TightlineTerms of use
These terms are an agreement between you and Daniel's Tech Shop LLC ("Tightline", "we", "us") for using the Tightline app and website. By using Tightline you agree to them. If you don't agree, please don't use the app. Our privacy policy explains how we handle your data.
1. Regulations are summaries, not legal advice
Tightline is an independent app made by Daniel's Tech Shop LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting on behalf of any government agency, including NJ Fish & Wildlife / NJDEP, NYSDEC, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, NOAA or the National Weather Service.
Tightline shows plain-language summaries of fishing regulations for New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, including size and bag limits, seasons, closures, special waters, licenses and invasive-species rules. We work hard to keep them accurate and we link to the official sources, but:
- They are summaries, not the law and not legal advice. The official regulations published by the state agencies (such as NJ Fish & Wildlife, NYSDEC and the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission) and federal agencies are what count.
- Rules change, sometimes with little notice (emergency closures, for example), and our information may be out of date or wrong.
- Boundaries on the map, such as river sections, bay lines and special-regulation areas, are approximations. The app can also guess wrong about whether you're on salt or fresh water, on shore or on a boat, or which state you're in.
- A "legal to keep" or similar result is a convenience, not a permit or a guarantee. Measure carefully and check the official rules when in doubt.
Fish-consumption advice in the app links to official state advisories; follow those, not the app, for what's safe to eat.
2. Safety
Conditions, fishing scores, forecasts, tide times and the Go / Caution / No-go check are for information only. They come from third-party data (such as the National Weather Service, NOAA, USGS and Open-Meteo) that can be delayed, missing or wrong, and they can't see what's in front of you. "Go" does not mean it's safe.
- Always check official forecasts and warnings, look at the actual conditions, and decide for yourself whether to go.
- Wear a life jacket on boats and when wading or fishing from jetties and rocks, tell someone where you're going, and follow posted signs and closures.
- Directions, access information, parking and hours for spots and shops may be wrong. Respect private property and restricted areas.
- In an emergency, call 911 or the U.S. Coast Guard (VHF channel 16). Tightline is not an emergency service.
We keep the information in Tightline as accurate and current as we reasonably can, but conditions change faster than any app can track: alerts can be issued, rules can change and data feeds can fail after we last checked. Double-check official sources before you rely on anything in the app, especially before going out on or near the water.
Assumption of risk. Fishing, boating, wading and being on or near the water carry real risks, including drowning, hypothermia, lightning, strong currents, rough surf, slippery rocks and injuries from hooks and fish. You choose whether, when and where to go, and you accept those risks. Your decisions are your own, whatever the app shows.
3. Accounts
- You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you're under 18, you need a parent's or guardian's permission.
- You sign in with a one-time code sent to your email. Keep your email account secure; anyone who can read it can sign in as you.
- Your angler name must not impersonate someone else or be offensive. We may change or remove names that break these terms.
- You can delete your account at any time (Settings → Account → Delete account, or our delete account page).
4. Community rules
Tightline's community is for helping each other catch fish. When you share catches, photos, comments or session posts ("your content"), you agree not to:
- Expose other people's spots or information. Don't post someone else's exact fishing spot, home, car or other personal details without their permission, and don't try to work out someone's location from their posts.
- Harass anyone. No bullying, threats, hate speech, slurs or targeting people for who they are.
- Brag about illegal harvest. Don't post or encourage keeping undersized, over-limit, out-of-season or protected fish, fishing closed waters, or poaching. It's fine to share a fish you released.
- Post spam, advertising you weren't invited to post, or anything sexual, violent or otherwise inappropriate for a general audience.
- Post content you don't have the right to share, such as someone else's photos.
- Break the law, or interfere with or try to get around the app's security or privacy protections, including scraping data or collecting other users' information.
Reporting and moderation
You can report a shared catch from the app (spam, harassment, illegal harvest, location leak, inappropriate, other). Content that receives several reports is hidden automatically until it's reviewed. Reported content goes into a review queue, and we may then restore it, keep it hidden, or remove it. You can also block other users.
We may remove any content, or suspend or delete any account, that we believe breaks these terms or puts people or fish populations at risk, with or without notice. We don't pre-screen content and aren't responsible for what other users post.
Your content
You keep ownership of your content. By sharing it in Tightline you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, store, display and adapt it (for example, resizing photos or counting catches in hotspots and leaderboards) only to run and improve Tightline. The license ends when you delete the content or your account, except for copies in backups for a short period, or where other users have already interacted with it (for example, a Fish together recap).
5. Subscriptions
We may offer an optional "Tightline Pro" subscription with extra features. Subscriptions are bought and managed through Google Play, and Google Play's terms apply to payments, renewals, cancellations and refunds. Subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel in Google Play; cancelling stops the next renewal and you keep Pro until the end of the period you've paid for. Price, billing period and any free trial will be shown before you buy. Safety information, regulations and licenses will always stay free.
6. Our app and data sources
The Tightline app, its design and its original content belong to us. You may use the app for your own personal, non-commercial purposes. Don't copy, resell or scrape it.
Tightline uses public data from NOAA, the National Weather Service, USGS, NJ Fish & Wildlife / NJDEP, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, data.ny.gov (OPEN-NY), GBIF and Open-Meteo. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map tiles by OpenFreeMap. Fish images are credited on each fish page. These sources don't endorse Tightline.
7. Disclaimer
Tightline is provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent allowed by law, we make no warranties of any kind, express or implied, including accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We don't promise the app will be uninterrupted, error-free or that it will help you catch fish.
8. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent allowed by law, Tightline and the people behind it will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for fines, penalties, injury, property damage or lost gear arising from your use of the app, including reliance on regulation summaries, conditions, safety checks, directions or other users' content. Our total liability for any claim relating to Tightline is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim or US $50. Some places don't allow these limits, so they may not fully apply to you.
9. Indemnity
If you break these terms or the law, and that leads to a claim against us, you agree to cover our reasonable costs of dealing with it, to the extent the law allows.
10. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be handled in the state or federal courts located in Union County, New Jersey, unless the law where you live requires otherwise.
11. Changes and ending
We may update these terms. If a change is significant, we'll tell you in the app before it takes effect. If you keep using Tightline after that, you accept the new terms. You can stop using Tightline at any time. We may stop offering some or all of it; if we do, we'll try to give notice so you can keep a copy of anything you've shared.