🎣 Alaska FishTopia

Getting Started

First Launch & Login

When you first open Alaska FishTopia, you'll see a beautiful splash screen with the app logo and tagline. After loading, you'll be presented with the authentication screen.

To create an account or sign in:

1. Enter your email address
2. Enter your password
3. Tap "Sign In" or "Create Account"

The app supports biometric login (Face ID/Touch ID) for quick access after your first login.

Auth screen with email/password fields

Home Screen

The Home screen is your personalized fishing dashboard, showing everything you need at a glance.

Home screen with weather, fish ID card, and favorites

Fish Identification Card

The stunning gradient card at the top is your gateway to instant fish identification—a flagship feature of Alaska FishTopia.

Weather Forecast

A 4-day weather forecast based on your current location shows:

• Day name (Today, Mon, Tue, etc.)
• Weather emoji representing conditions
• Temperature in Fahrenheit
• Short forecast (Partly Cloudy, Rain, etc.)
• Precipitation chance (if applicable)
• Sunrise/Sunset times

The "Today" column is highlighted with a teal background for easy reference.

Top 10 Fish Counts

During Fishing Season (May 10 - Sept 11): Shows the highest daily fish counts for Sockeye and Chinook (King) salmon across the entire state of Alaska.

Off-Season: Displays the previous year's top cumulative escapement totals.

Top 10 fish counts section showing recent daily counts

Your Favorites

Below the Top 10, you'll find sections for your favorited items including tide stations, current stations, buoys, and marine weather zones.

Favorites with tide charts and fish count cards

Live buoy data showing conditions

Marine weather forecast zones

Marine forecast details

Fish Counts

Access via the Fish Counts tab (salmon icon) in the bottom navigation.

Tab Navigation

Three tabs at the top:

• My Favs (⭐) - Your starred fish count stations
• Popular (📈) - Most popular stations across Alaska
• All Rivers (🐟) - Complete searchable list

Fish Counts screen with tab selector

Fish Count Cards

Each card shows:

• Species icon (King, Coho, Sockeye, Pink, Steelhead)
• River name (bold) and Species name
• Available years of data
• Season dates (e.g., "May 25 - Aug 15")
• Recent counts (when in season)
• Star button to add/remove from favorites

Search with filtered results

Fish Count Detail Screen

Tap any fish count card to see the detail screen with full-screen interactive chart, date navigation, time range selector, and historical year comparison.

Fish Count Detail with chart

Table view of fish counts

Intel Map

Access via the Intel tab (Intel icon) in the bottom navigation. The Intel Map is your comprehensive fishing intelligence hub.

Intel Map showing control panels and markers

Navigation Control Panels

The map has two control panels on the left side of the screen:

Top Panel (Fishing Spots)

Sonar stations, Salmon spots, Halibut spots, Rockfish spots, Lingcod spots, Boat ramps, Tackle stores, My Spots

Bottom Panel (Weather & Navigation)

Tides, Currents, Buoys, Gauges, Marine, Wind, Cams

Data Layers

Tide station info popup

Add custom spot modal

Live Buoys

NOAA buoys provide real-time ocean and weather conditions from strategic locations throughout Alaskan waters including wave height, wave period, water temperature, air temperature, wind speed/direction, and barometric pressure.

Tide Detail Screen

Tide Detail full screen

Tide Detail table view

River Gauge Detail Screen

Comprehensive river flow data essential for river fishing including live discharge readings, gauge height, percentile comparison, and historical charts with year-over-year comparison.

Marine Weather Forecast

When you tap a marine zone on the map, a panel slides up showing the official NWS marine weather forecast including zone name, advisories, synopsis, and detailed forecast periods.

Wind Map (Windy.com Integration)

Tap the "Wind" button to open an interactive animated weather map powered by Windy.com with multiple overlay options.

Wind map showing wave forecast

FAA Weather Cameras

Tap "Cams" to access live FAA weather camera feeds from airports, mountain passes, coastal areas, and major transportation corridors across Alaska.

Fishing Logbook

Access via the Logbook tab (book icon) in the bottom navigation. The Fishing Logbook is your personal fishing journal—track trips, log catches, record expenses, and build a detailed history of your fishing adventures.

Trip List Screen

The main Logbook screen shows your trip count, sync status, active trip banner (if in progress), and list of past trips with catch thumbnails.

Creating a New Trip

Tap the "New Trip" floating button to start. Enter trip details:

1. Trip Name (optional)
2. Waterbody - River, lake, or ocean area
3. Launch Location
4. Boat Selection (from your saved boats)
5. Anglers Count (for cost splitting)

Tracking Mode Selection

Choose how you want to track your trip:

Captain's Log Mode

When using Captain's Log, the app tracks your trip in the background:

• Your Route - Full GPS track of where you traveled
• Fishing Spots - Automatically detected when you stop for 10+ minutes
• Distance Traveled - Total nautical miles
• Trip Duration - Start to end time
• Fuel Consumption - Estimated based on your boat profile

Your location data stays on your device and is never shared.

Logging a Catch

From the Trip Detail screen, tap "Log Catch" to record a fish:

Photo & AI Identification

1. Take or choose a photo of your catch
2. AI automatically identifies the species (optional override)
3. Species suggestion appears with confidence level

Catch Details

• Species - Auto-detected or manually selected from 100+ Alaska species
• Length - Measure in inches
• Weight - Optional weight in pounds
• Harvest Status - Kept or Released
• Location - Auto-captured GPS or pick on map

Tackle Information

Record what worked: Tackle Type (Lure, Fly, or Bait), Name, and Color.

Trip Expenses

Track the true cost of your fishing trips. Access from Trip Detail > View Expenses.

With multiple anglers, see the Cost Per Person calculation automatically.

Offline Support

The Logbook works offline—create trips and log catches without internet. Data saves locally and automatically syncs when you reconnect.

Bragging Board

Access via the Brags tab (trophy icon) in the bottom navigation. Share your fishing catches with the Alaska FishTopia community.

Bragging Board feed with posts

Fullscreen Image Viewer

Tap any photo to view fullscreen with pinch to zoom (1x to 5x), pan/drag when zoomed, and double-tap to toggle zoom.

Fullscreen image viewer with zoom

Creating a Post

Tap the + button to create a new post:

1. Add Photo - Take a photo or choose from library
2. Write Your Story (optional) - Up to 280 characters
3. Post - Tap when ready to share

New Post screen with photo selected

Fish Encyclopedia

Access via the Fish Info tab (fish icon). Browse over 100 Alaska sportfish species with detailed information.

Fish Encyclopedia with category filters

Category Filters

Colorful filter chips to browse by category: All, Rockfishes, Salmon, Flatfishes, Greenlings, Sculpins, Sharks, Mackerels, Skates & Rays, Shellfish, and Misc.

Species Detail Screen

Full information about each species including description, identification, habitat & range, size & weight, life history, fishing tips, Alaska regulations, and fun facts.

Species Detail screen for Chinook Salmon

Fish Identification

Alaska FishTopia's flagship feature—instant fish species identification powered by deep Alaska expertise.

Using Fish ID

1. Open the identifier - Tap "Identify Your Catch" or camera icon
2. Add a photo - Take Photo or Choose from gallery
3. Analyze - Tap "Identify Fish" (takes 2-5 seconds)

Fish ID photo selection screen

Results Screen

On successful identification you'll see the common name, scientific name, confidence badge, key identifying features, possible alternatives, and detailed information about the species.

Fish ID results screen with high confidence

Regulations

Access via the Regs tab (book icon). View Alaska sportfishing regulations organized by region.

Alaska Map

Interactive map showing Alaska's four sportfishing regions:

• Northern (green) - Interior Alaska
• Southwest (red) - Bristol Bay, Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak, Aleutians
• Southcentral (teal) - Anchorage, Kenai, Prince William Sound
• Southeast (orange) - Panhandle

Regulations screen with Alaska map

PDF Viewer

Full-screen PDF viewer with pinch to zoom, scroll through pages, share button, and back button.

PDF viewer with regulations

Reel Games

Access via the Games option in the Home screen menu. Reel Games is Alaska FishTopia's gamification hub where you can unlock games and enter contests by referring friends.

How It Works

1. Share your referral code with fellow anglers
2. Friends sign up using your code
3. Unlock games when you hit referral milestones
4. Enter contests for prizes

Your Referral Code

Each user gets a unique referral code in the format: YourName123 (e.g., "John847"). Find it on the Games screen or via the Share button.

Sharing Your Code

Tap the Share button to invite friends via:

• Text Message - Pre-filled message with your code
• Email - Invitation email with download link
• Social Media - Share to Facebook, Instagram, etc.
• Copy Link - Copy your referral link to clipboard

Referral Tracking

Track your progress: Total Shares, Converted Referrals, and Progress to Next Unlock with a visual progress bar.

Entering Contests

Once games are unlocked, enter fishing contests:

1. Select a Contest
2. Enter Your Prediction (e.g., first fish date, total run size)
3. Submit Entry (locked after deadline)
4. Win Prizes!

Contest types include First Fish Predictions, Run Size Estimates, and Seasonal Challenges.

Notifications

Notification Inbox

Access by tapping the bell icon in the Home screen header. The Notification Inbox is your central hub for all app notifications.

Notification Types

Managing Notifications

• Unread notifications appear with bold text and a teal dot
• Tap any notification to view details and mark as read
• Swipe left to reveal delete button
• Long-press to enter selection mode for bulk delete
• Mark All as Read - Tap checkmark icon in header

Emergency Order Alerts

Subscribe to receive instant notifications when ADF&G issues emergency fishing orders.

Access: Settings > Notifications > Emergency Order Alerts

Subscribing to Regions

Alaska is divided into regions (Southcentral, Southeast, Southwest, Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim, Interior) with multiple subregions each. Toggle subscriptions for specific areas you fish.

• Tap a region to expand subregions
• Toggle ON/OFF for specific subregions
• Use "Enable All" for entire region

Notification Settings

Configure what notifications you receive in Settings > Notifications. Toggle by category: Fish Count Updates, Emergency Orders, Referral Notifications, and General Updates.

Settings

Access by tapping your user avatar/menu on the Home screen, then "Settings".

Settings screen with user profile and options

Available Settings

• Security - Toggle Face ID or Touch ID for quick login
• Fish Count Alerts - Configure push notifications for your favorite fish counts
• My Boats - Manage your boat profiles
• General - Account, Notifications, Help & Support, About, User Guide
• Tutorials - Reset in-app tutorials to see them again

My Boats

Manage your boat profiles for trip tracking and fuel estimation. Access via Settings > My Boats.

Adding a Boat

Tap the + button to add a new boat:

1. Boat Name - Give your boat a name (required)
2. Make/Model - e.g., "Hewescraft 210 Sea Runner"
3. Length (feet) - Overall length
4. Fuel Tank Capacity (gallons) - For fuel estimation
5. Fuel Consumption Rate - Gallons per hour at cruising speed
6. Photo - Take or choose a photo of your boat

Why Add a Boat?

• Fuel Estimation - Captain's Log uses your fuel consumption rate to estimate fuel used per trip
• Trip Association - Track which boat you used for each trip
• Expense Tracking - Calculate accurate fuel costs

Tips & Tricks

Favorites System

The ⭐ star button appears throughout the app. Tap it to add tide stations, current stations, fish counts, marine weather zones, and buoys to your Home screen for quick access with real-time data previews!

Pull to Refresh

On most screens, pull down to refresh data including weather, favorites, fish counts, and the Bragging Board feed.

Offline Access

Alaska FishTopia works even without internet—essential for fishing in remote areas!

Automatically Cached Data

• Fish Encyclopedia - All species information
• Recently viewed data - Tide, current, and fish count charts
• Downloaded regulation PDFs - Saved for offline viewing
• Logbook entries - All your trips and catches

Offline Download Manager

Proactively download your favorite data before heading out. Access via Settings > Offline Data.

• Download Favorites - Cache tide and current predictions for favorited stations
• View Cache Size - See storage usage
• Clear Cache - Free up space when needed

Logbook Offline Mode

The Fishing Logbook fully supports offline use:

• Create trips without internet
• Log catches with photos stored locally
• Captain's Log GPS tracking works offline
• Auto-sync when you reconnect

Getting the Best Fish ID Results

1. Clear lighting - natural light works best
2. Whole fish visible - include head and tail
3. Flat angle - photograph from the side
4. Clean background - less clutter = better results
5. Crop to the fish - remove excess background

Sharing

Share fishing spots, Bragging Board posts, Fish ID results, and tide data throughout the app.