Comparison

Precision Trolling vs Hatchpedia

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Precision Trolling

This app provides anglers with precise lure depth data for effective trolling. It helps predict lure running depths, target fish accurately, and avoid snags. Easily find productive lure and lead length combinations to maximize your time in the strike zone.

Highlights
  • Predict lure running depths
  • Target fish at specific depths
  • Avoid costly snags
  • Duplicate productive lure combinations
  • Search for lures at similar depths
  • Data Wheels for feet down/back calculation
Features
Read full description

The fishing information contained in the popular publication Precision Trolling is a troller’s dream come true. Dubbed “the Troller’s Bible” by the tens of thousands of anglers who use this information to target fish at specific depths, Precision Trolling is just what the name implies. Precision Trolling is a method of fishing that allows anglers to accurately predict the running depths of their favorite lures and diving devices! By manipulating lead length anglers can easily “aim” their favorite fishing lures at specific depths, accurately target fish they are seeing on their sonar while avoiding costly snagged lures. Even better, once a productive lead length is determined, it’s easy to duplicate that lure and lead length combination with other lines, putting more lures in the strike zone! The Precision Trolling Data App goes a step further. Once an angler has determined that a particular lure and lead length are effective at catching fish, it’s easy to search for other lures in the list of Precision Trolling App that achieve similar depths. Once a productive depth is determined where fish are biting, it’s a logical step to try different lures at the same depth to determine which lure or lures fish react best to. The new Precision Trolling Data App allows anglers to access a wealth of trolling data. The familiar “Dive Curves” made popular in the Precision Trolling book are now incorporated into easy to use “pickers” or “wheels”. The Data Wheels let you adjust the “feet down” to determine the “feet back”. This is particularly useful if you want to target fish at a certain depth that you are seeing on your sonar unit. The Data Wheel also allows anglers to adjust the “feet back” to determine the “feet down” that the lure will dive. This a fast and effective way of zeroing in on a target depth with any of the lures or diving devices included in the Precision Trolling app. For more information on Precision Trolling and how to become a better troller click here: www.precisiontrollingdata.com Precision Trolling Data LLC owns a patent U.S. Patent No. 7,113,449 entitled “Marine Electronics With Lure Depth Analyzer” issued September 26, 2006 which prevents other companies/individuals from providing lure data on an electronic device. All of the data provided in or by this app is also copyrighted by Precision Trolling Data LLC. Privacy Policy: https://www.precisiontrollingdata.com/privacy-notice Terms Of service: https://www.precisiontrollingdata.com/end-user-license

About

Hatchpedia

Identify hatching insects while fishing with this pocket entomologist. Search by description or example, view curated photos, and access detailed information about bug lifecycles and regional hatch times. Plan trips and learn about aquatic insects, even offline.

Highlights
  • Identify hatching insects by description
  • Search by example with graphical tools
  • Curated photos of all lifecycle phases
  • Detailed bug information and taxonomy
  • Offline functionality
  • Location and date-based hatch predictions
  • Trip planning for fishing expeditions
Read full description

How long have you wished you could identify hatching insects while you're still fishing? Now you can! Hatchpedia is Your Pocket Entomologist. Hatchpedia makes precisely identifying hatching insects fast and easy. Our patent-pending search technology lets you describe the bugs that you are seeing using your own words. It's like a pocket-sized aquatic entomologist that speaks your language. BACKCOUNTRY-READY Hatchpedia is completely functional with no cell service or internet, with a grace period of up to 2 weeks past your next subscription renewal date. You will never need to scramble up a hill hoping to find a bar or two of cell service - heck, you won't even have to leave the water no matter where your adventures take you. SEARCH BY EXAMPLE Sometimes words are hard. Use our graphical Search by Example feature to build up search phrases that describe the bug that you see. CURATED PHOTOS OF ALL PHASES Hatchpedia has photos of all of the phases of the bugs' lifecycles that are important to trout. We've pored over thousands of photos and painstakingly selected over 1,000 photos that we have licensed to help you identify the bug you are seeing with the greatest certainty possible. DETAILED INFORMATION Every search result gives you detailed information about the bug including: the common name, how confident we are in the search result and why, the complete taxonomy, the approximate size of the adult, what U.S. geographic regions it is known to hatch in, and the approximate dates that it hatches. In addition, every phase of every bug has a "Learn about this phase" feature that gives you a summary of the bug's lifecycle and details about the specific phase. FROM SIMPLE TO COMPLEX PHRASES Hatchpedia's search engine is custom-built and entomology-specific (patent pending). We support searches in your own words from very simple keywords to complex phrases. A very simple description of a bug might be simply 'upright wing' or 'upright wing 1/2 inch body', while a more complex description might be 'upright yellow mottled wing 12mm light yellow body 2 tails'. Our search feature doesn't require you to enter quotes or any other special characters as it works hard to figure out complex phrase combinations and match them against a huge database of entomological data with over 520 species that trout love to eat. USE CURRENT LOCATION AND/OR DATE Hatchpedia can use your current location and/or date to find bugs that are hatching around you *now*. PLAN TRIPS You can specify a region within the United States as well as a date in order to find bugs that will be hatching whenever and wherever your fishing trip will take you! HATCHPEDIA FREE You can also use Hatchpedia free of charge to learn more about the lifecycles and behaviors of the bugs that trout love to eat. Privacy policy: https://www.hatchpedia.com/privacy Terms and conditions: https://www.hatchpedia.com/terms Join our community! Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hatchpedia Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hatchpedia Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hatchpedia

Screenshots

Precision Trolling4 screens
Hatchpedia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hatchpedia at every 9 days against Precision Trolling's every 6 weeks. Precision Trolling's advantage is ratings volume (917 vs 67) and review sentiment (90% vs 80%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Precision Trolling sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Hatchpedia sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Precision Trolling against 4.5 for Hatchpedia. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Precision Trolling has 917 ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Precision Trolling's written reviews are positive against 80% of Hatchpedia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Precision Trolling ships an update every 6 weeks, Hatchpedia every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Precision Trolling versus Hatchpedia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrecision TrollingHatchpedia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (917 ratings)4.5 (67 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.8% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings917 — better67
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB361 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPRECISION TROLLING DATA, LLCJames Speaker

Customer experience

Precision Trolling

All ratings917 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral4.7%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews265 reviews
Positive89.8%
Neutral5.7%
Negative4.5%

Hatchpedia

All ratings67 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

Precision Trolling

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Restore purchase not working
  • Duplicate data entries
  • Frequent crashes and freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more lures and line/weight options
  • Improve app stability and responsiveness
  • Add visual dive curve graphs
  • Allow transfer of purchases between devices
  • Provide trolling speed data for lures

Hatchpedia

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Precision Trolling

One-time11
  • Flicker Shad 5$2.99
  • Deep Husky Jerk DHJ-12$2.99
  • Deep Diver Model 800$2.99
Show 8 more
  • Flicker Minnow 9$2.99
  • Flicker Minnow 7$2.99
  • Bandit Deep Walleye 5/8 oz$2.99
  • Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogue$2.99
  • Berkley Flicker Minnow 11$2.99
  • Snap Weight 2 oz.$2.99
  • Snap Weight 1 oz.$2.99
  • Lifetime Package$109.99
2 purchases

Hatchpedia

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$2.491 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$26.991 Year

Questions

Is Precision Trolling free?
Precision Trolling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hatchpedia free?
Hatchpedia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Precision Trolling or Hatchpedia?
Hatchpedia is rated higher. Precision Trolling averages 4.5 out of 5 from 917 ratings, while Hatchpedia averages 4.5 from 67 ratings.
Do Precision Trolling or Hatchpedia have ads?
Neither Precision Trolling nor Hatchpedia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Precision Trolling or Hatchpedia?
Precision Trolling ships an update every 6 weeks, and Hatchpedia every 9 days. Most recently, Precision Trolling was updated on September 24, 2026 and Hatchpedia on September 12, 2026.

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