> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.openfishingcup.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Submit a Catch > Complete guide to photographing, verifying, and submitting your catch in Open Fishing Cup # Submit a Catch Open Fishing Cup uses a **single-page scrollable workflow** to submit your catch. Sections appear progressively as you complete each one, with AI-powered checks ensuring fair play and accurate rankings. **Mobile App Required** — Catch submissions are only available in the native mobile app (iOS & Android). The web version will prompt you to download the app if you try to submit from a browser. *** ## Before You Start Make sure you have: * ✅ An Open Fishing Cup account (sign up for free) * ✅ The mobile app installed ([App Store](#) / [Google Play](#)) * ✅ GPS/Location Services **enabled** on your phone * ✅ A measuring scale or ruler ready for your catch *** ## 1. Take Your Photo The first thing you do is capture a photo of your catch with the measuring scale visible. Photo capture screen showing camera button and upload area ### How to Take the Photo 1. Tap the **camera area** to open your device camera 2. Place your fish on a **measuring scale** (ruler, bump board, or measuring mat) 3. Make sure the **entire fish and scale markings** are clearly visible 4. Take the photo — GPS coordinates and timestamp are automatically recorded The photo must be taken **directly with your phone camera** through the app. Screenshots, photos of screens, and photos downloaded from the internet will be rejected. ### Immediate Checks As soon as you take your photo, the app runs these checks automatically: | Check | What It Does | | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **GPS & Date Extraction** | Reads location and timestamp from photo metadata (EXIF) — shown first as an info box | | **Duplicate Check** | Checks if this exact photo was already submitted | If GPS or date metadata is missing, the photo is **rejected immediately** and you'll need to take a new one. ### GPS Source The app shows where your location data comes from with an indicator badge: * **🖼️ Photo EXIF** — GPS coordinates embedded in the photo file by your camera (preferred) * **📱 Device GPS** — Real-time location from your phone's GPS sensor (fallback when EXIF data is missing) You can expand the **GPS Coordinates** section to see the exact latitude, longitude, altitude, and photo date. ### Common Rejection Reasons | Rejection | What It Means | How to Fix | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **No GPS data** | Photo doesn't contain location metadata | Enable GPS on your phone and take a new photo through the app | | **No date information** | Photo is missing EXIF timestamp | Use the original photo from your camera, don't use edited or transferred images | | **Image too old** | Photo was taken more than the allowed number of hours ago | Take a fresh photo of your current catch | | **Duplicate image** | This exact photo was already submitted | Each photo can only be used once | If your photo is rejected, tap **"Try Another Photo"** to retake. You can also tap **"Cancel"** to go back to the home screen. *** ## 2. Select Species & Enter Length Once your photo passes the initial checks, the **species and length** section appears below. Species selection and length entry with verify button ### Species Selection * Select your fish species from the **dropdown menu** * Each species is shown with its icon for easy identification * The species you select will be verified by AI in the next step ### Entering the Length 1. Enter the fish length in **centimeters** (whole numbers only, 1–500 cm) 2. Both species and length are required before you can proceed to verification ### Country-Specific Minimum Lengths Some countries enforce **minimum legal catch sizes**. If your entered length is below the minimum for the selected species in your country, you will see a rejection dialog and **cannot proceed** until you correct the length. *** ## 3. Verify Your Catch After selecting the species and entering the length, tap the **"Verify Catch"** button (marked with a ShieldCheck icon). This triggers all AI-powered checks **in parallel**: | Check | What It Does | Result | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | | **Species Detection** | Identifies the fish species using AI and compares it to your selection | Species match + confidence level | | **Scale Detection** | Verifies a measuring scale is visible in the photo | Scale visible / not visible | | **Authenticity Check** | Detects AI-generated or manipulated images | Authentic / Suspicious | | **Recapture Detection** | Detects if the photo is a photo-of-a-photo or screen capture | Original / Recapture detected | | **Length Verification** | Compares your entered length against what the AI measures from the photo | Confidence level (High / Medium / Low) | ### Verification Results After the checks complete, you'll see status cards with color-coded results: * 🟢 **Green (High confidence)** — Check passed. Your catch stays approved. * 🟡 **Gold/Yellow (Medium confidence)** — Some uncertainty. Your catch will be set to **pending** for manual review. * 🔴 **Red (Low confidence)** — Check failed or significant mismatch. Your catch will be set to **pending** for manual review. AI check results showing species detection and authenticity verification ### What Triggers "Pending" Status Your catch is set to **pending** (requiring manual admin review) when: * The AI-detected species **differs** from your selection or has low confidence * The AI-detected length is **significantly smaller** than what you entered (larger AI lengths are fine) * Image authenticity or recapture checks return low confidence Even if some checks return low confidence, you can still proceed. Your catch will be submitted as **pending** and reviewed by an admin. Once verification completes successfully, the button turns **green** and is **disabled** — you're ready to fill in the remaining details. ### Rejection During Verification Some results will block you from proceeding: | Rejection | What It Means | How to Fix | | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | **No species detected** | AI couldn't identify a fish in the photo | Make sure the fish is clearly visible and well-lit | | **No scale visible** | AI couldn't detect a measuring device | Place your fish on a visible ruler or measuring mat | | **Unsupported species** | The detected species is not in the competition | Only supported species can be submitted | | **Suspicious image** | The image appears AI-generated or heavily manipulated | Use an original, unedited photo | | **Recapture detected** | The photo appears to be a photo of another photo or screen | Take a direct photo of the actual fish | *** ## 4. Fill in Details After verification, the remaining fields appear for you to complete. Catch details form with date, location, water body, and country fields ### Auto-Filled Fields The following fields are **automatically filled** from your photo's GPS data: * **📅 Date & Time** — Extracted from the photo EXIF data or device capture time * **📍 Location** — Nearest town/village from reverse geocoding * **🌍 Country** — Detected from GPS coordinates (EU countries supported) If you manually edit any auto-filled field, your catch status will be changed to **pending** for admin review. This is a fairness measure to prevent location spoofing. ### Water Body Selection The water body field uses a smart selector with three sources: 1. **Nearby Waters** — Automatically detected water bodies near your GPS location (rivers, lakes, canals) using OpenStreetMap data 2. **Previously Used** — Water names from your previous approved catches in the same country 3. **Custom Entry** — Type any water name if the auto-detection didn't find the right one Water body selector showing nearby waters and previously used options If only one water body is found nearby, it's **automatically selected** for you. ### Additional Photos (Optional) You can add up to **2 extra photos** of your catch. These are optional but recommended for verification. * Tap the **dashed upload boxes** to add photos * Extra photos must be taken on the **same day** as the main catch photo (validated via EXIF date) * Photos with no EXIF date information will be rejected * Photos are checked for inappropriate content If you add at least one additional photo, the "Selfie With Your Catch" prompt is skipped. Extra photo upload area with two dashed upload boxes ### Caption (Optional) Add a short caption (up to 250 characters) to tell the story behind your catch. This will appear on your catch card in the feed. * Captions are checked for **inappropriate content** and **links** (links are not allowed) * If your caption is blocked by moderation, you'll see an error message *** ## 5. Submit The **"Submit Catch"** button becomes active once: * Your photo has passed the initial checks * You've completed the **"Verify Catch"** step If water body or country auto-detection fails, the button remains active — you'll see a **toast notification** prompting you to fill in the missing fields manually when you tap it. 1. Tap the **"Submit Catch"** button 2. If water or country is empty, you'll see a toast asking you to enter them 3. If you haven't added extra photos, a prompt will ask if you want to add some or continue without them 4. The app uploads your photos, runs final moderation checks, and saves your catch *** ## After Submission ### Success Screen After a successful submission, you'll see a congratulations screen with two options: * **"View Catch"** — Takes you to your catches list (My Catches) * **"Submit Another"** — Resets the form so you can submit another catch immediately Success screen showing congratulations message with View Catch and Submit Another buttons ### Catch Status Your catch will have one of two statuses: | Status | Meaning | | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ✅ **Approved** | All AI checks passed with high confidence. Your catch is immediately visible and counts toward rankings. | | ⏳ **Pending** | One or more checks had low/medium confidence, or you edited auto-filled fields. Your catch will be reviewed manually by an admin before approval. | When your catch is pending, the app displays a **status card** listing the specific reasons (e.g., species mismatch, low length confidence, manual edits) along with a notice that **manual admin review is required**. This transparency helps you understand what triggered the review. Pending catches are still saved and visible to you, but they won't appear in public rankings until approved. *** ## Photo Requirements ### ✅ Do's | Requirement | Why | | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | Use the app's camera | Ensures GPS and timestamp metadata are captured correctly | | Place fish on a measuring scale | Required for AI length verification | | Make sure scale markings are visible | The AI reads the scale to verify your length entry | | Keep GPS enabled | Location is required for country detection and fair play | | Use good lighting | Better photos = more accurate AI species detection | | Take the photo immediately | Photos older than the configured time window will be rejected | ### ❌ Don'ts | Avoid | Why | | --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Screenshots or screen photos | Detected by recapture check and rejected | | Downloaded or transferred images | May lose EXIF metadata or be flagged as suspicious | | Heavily edited photos | May be flagged as AI-generated or manipulated | | Photos without a measuring device | Scale detection will fail | | Using someone else's photo | Duplicate check will catch reused images | | Photos taken days ago | Image age check will reject old photos | *** ## Troubleshooting ### "My photo keeps getting rejected" 1. **Check GPS is enabled** — Go to your phone's Settings → Location and make sure it's turned on 2. **Take a fresh photo** — Use the app's camera button, don't import from your gallery 3. **Show the measuring scale clearly** — The AI needs to see ruler/scale markings 4. **Make sure the fish is visible** — Good lighting and clear framing help species detection 5. **Don't edit the photo** — Use the original, unmodified photo ### "My catch is pending instead of approved" This happens when: * AI species confidence was medium or low * AI scale confidence was medium or low * The AI-detected length was significantly smaller than your entered length * You manually edited auto-filled fields (date, location, country) The app shows you the **specific reasons** for the pending status in a yellow status card, along with a note that manual admin review is required. Pending catches are reviewed by admins and will be approved if everything looks correct. ### "I can't find my water body" If the automatic water detection doesn't find your fishing spot: 1. Try the **search field** to look through previously used water names 2. **Type the name manually** — a "Use \[name]" option will appear 3. Water names are **title-cased** automatically (e.g., "lake michigan" → "Lake Michigan") ### "The app says I need the mobile app" Catch submissions are restricted to the native mobile app for GPS verification and camera access. Download the app from the [App Store](#) or [Google Play](#) to submit catches. ### "Rate limit reached" If you see a rate limit error, wait a few minutes before trying again. This protects our AI services from overload.