Windows Phone App of the Day: Time 2 Fish

Happy Memorial Day! In honor of the long weekend, I thought I’d tip my hat to the fishermen of the world by reviewing Time 2 Fish, the new fisherman’s app for Windows Phone 7.

Just released on May 1, this app gets the GPS coordinates from your phone and immediately gathers data on the best fishing and hunting times in your area! Based on lunar and (to a lesser degree) solar patterns, Time 2 Fish projects when the fish will be feeding and, subsequently, when you’re likely to get the biggest haul.

Pros

• Free!
• Simple, easy-to-use user interface
• Provides best hunting and fishing times for current and upcoming weeks
• Uses lunar and (to a lesser degree) solar cycles to determine when fish are feeding
• Features include: moon rise, moon set, moon overhead, moon underfoot, sun rise, sun set, major and minor periods, moon illumination percentage and phase
• Provides summarized ratings for each date based on this data

Cons

• Typo in “Start Page” (“verison” instead of “version”….Seriously?!)
• Only paid version offers text input for latitude / longitude
• Only paid version allows you to choose a specific week to view

How It Works

• Download “Time 2 Fish” from the “Sports” section of your Marketplace
• Open “Time 2 Fish” from your App list
• In the Start Page, select “Get GPS Position.” Your latitude / longitude will load automatically using the GPS service on your phone
• Select “Start at Current Week” in the FREE version of the App. The “Pro” version will allow you to select “Choose Week to View.”
• A screen detailing the date, moon phase, and rating will be automatically generated for the next 7 days
• Choose a date to view details (i.e. May 27)
• The rating for that date is provided in the upper left portion of the screen (Today’s rating is Average ++)
• Times in bold indicate optimal fishing and hunting times (Today is 4:26 – 5:26 p.m. in Connecticut)
• Moon rise and moon set times are listed for the previous day and the current day on this screen

Conclusion

I have already used this App today. We used the lunar position data to determine when high and low tide would occur where we are, and planning our sailing / fishing trip with this data in mind. The user interface is easy enough to use for the general public, but the information provided is very top-line and is more geared toward an experienced fisherman who can appreciate the solar and lunar data. Also, the typo on the start screen really got to me. Proofread your App before it goes live, yeah?

The group of twenty-something year old men I’m with this weekend are all but drooling over the “Average ++” rating, which seems to make them think they can all be Rambo. Oh, well. If that means I can enjoy a slew of fresh fish tonight, I really can’t complain.