New Android fishing app

[Kingsley 19]

So new it hasn't been created yet :DAs a hobby I write apps for android phones, and basically I'm throwing this out there to pick you guys brains on what you would like in an app or if you think they are a waste of time etc.Do many of you have android phones?Do you use any fishing apps now?Do you find them useful?Is there something that you would like to see in an app that you just can't find?There are tons of fishing related apps out there, fishing journals, knot guides, fishing guides, solunar charts, tide times, weather apps etc. Some combine alot of the above very well into one app where you can record your catches, store a picture of your catch, it automatically fills out the weather conditions, store location of your catch, even keep track of all the tackle in your tackle boxes and remind you to go buy more soft plastics etc :)So re-inventing the wheel with an app like that would probably be pointless.So guys, any ideas? Maybe a simple carp body count or ninja carp app haha :silly: you'd be surprised how well the stupid simple apps do.

[aldingabeachfisho 1]

awesome dude. I have an android phone and the only apps I have found are all US and are not that useful in Australia. An app with tides, weather, size/bag limits, some sort of diary calendar.

[Del 245]

awesome dude. I have an android phone and the only apps I have found are all US and are not that useful in Australia. An app with tides' date=' weather, size/bag limits, some sort of diary calendar.[/quote']agreed x2

[Chief 706]

Same again Have a HTC desire And I do desire a fishing appGPS photo log would be goodDatabase of bait and lures for freshies And a trip planner ... And moon phases and ..A beer when you get thirsty Thanks

[chuckemback 0]

Could be onto something here Kingsley.

[DR_JOSH 12]

anything that combines wind/ weather, tides and lunar charts would keep me pretty happy, at the moment I have apps for all but does become a pain having to check all. Even an active widget which could be put on the main screen so it's even simpler to check current condition.I find most of my trips are unplanned so it's nice to get a quick update of whats happening at the time when I decide to head out

[Kingsley 19]

what are the apps that you are using currently using DR_JOSH?the hardest part with something like this is sourcing the up to date local data. even BOM doesn't want to freely give out a tide chart.

[thefunkychicken 0]

Look this way to spot the local dunce but is an app for an Android different to an app for an iPhone?

[Kingsley 19]

yup its like mac and pc. can't install windows software on a mac.but a lot of iphone apps are re-written for android and vice-versa.

[wedgetail 0]

Some thing sorted by location would be great also being able to compare spots for a given day, ie best spot to fish land based or for kayak fishing would be fantastic.mark

[Mr_Willy 3]

Have an iPhone and would love an App...Tide times would be good, all other weather info, maybe the moon phases..... not sure if you can get the rules and regs on there too regarding min sizes and bag limits?!

[phatty 0]

Mr Willy i have one on my iphone called FishTimePro seems fairly good, gives a out of 5 star rating for how good the fishing is. Gives major and minor times to fish, tides, moon phases and sunrise and set and cost about a buck twenty from memory.

[thefunkychicken 0]

yup its like mac and pc. can't install windows software on a mac.but a lot of iphone apps are re-written for android and vice-versa.

Ok, thanks. If you do get the Android app up & running and wanted to re-write it or get it re-written for iPhone then I'd guess you'd have a few interested fisherpeoples, myself included.Cheers.

[Kingsley 19]

Alright, looks like I have my next project.Got a couple in the works at the moment, and this is in my spare time, so once they are tied up I'll get cracking on this.The other ones make me money (I love my cheques from Google), so they are higher priority, this one would be a love job :)Features I can do now:Journal inc photo log, baits used, comments, auto-fill GPS location, weather etcCurrent weather observations (thanks BOM)Moon phase (calculated)Current regs, size/bag limits etc. Features I need to get more info on:Weather/wind predictions (could simply *borrow* from another site etc..)Tide times (no freely available digital charts that I can find, calculating them is VERY involved.)Watch this space, coz I'll be in here asking your opinions on stuff soon.

[BennyC 0]

I have found recording GPS locations are easy, finding them exactly again is hard. A good fishing app needs a simple way to get back to them again, eg bearing and distance.CheersBen

[Kingsley 19]

I have found recording GPS locations are easy' date=' finding them exactly again is hard. A good fishing app needs a simple way to get back to them again, eg bearing and distance.[/quote']Welcome to the forum.A good fisherman will know where he caught his fish and how to get back there :)If its land based, a picture and gps location will remind him where it was.If it was from a boat, he will have the gps location in his gps, it can point him where to go ;)But point taken, I will take this into consideration, thanks.

[BennyC 0]

You are assuming all boat owners have a GPS in the boat which is not always the case, eg my only GPS is my Android phone, easy to get coordinates from (and I have marked many) but not easy to find them again, thus my interest in an app designed for the task.RegardsBen

[Kingsley 19]

fair enough. shouldn't be too hard to put something together. i'm surprised that other apps don't have good features to get you back to marks... surely there is a gps plotter app?also from what i've seen, the phone gps isn't too flash and it absolutely chews through your battery.but yeah, still working on my other stuff at the moment, so probably be a while until i even really start to look at this. if you can think of anything else you'd like to see in an app, let me know.

[Ugly4Life 41]

Hey Kingsley,I was only checking out the appstore the other day for something fishing related and found that for Australia most of the apps were either crap or ridiculously expensive.Would be happy to pay a few bucks for an app that could:[ul] [li]Give me up to date tide/weather information.[/li] [li]List popular local spots.[/li] [li]Keep my own notes easily and quickly on fish catches, weather conditions, moon phase etc[/li] [li]Provide size/bag limits. Best baits for species etc[/li] [li]Provide a basic knot guide.[/li][/ul]The cheapest I could find was like $12.95 which is way too much and didn't provide half the above (only tide times I think).Let us know how you go, as I would definitely be interested, even if it only did the tides.Cheers,Ugly.Edit: Forgot to mention my phone is a HTC Desire HD

[hooked82 0]

@Kingsley - I just finished my android Fishing app 2 months ago. I'd be happy to share more info if interested

[scoobs 0]

an app that catches fish would be sweet

[Chief 706]

G'day Kingsleyjust saw another thing in the yankie apps....Tackle Stores near your current location.Rec Fishing guide and regs for the current locationBrief description of fish types that can be found in current location..just a few more Ideas but you would have thought of these already prob.CheersChief

[Kingsley 19]

I like the nearest tackle store idea.There's been some good ideas come from this thread and I thank everyone for their input. Keep it up :)Hardest part is going to be putting it all together in a coherent way, keeping info up to date etc.I noticed the other day a Windows phone app written by the QLD Gov, for QLD only.http://www.windowsphone.com/en-AU/apps/144e47f5-17a3-493c-a96c-c5f5bd55fdf0looks alright.. but I also read that stats are tracked by the Gov on catches etc... hmm.This thing is turning into a beast and I'm yet to write a single line of code. To be honest I've been ultra slack and haven't worn my developer hat for over a month.

[Kat 0]

awesome dude. I have an android phone and the only apps I have found are all US and are not that useful in Australia. An app with tides' date=' weather' date=' size/bag limits, some sort of diary calendar.[/quote'']agreed x2

x 3Pictures of the fish! actual pictures, not drawn ones :)I dont know ho much you can put into an app, but something to store locations, weather gps or manual entry.Bait shop location would be super

[Kat 0]

I totally should of read the rest of this thread instead of the first 3 replies.... then maybe my post wouldnt of been a repeat haha.+ easy access to SH

[chuckemback 0]

An app for like an alarm clock with a reel running ratchet onn .You could maybe have a few diffrent sounding reels as an option.

[tythataussieguy 0]

anything that combines wind/ weather' date=' tides and lunar charts would keep me pretty happy, at the moment I have apps for all but does become a pain having to check all. Even an active widget which could be put on the main screen so it's even simpler to check current condition.I find most of my trips are unplanned so it's nice to get a quick update of whats happening at the time when I decide to head out[/quote']If you could chuck a radar in there too it would be sweet.

[Craigoss 0]

G'day Kingsley and all, I have searched the internet for the "perfect" fishing application but I can't seem to find one that fits my needs. There are a some that are good, but not quite what I want. The best apps I have found are all American or UK-based, or specifically made for fly or fresh water fishing. I have a list of features that are fairly detailed, so I apologise to those who don't want to read it all, and I have borrowed some ideas from the folks here aswell. The PERFECT app for me and my mates would include the following:- On opening the app, it uses the phone's GPS and gives you the location of where you are in the world straight away, so the app can load current and forecasted weather conditions, local time and tide times/levels, lunar phases etc so you have all that information right in front of you without clicking into anything else, so based on that information aswell as fishing reports submitted by others, it can calculate what species are being caught during those times and conditions and giving an overall "Rating" of how good the fishing could be. Maybe have pictures of the species that have been caught during those times, and by clicking on each one, gives more info about that fish? - Covers all forms of fishing; Fresh water, saltwater, fly fishing, lure fishing, bait fishing, rock fishing, beach fishing, all based on the position.- Rigs and tackle for the fish the app has recommended, but also another link to rigs and tackle for all species as a separate option for when people are generally interested when no fishing is being done. - Tackle shop locator either linked to Google Maps or a "Find nearest.." feature, then punch in a distance(Within 10km, 20km .. 500km etc), and also have a "Check In" style feature so when people go into a tackle store, if it's not on the maps, they can punch in the details and save it through the app and if someone else is in the area and needs a tackle shop, it will list it through the app. - Fish guide that includes bag limits, legal sizes, prohibited species and preferred baits or plastics/lures to use for each species in the area you are in.- Tackle shopping list. When you realise you're running out of tackle, add it to your shopping list within the app and when you're near a tackle shop next, the app sends you an SMS reminding you to get the listed tackle. (provided that tackle shop is listed within the app). I think the problem with that would be having to leave your GPS function on all the time, which I have heard causes unexpected and large data bills but maybe there's a way to code it so the GPS could turn on every so often, for 3-5 seconds, and if you're within an area it recognises, it can alert you? - A personal photo journal or log to keep track(Or brag) about your catch.- Ability to add "friends" so when they post a new photo or comment using the app, it alerts you via SMS. - A fish ID feature. If you don't know what kind of fish you have just caught, take a picture and upload it through the app and if it's in the database, a description will be sent via SMS or on-screen. I've seen a program called Google Goggles which lets you take a picture of something, the program scans it and gives you a description of what it is or if it has no information available, it suggests items similar to it. I have only used it once to test it and I took a photo of my bone coloured Skull-shaped Ashtray and it suggested a beige rabbit and a box of toothpicks, so as a side note, if there's a program similar that is more accurate, please let me know .. I have other ideas, too, but it's 3:09am and my brain is on fire so if interested in a more detailed list, please let me know. It would be a GREAT app and even though my mate's are tightarses, I know they would pay for an app like this(As would many others)!~Good luck on the water, gang.

[Kingsley 19]

Just to keep me motivated more than anything, thought I'd let you guys know I have finally started doing something with this... talk about slack! :)Some of the ideas here are great, but probably a bit ambitious for little old me.SO... I'm going to take baby steps.First thing I'm going to implement is getting weather info, because for me this is most important. I was intially concerned with getting tide information, but that's sorted now What I'm thinking of doing is creating a composite of a few pages from BOM, current weather forecast, marine forecast, tides, and latest observations (ie wind speed and direction), moon phase.so, for a particular day I would normaly look at these pages in making my decision about if/when/where to fish:weather forecast page like http://www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/adelaide.shtmlI'm usually interested in just the temp, if its going to rain and any warnings.marine forecast page like http://www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/adelaide-waters.shtmlI'm interested in the winds, sea and swell, and any warnings.Tides for the day.and current wind speeds and direction (and some of the days recordings) to see if the forecast is accurate, from a page like this http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDS60801/IDS60801.94675.shtmlSo, if I could see all that on one page, I'd be happy.Anything I've missed?Currently I can grab the info, I just have to play around with the best way to display it all.

[Crusher 18]

Alright' date=' looks like I have my next project.Got a couple in the works at the moment, and this is in my spare time, so once they are tied up I'll get cracking on this.The other ones make me money (I love my cheques from Google), so they are higher priority, this one would be a love job :)Features I can do now:Journal inc photo log, baits used, comments, auto-fill GPS location, weather etcCurrent weather observations (thanks BOM)Moon phase (calculated)Current regs, size/bag limits etc. Features I need to get more info on:Weather/wind predictions (could simply *borrow* from another site etc..)Tide times (no freely available digital charts that I can find, calculating them is VERY involved.)Watch this space, coz I'll be in here asking your opinions on stuff soon.[/quote']State bag limits as suggested earlier would be fantastic!

[nickmav 0]

DON'T FORGET A BAROMETER TOO!!!!!!

[Kingsley 19]

I was thinking about that and I'm not really sure how to go about it because a pressure reading by itself doesn't really tell you much. Whether it is a high or a low depends on the pressures around it.could just somehow include this type info or just link to the synoptic chart.

Weather SituationA high 1025 hPa centred southwest of Kangaroo Island is moving east and will reach the Tasman sea on Wednesday. A trough of low pressure will move across the State on Thursday, followed by a new high which will be centred south of the Bight later Thursday and Friday.

EDIT:nope, nope, I was wrong. anything above 1013.5hPa is High, and below that is a Low. That will make things easier.

[dutchy 451]

BIG FISH!!!It will be one hell of an ap when you get it doneDoes anyone have an android phone alarm or ringtone sound of a big reel being taken by a big fish or shark?It might make getting up for work a bit easier

[Kingsley 19]

BIG FISH!!!It will be one hell of an ap when you get it doneDoes anyone have an android phone alarm or ringtone sound of a big reel being taken by a big fish or shark?It might make getting up for work a bit easier

http://www.soundsnap.com/audio/play/134285quick search turned this up.drop it onto your phone's sd card under a folder called "alarms" you might have to create it, then it will appear in the list of alarm sounds

[dutchy 451]

Cheers KingsleyI will have a try a bit of a spastic with technology :blush:My little girl is 4yrs old soon she will solve all my gadget problems