Effective and last updated: 10 September 2026.
Cookies and similar technologies
A cookie is a small file stored by a website in your browser. Similar technologies, including local storage, can also save or read information on your device. This policy covers both. Optional advertising and analytics remain off until you choose to enable them.
Necessary local storage
Privacy choice: carpanswers-consent-v2
This first-party local-storage item records whether advertising and analytics are allowed. It is necessary to remember and respect your choice. It remains on the device until you change the choice or clear site data.
Saved tool data: carpanswers-swim-spot-card-v1
The distance-stick tool writes this first-party local-storage item only when you select “Save on this device”. It contains the swim-card fields you entered and remains until you clear it in the tool or remove site data. It is used solely to provide the storage feature you requested and is not sent to CarpAnswers.
Checklist progress: carpanswers-checklist-<checklist-name>-v1
Each checklist stores only the identifiers of items ticked on that list. Progress is saved automatically on the device until you use the list's Reset button or clear site data. It is not sent to CarpAnswers.
Forecast efficiency and last choice
The fishing tools also use carpanswers:forecast:intervals:v1 in session storage for three-hour weather responses, with a 30-minute expiry. The forecast, bite predictor and calendar share the last selected location and each offers a “Forget saved location” control. Lunar calculations and bait estimates don't require additional cookies or a server-side record.
carpanswers:forecast:locations:v1 stores recent place matches for up to one hour in session storage, and carpanswers:forecast:results:v1 stores recent forecast responses there for up to 30 minutes. Session storage is normally removed when the browser tab's session ends. carpanswers:forecast:last-location:v1 stores the display name, country and coordinates of the latest selected public location in local storage for up to 30 days. Use “Forget saved location” on the forecast page or clear browser site data to remove it.
Saved plans, fishing log and nearby-search results
carpanswers.sessionPlans.v1 stores versioned session-planning choices, a selected public location and checked-item identifiers in local storage only after you choose to save. The planner can migrate the older carpanswers:session-planner:v1 item and provides controls to delete saved plans. carpanswers.sessionLog.v1 stores the versioned fishing sessions, catches, conditions and notes you choose to record until you delete them or clear site data. Export and import happen locally at your request. Neither dataset is uploaded to CarpAnswers or sent to Google Analytics.
carpanswers:nearby-fisheries:v1 caches recent nearby-directory results and a coordinate-based lookup key in session storage for up to 15 minutes. If you press “Use my location”, the browser requests permission at that point; CarpAnswers doesn't request it on page load. These functional records are not analytics profiles.
Optional analytics
If you enable analytics and a GA4 measurement ID is configured, Google Analytics measures page views and selected interactions such as navigation, article, affiliate and external-link clicks, sharing, tool or checklist actions, and whether a forecast request succeeded or used a cached result. These events don't contain a forecast place, partial search, postcode, coordinates, complete outbound address or text entered into a tool. GA4 normally sets _ga to distinguish browsers and _ga_<container-id> to maintain session state; Google's default lifetime for each is two years, although browser restrictions or account configuration can shorten it. See Google's current GA4 cookie information.
Optional advertising
If you enable advertising, CarpAnswers instructs Google to request non-personalised adverts. These use the current page and broad location rather than your past behaviour, but Google may still use cookies or similar storage for functions such as frequency capping and aggregated reporting. Names and lifetimes vary according to Google's services, partners, your region and your Google settings. See Google's advertising-cookie information and partner-sites explanation.
Links and functional requests
Following a link to Amazon, Google Maps, a fishery, social media or another external site takes you to that provider, which may set its own cookies under its policy. Forecast requests and externally hosted images transfer the technical data needed to return the requested content; they are not enabled by the advertising or analytics choices.
Change or withdraw your choice
Use “Cookie settings” in the footer at any time. Withdrawing consent stops CarpAnswers from loading the relevant script on future page loads, but it doesn't automatically delete cookies already on your device; use your browser's site-data controls to remove those. The planners, fishing log, distance-stick tool, forecast and each checklist also provide controls for clearing their relevant saved information.
Rejecting optional technologies doesn't prevent access to articles, tools, venue listings or the fishing forecast. Browser help pages explain how to view, block and delete cookies, although blocking all storage may stop CarpAnswers from remembering your choices.