Get Hooked! - Privacy Policy

Last Updated: December 13, 2025

At Get Hooked!, your privacy is our top priority. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information when you use our fishing waypoint and forecast application. The short version: your fishing spots stay private, on your device. We collect anonymous usage analytics to improve the app, but never your fishing locations or personal data.

Why Privacy Matters to Anglers

Your fishing spots are personal discoveries, hard-won knowledge, and sometimes closely guarded secrets. Get Hooked! is built on the principle that your fishing knowledge should stay yours. This policy explains how we ensure your spots, patterns, and insights remain private while still giving you the tools to catch more fish.

Privacy at a Glance

Your spots stay secret: We never collect your fishing locations, waypoints, or GPS coordinates
Local storage only: All waypoints and catches are stored on your device
Your cloud, your control: Backups go to your personal cloud account only (iCloud on iOS, Google Drive on Android)
Anonymous analytics only: We track which features you use (e.g., "user opened forecast"), never where you fish
No advertising: We don't use advertising networks or sell any data
No account required: Use the app without creating an account or providing personal information
On-device intelligence: Pattern analysis and insights happen entirely on your device

Anonymous Usage Analytics

To improve Get Hooked! and understand which features are valuable to anglers, we collect anonymous usage data. This helps us identify problems, prioritize new features, and make the app better for everyone.

What Analytics Includes (Safe Data)

Which screens you visit (e.g., "user viewed Forecast screen")
Which features you use (e.g., "user imported a GPX file", "user enabled weather radar")
App crashes and error reports to help us fix bugs
General app performance metrics (startup time, slow screens)
Subscription status (free or pro) for understanding feature usage
Device type and OS version for compatibility testing
Counts only (e.g., "user has 50 waypoints") - never the waypoints themselves

What Analytics NEVER Includes (Protected Data)

Your fishing locations or waypoint coordinates
Names of your waypoints, lakes, rivers, or fishing spots
Contents of your GPX files
Your catch records or fishing success data
Which rivers you favorite or monitor
Any GPS coordinates of any kind
Your backup data or its contents
Pattern analysis results or insights generated from your data
Search queries that might contain location names
Heat map interactions or which areas you view

The Key Distinction: Analytics tells us "a user viewed the forecast screen" — it never tells us "a user checked the forecast for Lake Erie." Your fishing intelligence remains completely private.

Analytics Provider

We use Google Firebase Analytics, a widely-used analytics service. Firebase's privacy policy is available at firebase.google.com/support/privacy. We have configured Firebase to:

Disable advertising data collection
Not share data with Google's advertising network
Collect only the anonymous usage data described above

Information Storage

Data Stored Locally on Your Device

Get Hooked! stores all of the following information locally on your device:

Waypoint Data: GPS coordinates, names, descriptions, and notes for your fishing spots (both lakes and rivers)
GPX Files: Imported GPX files and their associated waypoints
App Settings: Your preferences for notifications, forecast thresholds, and backup settings
Forecast Preferences: Which locations you've enabled for fishing forecasts
River Favorites: Your favorited USGS river monitoring stations and flow alert thresholds
Notification Settings: Your preferred notification types, times, and thresholds (including river flow alerts)
Heat Map Preferences: Display settings for heat map visualizations
Catch Records: Your fishing success data, including species, conditions, and timestamps
Pattern Analysis: Locally computed correlations and insights from your catch history
Angler DNA: Your fishing archetype and personality profile generated from your data

This data never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose to back it up to iCloud (iOS) or Google Drive (Android) or share it with others.

Machine Learning and Pattern Analysis

To help you transform data into knowledge and catch more fish, the app:

Uses on-device algorithms to identify patterns in your catch history
Correlates environmental conditions (weather, moon phase, tides, water temperature, river flow rates) with your successful catches
Provides personalized insights and recommendations based on your fishing data
Analyzes which conditions have historically produced the best results at your specific waypoints
Generates your Angler DNA profile from your fishing patterns
Auto-generates forecast locations from clustered waypoint data

100% On-Device Processing:

All machine learning processing happens entirely on your device
Pattern analysis uses only your locally stored waypoint and catch data
We have no access to the patterns identified or insights generated
No data is sent to external servers for AI/ML processing
All correlations and predictions are calculated locally using your personal fishing history

Your fishing knowledge stays yours. The app helps you learn from your own experiences without ever sharing them with us or anyone else.

Backup and Export (Optional)

Get Hooked! allows you to export backup files of your data:

You can export your waypoint data, river favorites, and app settings as a backup file
YOU choose where to save the backup file — your iCloud Drive, Google Drive, local storage, email, or any location your device can access
The app does not automatically upload backups anywhere — you have complete control
We have no access to your backup files or where you store them
Backup files are encrypted using platform-standard security

Weather and Forecast Data

To provide fishing forecasts, the app:

Requests weather data from third-party weather services based on the GPS coordinates of your forecast-enabled locations
Does not send any identifying information about you with these requests
Only sends the latitude and longitude coordinates needed to fetch weather data
Does not associate these coordinates with your identity in any way

We use reputable third-party weather services selected for their commitment to privacy and data security. The specific provider(s) may vary by region and data type. Common providers include services from NOAA, USGS, NASA, and Environment Canada.

River Flow Data (USGS)

To provide real-time river flow information and alerts, the app:

Requests current flow data from USGS (United States Geological Survey) monitoring stations
Only sends the station ID needed to fetch flow data
Does not send any identifying information about you
Does not associate station queries with your identity
Processes all flow correlations and alerts locally on your device

Your River Privacy: When you favorite a river or set flow alerts, this information is stored only on your device and in your personal cloud backup (if enabled). We never know which rivers you fish, what flow ranges you prefer, or when you receive alerts.

Historical Satellite Data

To provide historical water condition analysis, the app:

Requests satellite data from NASA's MODIS via NOAA ERDDAP API based on the GPS coordinates of your waypoints
Does not send any identifying information about you with these requests
Only sends the latitude, longitude, and date range needed to fetch satellite data
Does not associate these coordinates with your identity in any way
Processes all catch correlations locally on your device

Important: Your catch records and waypoint metadata never leave your device. The satellite data analysis happens entirely on your device, and we have no access to which waypoints you analyze or what insights are generated.

What We Don't Do

Get Hooked! is built with privacy as the foundation. We explicitly do NOT:

Collect or store your fishing spot locations
Track which bodies of water you fish
Monitor your fishing patterns or success rates
Sell or share any data about you
Use advertising networks or behavioral advertising
Require account creation or personal information
Access your contacts, photos (except when you explicitly attach them), or other personal data
Include location data in analytics
Share pattern analysis or insights generated from your data
Monitor which rivers you favorite or what flow alerts you set
Access your Angler DNA profile or auto-generated forecast data

Data Security

We take the security of your data seriously:

Local storage: All data is stored securely on your device using platform secure storage mechanisms
No cloud servers: We don't operate servers that store your personal data or fishing information
Cloud encryption: Optional cloud backups benefit from Apple's/Google's industry-standard encryption
App updates: We regularly update the app to address security concerns
On-device processing: Heat maps, pattern analysis, Angler DNA, and solunar calculations happen entirely on your device
Analytics security: Anonymous analytics data is transmitted securely via HTTPS

Your Rights and Controls

You have complete control over your data:

Access: All your data is stored locally and accessible within the app
Deletion: Delete waypoints, GPX files, catch records, or all app data at any time
Export: Export your waypoints as GPX files whenever you wish
Sharing Control: Choose exactly which GPX files to share and with whom
Backup control: Enable or disable cloud backups at your discretion
App removal: Deleting the app removes all locally stored data from your device

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the app or legal requirements. When we make changes:

The "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy will be revised
We will notify you of material changes through the app or via the App Store/Play Store update notes
Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us:

Email: admin@hookedonyutz.com

We will respond to your inquiry within 48 hours (2 business days).

Your Privacy, Simplified

Bottom line: Get Hooked! is built with privacy as the foundation. Your fishing spots—whether lakes, rivers, or coastal waters—are yours alone. We can't see them, we don't want to see them, and we've designed the app so that they never leave your control.

Analytics with Boundaries: We use anonymous analytics to make the app better. We know "someone used the forecast feature" — we never know "someone checked the forecast for Lake Erie." Your fishing intelligence stays completely private.

From Data to Wisdom, Privately: Get Hooked! helps you transform raw data into actionable wisdom without compromising your privacy. Your patterns, insights, Angler DNA, and fishing wisdom are generated on your device and remain yours alone.

Fish on, privately. 🎣