanged.

Suggestions or sync prompts look duplicated

Review the existing photo annotation, map pin and profile reading before using a sync or placement action. If the data is already correct, leave it alone. Suggestions are for missing or unmatched information, not a reason to duplicate an established reading.