How It Works
Phone, tablet & desktop
Pot
One piece of gear on the bottom: position, set time, sounder depth, buoy or tag number.
String
A named line of pots, drawn in its own colour. Every pot belongs to one string.
String track
The line you steamed while setting, recorded on its own and drawn in the string's colour.
Pots and strings back up to your account and stay in sync between your phone, tablet and the desktop app. When you haul, a pick counts each pot and writes itself into your log (page 3).
Quick Start from the Web Portal
bristolfleet.com
1
Sign in at bristolfleet.com
Use the same account as the app. No account yet? Sign up there first.
2
Get the app
Menu → Download Maps App for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac or Windows. Sign in to it with that account.
3
Set your pots in the app
Turn on Display Gear Points (step 1) and tap 🦀 at each pot (step 2). They back up to your account.
4
Open "Share My Pots"
Menu under your name → Share My Pots (bristolfleet.com/gear/share). See how many pots reached your account, and turn on Gear Map sharing with one click.
1
Turn On Pot Tracking
Off until you turn it on
Phone & tablet
Tools tab → Settings → Pot & Gear Tracking, turn on "Display Gear Points". Or from the map's filter menu, open Pot Tracking and flip the same switch. The 🦀 and ⚙️ buttons appear on the left side of the map.
Desktop
File → Settings → Pots & Gear, tick "Display pots and gear on the map". The GEAR STRINGS panel in the map sidebar is where you set pots (page 2).
Keep your gear on every device
"Cloud Pot & String Backup" (desktop: "Back up pots & strings to your account") is on by default. It also needs "Cloud Waypoint & Route Backup" under Settings → Navigation & Display. Sign in with the same account on each device.
2
Set a String on the Phone or Tablet
At the boat, with GPS
1
Start the string
As the first pot goes over, tap 🦀. The app asks "Enter string/line name (optional):" with "Main Line" filled in. Type the name you call this string, for example Deep Edge.
2
The first pot is marked
It goes in at the boat, named after the time ("Pot 14:32"), with the sounder depth if one is connected. Recording the string track starts by itself.
3
Tap 🦀 at every pot
Each tap adds a pot to the string you are working. The confirmation reads "Added Pot 14:35 to Deep Edge · 42.3 ft".
4
Finish the string
After the last pot, tap ⚙️ → "⏸ Stop Tracking". Or leave it: tracking stops on its own after 60 minutes without movement.
Setting the next string? Tap ⚙️ → "Create New String" and name it before the first pot. 🦀 always adds to the string you are working. Another way in: filter menu → Pot Tracking → New String, which also offers to start tracking and drop the first pot ("Deep Edge - Pot 1").
3
Set a String on the Desktop App
GEAR STRINGS panel
1
Create the string
In the GEAR STRINGS panel, click + New String and type the name. Tracking starts, and with a GPS fix "Pot 1" is dropped at the boat.
2
Add each pot
Pick the string in the panel's drop-down, then click + Add Pot at every pot. With a GPS fix it goes at the boat with the sounder depth; without one, at the centre of the chart.
3
Or place pots on the chart
Right-click the chart and choose Add Pot to "Deep Edge" Here. It is listed while a string is picked in the panel. Handy for entering gear after the fact.
4
Stop tracking
Click Stop Tracking in the panel when the string is set. The desktop app has to stay open to record the track.
Drop pot at vessel
Cmd+P on Mac, Ctrl+P on Windows/Linux
String tracking on/off
Cmd+Shift+R on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows/Linux
Start pick
Cmd+K on Mac, Ctrl+K on Windows/Linux
4
Add Buoy Numbers & Fix Positions
Any time after setting
Open a pot
Phone: double-tap the pot on the chart. Desktop: right-click it → Pot Details… Set the Buoy / tag number, depth, set time and notes.
Move a pot
Phone: on the pot's page tap Edit on Chart, drag, then Save. Desktop: right-click the pot → Move Pot.
Colour, gear type & icon
Set them on the string and every pot follows. Phone: Gear Management → ✏️ on the string. Desktop: Data → Pots & Gear…
Export to a plotter
Gear Management → Export All → GPX (phone), or Export String to GPX (desktop).
Name strings the way you talk about them. The name is the chart label, the pick header and the log entry, and it is how your devices recognise a string: create "Deep Edge" on the phone and on the desktop and they merge into one.
5
Haul the String with a Pick
A count per pot
1
Start the pick
Phone: open the string → Picks tab → Start Pick. Desktop: right-click a pot → Start Pick on "Deep Edge"…
2
Follow the next-pot line
The top line gives the next pot's number, range, bearing and how far to turn, for example "557 yd · 051°T NE · 5° port".
3
Count each pot
Tap + as the pot comes up, or type the count. An empty pot: tap ✓ with the box blank. Mistake? Tap ↩.
4
Finish
Tap Finish. The pick is saved as a log entry with the count, depth and soak time for each pot.
6
Share Your Gear (Optional)
With your fleet group
Open the string → Share with Group and pick the group. Members see your pots and string track (read-only) and get your changes as you make them.
On the Gear Map
Fastest: bristolfleet.com → Share My Pots, pick how long, Start sharing. Or in the app: Settings → Pot & Gear Tracking → "Share Pot Locations on the Gear Map". Boats with Gear Map access see your pots anonymously so they can steer clear. Sharing stops on its own: 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, end of season, or until you turn it off.
Troubleshooting
No 🦀 button on the map
"Display Gear Points" is off. Turn it on (step 1).
"Location Required"
🦀 needs a GPS fix. Check location permission for Bristol Maps, or your NMEA GPS connection.
Pots missing on another device
Both devices must be signed in to the same account with Cloud Pot & String Backup and Cloud Waypoint & Route Backup on. Share My Pots on bristolfleet.com shows how many pots reached your account. On desktop, click Sync Now in Settings → Pots & Gear.
No depth on a pot
Depth comes from a connected sounder (NMEA). Without one, open the pot and type the depth in.
Hands busy? On iPhone, say "Drop a pot in Bristol Maps" to Siri. On Android, long-press the app icon for the Drop Pot shortcut. Full details: bristolmaps.com/docs → Pots & Gear.
