Do I need an account?

No. The dashboard is public, and your depth offset and fishing baseline work with no login — they're saved on your device. Signing in is optional and just syncs them across devices.

How accurate is the data?

Lake level comes from the Water Survey of Canada (ECCC); weather and pressure from Open-Meteo and the U.S. National Weather Service. Every reading shows its source and timestamp, and is marked stale when it's old. Treat the fishing signal as a suggestion, not a guarantee.

How do the dashboard cards work?

Each conditions card opens compact — the reading and its key status. Tap a card (or its chevron) to expand the full detail: recent changes, an explanation, and the data source. Some cards also show their recent trend as a soft line woven into the card background, with a 3/7/14-day history chart inside the expanded view.

Can I see metric units (°C, metres, km/h)?

Yes. Open the menu (top right) and switch any reading between US and Canadian units — temperature (°F/°C), lake level and depth offset (ft/m), wind (mph/km·h), pressure (inHg/hPa), and river outflow (cfs/m³·s). Set each one independently, or use the US / CA presets to switch everything at once. Signed out, your choices are saved on this device; signed in, they sync across your devices.

What is the depth offset?

Save your known-good depth-finder offset and the lake level when you set it. As the lake rises or falls, FishSet suggests an adjusted offset. It's a suggestion — always confirm the direction against your own device.

What is the fishing baseline / barometer dial?

Like turning the dial on a physical fishing barometer: tap "set fishing baseline" to mark right now, and the card shows how pressure, lake level, temperature, and wind have moved since.

What depth are the walleye holding at?

The Water Temp card turns the estimated water temperature into a suggested walleye holding-depth band — roughly 4-10 ft in cold spring water, 10-18 ft through the 56-65 F prime range, and 15-25 ft or deeper in mid-summer as the surface warms. It's a widely-used rule of thumb, not a fish finder: real depth shifts with light, wind, water clarity, and where the baitfish are. The temperature is an open-water surface estimate for Rainy Lake (there's no in-lake sensor yet), so warm sheltered bays fish shallower. Use it as a starting point, not a guarantee.

What does the wind rating (flat calm, good chop, rough) mean?

The Weather card rates the measured wind for both fishing and boat safety: under 5 mph is flat calm (glassy — a light walleye chop often fishes better), 5-10 mph a good chop (often prime), 10-15 moderate (fishable, but know your boat), 15-25 rough (small boats stay in), and 25 mph or more dangerous (not safe for recreational fishing on open water). Rainy Lake is big and open, so wind matters as much for getting home as for the bite. Suggested — always use your own judgment.

What does “Data: High/Medium/Low confidence” mean?

It's a single read on how much to trust the dashboard right now, with the reasons listed beside it. Confidence drops when a reading is stale or missing, when we've fallen back to a backup weather source because the primary is down, or when only a pressure trend is available instead of an absolute reading. High means everything is current and from the primary sources.

Can I install FishSet, and does it work without a signal?

Yes — use “Add to Home Screen” (Share menu in Safari on iPhone, or the menu in Chrome) for a full-screen, one-tap app. Once it's loaded, your last-loaded dashboard stays on screen if the signal drops, so the level, pressure trend, and best times don't vanish mid-trip. Tap the “Updated …” button any time to pull fresh conditions. One caveat on iPhone: if you fully close (force-quit) the app and reopen it with no signal, iOS may not load it at all — that's an Apple limitation, so leave it open or switched away rather than force-quitting when you're heading out of coverage.

What are the “best times” on the Sun & Moon card?

Solunar feeding windows. Major windows bracket the moon passing overhead or underfoot; minor windows bracket moonrise and moonset. Many anglers plan around them, but treat them as suggested windows, not a guarantee.

Is there a limit to logging trips?

Your baselines and the dashboard have no limits. Trip logging is rate-limited per account (a cap well above normal use) to keep things fair and prevent abuse — you won't hit it in everyday fishing.

Does a good signal mean I'll catch fish?

No. FishSet surfaces condition signals and your own history — it can't promise a bite. Always check official sources and use your own judgment before heading out.

About FishSet

← Back to the dashboard

FishSet is the pre-launch setup check for anglers. Open it before you fish to see what the lake is doing — lake level, your suggested depth-finder offset, how pressure has moved, and a simple fishing signal — for Rainy Lake (Ontario / Minnesota).

Why would I sign in?

Everything works without an account — your baselines live on the device you set them on. Signing in syncs your baselines (fishing and depth-finder) and your trip log across your devices, so the offset you saved on your phone is there on the cabin tablet too. That’s the only thing it does today; trusted-group reports and more are planned.

What’s new

v0.29.2Home-screen icon fix and clearer answersJuly 27, 2026
- Fixed the app icon on iPhone — installing to the home screen was falling back to a screenshot of the page instead of showing the FishSet mark.
- Added FAQ answers for the wind rating, the data-confidence badge, and installing the app (including an honest note that on iPhone a force-quit app may not open without a signal — an Apple limitation).
v0.29.1The refresh button reads as a button nowJuly 26, 2026
- Made the tap-to-refresh control more obvious — it’s now a bordered pill with a clearer icon, instead of a faint line, so it’s easier to spot and tap.
v0.29.0Tap to refreshJuly 26, 2026
- The “Updated …” line under the lake name is now a tap-to-refresh button (with a little spinner) — handy in the installed app, which has no browser refresh button. Tap it to pull the latest conditions; offline, it keeps showing your last saved view until signal returns.
- Offline hardening: if the installed app is opened with no signal and hasn’t cached your dashboard yet, it now shows a clear “You’re offline” screen instead of a blank page.
v0.28.1Offline reliability on the installed appJuly 26, 2026
- Improved offline behaviour in the installed app: it now precaches the dashboard when you install, so your last-loaded view is more likely to be there when signal drops. The “Offline — showing last saved” note is also more dependable — it confirms real connectivity instead of trusting the phone’s often-wrong online flag. Note: on iPhone, a fully closed (force-quit) app relaunched with no signal may still fail to load — that’s an iOS limitation we can’t work around; keep the app open (or just switched away) and your last view stays available.
v0.28.0Install FishSet to your home screenJuly 26, 2026
- FishSet is now an installable app — “Add to Home Screen” from your browser for a full-screen, one-tap launch. Once it’s loaded, the last dashboard you saw stays viewable while the app is open or switched away, so a dropped signal on the lake doesn’t wipe the level, pressure trend, and best times off your screen. A clear “Updated …” line (and an “Offline — showing last saved” note) means a cached view is never mistaken for a live one.
v0.27.0A data-confidence read at the top of the dashboardJuly 26, 2026
- A small “Data: High / Medium / Low confidence” badge now sits with the fishing signal, rolling up the trust cues that were scattered across cards — stale readings, running on the backup weather source, a missing card, or trend-only pressure — into one at-a-glance read with a plain-English “why.” So when we’re on the NWS backup, you’ll see “Medium — on the backup weather source” instead of having to infer it card by card.
v0.26.0Wind fishability & boat-safety rating on the Weather cardJuly 26, 2026
- The Weather card now rates the wind — from “Flat calm” and “Good chop” (a walleye chop, often prime) through “Moderate” and “Rough” to “Dangerous” — as a colour-coded chip, with a one-line note on what it means for the bite and for small boats. Rainy Lake is big and open, so wind is a first-order call for both fishing and safety. Suggested, and it says know your boat.
v0.25.0A weather warning no longer hides the fishing signalJuly 26, 2026
- A weather warning — heat, air quality / smoke, and the like — used to replace the whole fishing signal with “Unsafe / poor weather,” hiding whether the barometer actually looked good. Now the warning shows on its own line at the top (safety first), and the fishing signal keeps reading the pressure trend underneath — so you see both. Genuinely rough conditions still read unsafe when the measured wind is strong.
- Reordered the dashboard cards so the conditions that drive the signal come first — Pressure now sits right under the signal instead of at the bottom, followed by the Sun & Moon best-times and weather, then the reference readings. (Choosing your own order and hiding cards is still on the list.)
v0.24.0Where are the walleye? A depth hint from the water tempJuly 26, 2026
- The Water Temp card now turns the temperature into something you can act on: the depth band walleye tend to hold at right now, with a one-line pattern note (cold-water rock and current seams, summer breaks and humps, and so on). It's a rule of thumb from the water temp — light, wind, clarity, and baitfish all move fish, and it reads open-water depths, so warm sheltered bays fish shallower. A suggestion, not a guarantee.
v0.23.0Tell us where you took the water-temp readingJuly 26, 2026
- When you report a water temperature, you can now say where you took it — open water, a sheltered bay, or in current — and how deep. Water temp varies a lot across a big lake, so this keeps a warm-bay reading from skewing the open-water estimate everyone sees: only open-water surface readings tune the baseline, while bay, current, and deep readings are kept on record (and will power a 'temp at depth' view down the road). The card now also says plainly that it's an open-water surface estimate — bays run warmer, deep water colder.
v0.22.0A steadier, better-validated water-temp estimateJuly 26, 2026
- The estimated water temperature now behaves the way a big lake actually does — steady day to day, instead of swinging with every warm or cool spell. We retuned the model (a longer thermal-inertia window and a gentler sunshine term) and checked it against real in-lake measurements from Voyageurs National Park; it now tracks the measured summer range more closely. It's still an estimate with no in-lake sensor — warm sheltered bays run warmer — and your reported readings keep nudging it.
v0.21.0Read the scale on every history chartJuly 25, 2026
- Each card's history chart now labels its scale — the high and low of the range you're viewing, down the left edge, in your chosen units. A glance now tells you not just the shape of the trend but the range it actually covers (was the pressure swing tiny or big?). Switch the 3/7/14-day range and the scale follows.
v0.20.0The Lake Level card gets its historyJuly 25, 2026
- The Lake Level card now shows its recent trend like the other cards: a soft 7-day graph woven into the card background, and an interactive 3/7/14-day history chart inside the expanded card. Because the lake level has been recorded since launch, this one arrives with real depth right away — the 14-day view is already full.
v0.19.0The Weather card gets its historyJuly 25, 2026
- The Weather card now shows its recent air-temperature trend the same way as Outflow and Pressure: a soft 7-day graph woven into the card background, and an interactive 3/7/14-day history chart inside the expanded card. Air temperature has been recorded since early July, so the 14-day view keeps filling in as readings accumulate.
v0.18.0The Pressure card gets its historyJuly 16, 2026
- The Pressure card now shows its recent trend the same way as Outflow: a soft 7-day graph woven into the card background, and an interactive 3/7/14-day history chart inside the expanded card. Pressure recording started in early July, so the 14-day view fills in as readings accumulate.
v0.17.0The outflow trend now colours the cardJuly 15, 2026
- The Outflow / Current card shows its recent 7-day trend as a soft graph woven into the card background, with the reading floating on top — so you catch whether current is building or easing the moment you glance at it, without a separate little chart to find. The full 3/7/14-day history is still a tap away in the expanded card.
v0.16.0Explore the outflow trend by rangeJuly 6, 2026
- Expand the Outflow / Current card to see its history as a graph, with a 3-, 7-, or 14-day range you can switch between — handy for telling a brief bump in current from a steady multi-day build. The at-a-glance 7-day line stays on the card as before. More cards will get this as their history builds up.
v0.15.0See the pressure 12, 24, and 48 hours agoJuly 6, 2026
- The Pressure card now shows the actual reading 12, 24, and 48 hours ago — not just the recent change. A steady fall from a high over a day or two often signals an approaching front, so you can see one coming. (Thanks to Barry for the suggestion.)
v0.14.0Cards start compact — tap for the detailsJuly 4, 2026
- Each conditions card now opens compact — the reading and its key status — and tucks the deltas, explanation, and source behind a tap. Tap a card (or its chevron) to expand it, tap again to collapse. Less to scroll past, with the full detail one tap away.
v0.13.0See the outflow trend at a glanceJuly 4, 2026
- The Outflow / Current card now shows a small trend line of the last 7 days, so you can see whether current has been building or easing without reading the numbers.
v0.12.0Switch each reading between US and Canadian unitsJuly 3, 2026
- Every measurement on the dashboard can now be shown in US or Canadian units, and you can set each one independently: temperature (°F/°C), lake level and depth offset (ft/m), wind (mph/km·h), pressure (inHg/hPa), and river outflow (cfs/m³·s). Open the menu (top right) to flip a single reading, or use the US / CA presets to switch everything at once.
- Your choices are remembered on this device, and sync to your account when you're signed in — the same as your other preferences.
v0.11.0See where the lake sits in the IJC rule curveJuly 3, 2026
- The Lake Level card now shows the IJC-prescribed operating band for today's date — the lower and upper rule-curve elevations — and where the current level sits within it: below, low, mid, high, or above the band. Rainy Lake is regulated within a seasonal band, so this tells you at a glance whether the lake is running high, low, or right where it should be for this time of year.
v0.10.0Weather & pressure keep working when a source goes downJuly 3, 2026
- If the primary weather service is unavailable, the app now falls back to the National Weather Service station at International Falls for temperature, wind, and — most importantly — the barometric trend, so the fishing signal keeps working through an outage instead of going blank.
- When a fallback source can't provide an exact sea-level pressure number, the card now shows the pressure trend on its own (clearly labelled) rather than showing nothing.
v0.9.0A second read on the lake levelJuly 3, 2026
- The Lake Level card now cross-checks a second gauge out on the main lake at Northwest Bay, alongside the usual reading at Fort Frances. You'll see whether the open lake is rising, holding, or falling — and how it sits against its own recent average — so a level change reads as a real, lake-wide move rather than a quirk of one spot.
v0.8.0Water temperature reads true — and learns from your reportsJune 29, 2026
- The water-temperature estimate was running several degrees low in summer. It now accounts for the lake surface sitting warmer than the recent air average this time of year, so it lands much closer to what you actually measure.
- Your reported readings now count. When you enter an exact water temp, it tunes the estimate toward the real number — even as the only angler reporting — and keeps tuning as you add more. (Quick 'warmer/cooler' taps still nudge the display, but exact readings are what steer the estimate.)
v0.7.0Switch temperatures to °CJune 26, 2026
- Prefer Celsius? Tap the top-corner menu and switch temperatures between °F and °C — the water-temp and weather readings, and your fishing-baseline temperature changes, all follow your choice.
- Your pick is remembered on the device, and once you're signed in it syncs to your account across devices. Reporting the real water temp now uses whichever unit you're viewing, too.
v0.6.1Water-temp corrections: steadier and more reliableJune 22, 2026
- Fixed an error some anglers hit when reporting the water temperature — corrections now save reliably, and if something does go wrong you'll get a clear message instead of a failure.
- Each angler now counts once toward the shared estimate (your most recent reading), so the temperature reflects real reports from real people rather than repeated taps.
v0.6.0Smarter water temp — and you can correct itJune 22, 2026
- The water-temperature estimate now factors in recent sunshine, not just air temperature. A run of bright, sunny days warms the surface faster than air temps alone suggest, so the estimate tracks those spells more closely instead of reading low.
- Spotted it reading wrong? Signed-in anglers can now set it straight right on the card — tap Cooler/Warmer, or punch in the actual temperature off your finder. Your reports nudge the estimate for everyone on the lake and get more accurate the more come in.
v0.5.0Outflow & currentJune 21, 2026
- New Outflow / Current card — how much water is leaving the lake down the Rainy River right now (from the USGS gage below International Falls), whether it's rising or falling, and the change since yesterday and last week. More outflow means more current moving through the system.
- It also tells you whether that flow is high or low for the time of year, compared with the USGS record for the date, with the normal (median) flow shown for reference, plus the river stage (gage height) at the outlet.
- Your fishing baseline now tracks outflow too — set the baseline and you'll see how the current has changed since, alongside pressure, lake level, and the rest.
v0.4.0Feeding windows in the signalJune 20, 2026
- The fishing signal up top now also tells you the solunar timing — whether you're in a major or minor feeding window right now, or when the next one is.
- The Sun & Moon card now labels each best-time window (overhead, underfoot, moonrise, moonset) so it's clear which is which.
v0.3.0Sun & moon timesJune 20, 2026
- New Sun & Moon card — sunrise/sunset, moonrise/moonset, the moon overhead/underfoot times, moon phase and how lit it is, plus the solunar "best times" (major and minor feeding windows) for the day.
v0.2.0Send us feedbackJune 20, 2026
- Send feedback right from the app — bugs, ideas, or compliments. Tap the menu in the top corner when you're signed in (not signed in? it'll get you set up first). We read every one.
- Tidied the top menu — "About & FAQ" now lives behind the menu button in the top corner.
v0.1.1FixesJune 20, 2026
- Depth offset: you can now enter a negative offset on iPhone — tap the +/− button next to the field. (iOS's number pad has no minus key.)
v0.1.0First releaseJune 19, 2026
- Public Rainy Lake dashboard — live lake level, barometric pressure and trend, weather, and a fishing signal modeled on a classic fishing barometer's rules.
- Depth-finder offset baseline — save your known-good offset and get a suggested offset as the lake level changes.
- Digital barometer dial — "set fishing baseline" and see how pressure, lake level, temperature, and wind have moved since.
- Trip log — "how was fishing?" records your result alongside the conditions at the time.
- Accounts — sign in to sync your baselines and trip log across your devices.

FAQ

Do I need an account?: No. The dashboard is public, and your depth offset and fishing baseline work with no login — they're saved on your device. Signing in is optional and just syncs them across devices.
How accurate is the data?: Lake level comes from the Water Survey of Canada (ECCC); weather and pressure from Open-Meteo and the U.S. National Weather Service. Every reading shows its source and timestamp, and is marked stale when it's old. Treat the fishing signal as a suggestion, not a guarantee.
How do the dashboard cards work?: Each conditions card opens compact — the reading and its key status. Tap a card (or its chevron) to expand the full detail: recent changes, an explanation, and the data source. Some cards also show their recent trend as a soft line woven into the card background, with a 3/7/14-day history chart inside the expanded view.
Can I see metric units (°C, metres, km/h)?: Yes. Open the menu (top right) and switch any reading between US and Canadian units — temperature (°F/°C), lake level and depth offset (ft/m), wind (mph/km·h), pressure (inHg/hPa), and river outflow (cfs/m³·s). Set each one independently, or use the US / CA presets to switch everything at once. Signed out, your choices are saved on this device; signed in, they sync across your devices.
What is the depth offset?: Save your known-good depth-finder offset and the lake level when you set it. As the lake rises or falls, FishSet suggests an adjusted offset. It's a suggestion — always confirm the direction against your own device.
What is the fishing baseline / barometer dial?: Like turning the dial on a physical fishing barometer: tap "set fishing baseline" to mark right now, and the card shows how pressure, lake level, temperature, and wind have moved since.
What depth are the walleye holding at?: The Water Temp card turns the estimated water temperature into a suggested walleye holding-depth band — roughly 4-10 ft in cold spring water, 10-18 ft through the 56-65 F prime range, and 15-25 ft or deeper in mid-summer as the surface warms. It's a widely-used rule of thumb, not a fish finder: real depth shifts with light, wind, water clarity, and where the baitfish are. The temperature is an open-water surface estimate for Rainy Lake (there's no in-lake sensor yet), so warm sheltered bays fish shallower. Use it as a starting point, not a guarantee.
What does the wind rating (flat calm, good chop, rough) mean?: The Weather card rates the measured wind for both fishing and boat safety: under 5 mph is flat calm (glassy — a light walleye chop often fishes better), 5-10 mph a good chop (often prime), 10-15 moderate (fishable, but know your boat), 15-25 rough (small boats stay in), and 25 mph or more dangerous (not safe for recreational fishing on open water). Rainy Lake is big and open, so wind matters as much for getting home as for the bite. Suggested — always use your own judgment.
What does “Data: High/Medium/Low confidence” mean?: It's a single read on how much to trust the dashboard right now, with the reasons listed beside it. Confidence drops when a reading is stale or missing, when we've fallen back to a backup weather source because the primary is down, or when only a pressure trend is available instead of an absolute reading. High means everything is current and from the primary sources.
Can I install FishSet, and does it work without a signal?: Yes — use “Add to Home Screen” (Share menu in Safari on iPhone, or the menu in Chrome) for a full-screen, one-tap app. Once it's loaded, your last-loaded dashboard stays on screen if the signal drops, so the level, pressure trend, and best times don't vanish mid-trip. Tap the “Updated …” button any time to pull fresh conditions. One caveat on iPhone: if you fully close (force-quit) the app and reopen it with no signal, iOS may not load it at all — that's an Apple limitation, so leave it open or switched away rather than force-quitting when you're heading out of coverage.
What are the “best times” on the Sun & Moon card?: Solunar feeding windows. Major windows bracket the moon passing overhead or underfoot; minor windows bracket moonrise and moonset. Many anglers plan around them, but treat them as suggested windows, not a guarantee.
Is there a limit to logging trips?: Your baselines and the dashboard have no limits. Trip logging is rate-limited per account (a cap well above normal use) to keep things fair and prevent abuse — you won't hit it in everyday fishing.
Does a good signal mean I'll catch fish?: No. FishSet surfaces condition signals and your own history — it can't promise a bite. Always check official sources and use your own judgment before heading out.