Lake feature mapping

Opening the map

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The Oakford Pools venue map shows saved peg and depth markers and provides the controls for adding or reviewing map features.

From the Venues screen, tap a saved venue, then tap the View Map button.

Map modes

The toolbar at the bottom of the map lets you switch between:

• View — move around the map freely. Tap any existing pin to see its details and quick-action links.
• Pin — drop a new marker at a specific point (see Pin types below).
• Line — draw a line between two or more points to mark a feature's shape or a casting arc (see Drawing lines below).
• Delete — tap any pin or line to remove it.

Tap Save after making changes.

For the deeper workflows, see Depth pins and depth profiles and Mapping swim photos. This overview covers the map itself; those companion articles explain how readings, photos and linked pins work together.

Pin types

Switch to Pin mode, tap and hold on the map at the location you want to mark — a pin is placed. Then choose the pin type and fill in the relevant fields. You can also tap Use my GPS location to place the pin precisely at your current position.

Feature — tag a lake feature at that point. Choose from: Drop-off, Bar, Plateau, Hump, Snag, Lily Bed, Reed Bed, Island, Weed Bed, and Margin. For Lily Bed pins, record the colony size (Small, Medium, or Large). Add a name and any notes — for example, "Right-hand island margin — fishes well in SW wind."

Depth Marker — record a water depth at a specific point. Enter the depth value and an optional pin label (e.g. "Deep gully — 14ft"). You can also add a location label (Near margin, 1/3 out, Middle, 2/3 out, Far margin, Far bank) so that multiple depth markers in the same area can be told apart at a glance.

Substrate — record the lakebed material at a specific point: Gravel, Clay, Silt, or Mud. Drop several substrate pins across the lake to build a picture of the bottom as you plumb up.

Peg / Swim — mark a specific fishing position by name and peg number. Swim photos can be linked to this peg (see Swim photos below) — once photos are added, a blue camera badge appears on the pin. Tap the pin in View mode to open the photo gallery for that swim or jump straight to the peg's depth profile. When creating or editing a peg pin, you can also set the swim's facing direction — the compass bearing toward the water. This is required for the automatic depth pin placement feature (see Placing photo depths on the map as pins, below).

Fish Caught — placed automatically when you log a catch via the map during a session. Tap it in View mode to jump straight to that fish's full catch record.

Editing and moving pins

Tap any pin in View mode to open its detail panel. From there you can:

• Edit — change the pin type, subtype, name, depth, notes, or linked catch.
• Move — reposition the pin by tapping a new point on the map.
• Delete — remove the pin entirely.

Drawing lines

Switch to Line mode, tap the start point on the map, then tap the end point to complete the line. Lines display their measured distance and support full customisation:

• Colour — choose from white, yellow, pink, cyan, green, orange, or red.
• Thickness — Thin, Medium, or Thick.
• Style — solid or dashed.
• Label — add an optional label (e.g. "11 wraps" for a casting arc).

Use lines to trace the shape of an island margin, the line of a far-bank shelf, a reed bed edge, or a casting arc.

Tapping a pin in View mode

Tapping a pin opens a panel with all its recorded data. Depending on the pin type, quick-action buttons may also appear:

• View swim photos — on Peg pins with linked photos. Opens the swim's photo gallery.
• View Peg Profile — on Peg pins. Opens historical depth charts and session intel for that peg.
• View catch — on Fish Caught pins. Opens the full catch record.

Depth Marker pins linked from a peg depth profile show 🔗 Synced from Peg [N] depth profile in the detail panel. Review and explicitly project linked automatic pins when needed; manually placed pins and the peg itself remain under your control.

When a Peg pin is selected, two additional tools appear:

Show distance rings — overlays casting-distance rings around the peg in metres or yards according to your selected display preference. Tap Customise distance rings to set your own distances.

Far bank distance — when shoreline data is available for the venue, the distance to the far bank is calculated and displayed automatically. Use the bearing controls (±5°) to sweep left or right and measure the exact bank or margin you're targeting.

Swim photos and peg mapping

Linking photos to a peg gives you a visual reference for every swim — annotated with exact depth readings, snags, features, and catch spots — all accessible directly from the peg's map pin. Before an automatic depth-pin pull, the photo must be explicitly linked to the correct peg. A nearby map pin or a pin visible in the camera direction is not enough when peg ownership is unknown.

Adding photos to a peg

Swim photos are added and managed from the Photos tab on the venue page. When adding or editing a photo you can tag it with a peg number. Once tagged, that photo appears in the gallery for that peg and is accessible directly from the peg's map pin.

Annotating swim photos

Open a swim photo from the venue's Photos tab or from a linked peg. Use the visible photo annotation action to add, move, or edit pins; the available control can vary by where the photo was opened from, so do not rely on edit mode being the only entry point.

To add a pin, tap anywhere on the photo to drop it, then choose a type from the picker sheet.

To move an existing pin, press and drag it to the new position — release to save.

To edit a pin's label, type, depth value, or location, tap it — an edit sheet opens where you can update its details or delete it entirely.

The hint bar at the bottom of the screen reads: "Drag a pin to move · Tap to edit · Tap photo to add"

Pin types available within photos are:

• Depth — mark a depth reading directly on the photo. Enter the depth value, the cast distance (how many metres or yards out the reading was taken), an optional label, and a location (Near margin, 1/3 out, Middle, 2/3 out, Far margin, Far bank) to distinguish multiple readings at a glance. The cast distance is used by the Place depth pins on map feature to position the pin correctly on the venue map.
• Catch Spot — mark the exact spot within the swim where fish were caught.
• Snag — flag an underwater snag or obstacle.
• Feature — mark any notable feature visible in the image.
• Margin — mark the margin position.

How swim photo depths feed into the rest of the app

Depth annotations added to swim photos are automatically pulled through to:

• The venue's Depths tab — grouped by peg, so you get a complete depth profile for every swim on the fishery, combining map pin readings and photo annotation readings side by side.
• Your active session — when you're on the bank plumbing up, all stored depth readings for that peg (from both map pins and photo annotations) appear as quick-pick chips inside the session so you can reference them instantly without leaving the session screen.

Placing photo depths on the map as pins

Once you have annotated a swim photo with depth readings — and set a cast distance on each depth pin (how many metres or yards out the reading was taken) — use the visible Place depth pins on map action in the photo viewer. The action may be offered from different viewer entry points.

CatchMate matches and links photo readings to existing venue information before offering placement. An automatic depth-pin pull requires the photo to be explicitly linked to the correct peg. A nearby map pin or a pin visible in the camera direction is not enough when the peg ownership is unknown. When you choose to project a linked reading, the app uses the peg's facing direction (bearing) and the annotation's cast distance to propose a map position. Review the preview and confirm it before saving; projection is a convenience for organising depth information, not a surveyed position.

For this to work, two things must be in place:

• The peg pin on the venue map must have a facing direction set (the compass bearing toward the water — set when creating or editing the peg pin).
• Each depth annotation on the photo must have a distance value recorded (the cast distance for that reading).

Projected pins are linked to the peg's depth profile. When you tap one in View mode, the popup shows 🔗 Synced from Peg [N] depth profile. Changing a bearing or anchor does not silently move existing pins; moving linked automatic pins requires an explicit confirmation and preview. Manually placed pins are not moved by that action.

The Place depth pins on map button is available from several places in the app:

• The swim photo viewer when opened from the venue map
• The Photos tab on the venue page
• The Peg Profile sheet (opened by tapping View Peg Profile on a peg pin)
• The session screen, when your session venue has a matched map

The placement action can be available from the swim photo viewer, the venue's Photos tab, the peg profile, or a matched session map. Follow the visible action from the entry point you are using, then review the proposed position and reading before saving.

Tip: Set the cast distance on every depth annotation — even an approximate value lets the app place the pin in roughly the right spot on the map, saving you from dropping it manually.

Depth readings and the Depths tab

Depth data flows into the venue from two places:

1. Depth Marker pins added directly to the map
2. Photo depth annotations — depth pins dropped onto swim photos in the Photos tab

Both are aggregated automatically in the venue's Depths tab, grouped by peg number, giving you a complete picture of the lake floor for every swim. During an active session, all depth readings stored against your current peg are surfaced as quick-pick chips to help with plumbing up.

Using the map during a session

If your session venue matches a saved venue, a Map button appears next to the venue name at the top of the session screen. Tap it to open the feature map while you're on the bank — useful for checking pin locations, reviewing depth readings to assist with plumbing up, or logging a catch directly to the map. Tap the back arrow to return to your session.

Map layers and display options

Layers button — toggle between standard map view and satellite view. Satellite view is strongly recommended for identifying physical lake features — bars, margins, reed lines, and shallows are all visible from above.

Shoreline overlay — toggle the OSM shoreline layer on or off. This outlines the water's edge and is used to calculate far bank distances.

Rotation — rotate the map to match the orientation of your swim using the rotation controls. Buttons rotate left or right 15° at a time; tap Reset to North to return to the standard orientation.

GPS — tap Go to my GPS location to centre the map on your current position.

Sharing your map with friends

Open Map Settings from within the venue map.

Shared Map / Private Map toggle — switching to Shared Map makes the map visible to all your CatchMate friends. The label reads "Friends can view this map". Toggle back to Private Map ("Only visible to you") at any time.

Allow pin import toggle — appears when the map is shared. When on, friends can save a full copy of your map including all pins and lines. When off, friends can view the map but cannot copy your pins.

Viewing a friend's map

Go to the Social section, open a friend's profile, and tap their shared map. Maps open in a read-only view. If the friend has allowed pin import, tap Save to copy the map — with all its pins and lines — into your own Venues.

Tip: Satellite view combined with the shoreline overlay gives the most accurate far bank distance readings — worth enabling before setting up your distance rings on a new venue.