Solunar Bass Forecasting Tool 🎣

Welcome to Solunar Bass, an open-source project by Bassfinity that helps bass fishermen maximize their fishing success using solunar theory, data acquisition, and personalized recommendations. This repository powers a web app that predicts optimal bass fishing times based on solunar data, weather conditions, and location. You can view the website here

The project consists of several key components working together, from data acquisition to recommendations.

Project Overview

This repository contains all the necessary components to run the Solunar Bass web application:

1. app.py: The main application file that integrates all functionalities and renders the Streamlit web interface.
2. src/: A directory containing all the modules:
   • data_acquisition.py: Handles fetching and processing external data (e.g., weather, solunar events) required for accurate predictions.
   • data_processing.py: Responsible for cleaning, transforming, and structuring data for analysis and display.
   • solunar_calculations.py: Provides utility functions for calculating solunar tables, lunar phases, and their impact on fishing activity.
   • recommendation_engine.py: Contains the logic to generate personalized fishing recommendations based on solunar data and user input.
3. requirements.txt: Lists all the Python dependencies needed to run the application.
4. README.md: Provides an overview and instructions for setting up the project.

The application is hosted via Streamlit, allowing it to be easily deployed and accessed via the web.

Features

• Real-time Solunar Calculations: Uses solunar theory to predict peak times for bass fishing.
• Location-based Forecasts: Enter your location or use your current geolocation to get localized fishing forecasts.
• User-friendly Interface: Built using Streamlit for an intuitive and visually appealing user experience.
• Interactive Map: Powered by Folium, showing your selected location.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

To run this application locally, you'll need:

• Python 3.7 or higher
• pip (Python package installer)
• The dependencies listed in the requirements.txt file

Installation Instructions

Step 1: Clone the Repository

Open your terminal or command prompt and run:

git clone https://github.com/bassfinity/solunarbass.git
cd solunarbass

Step 2: Create a Virtual Environment

Creating a virtual environment is recommended to avoid conflicts with system-wide Python packages.

• On macOS/Linux:

  python3 -m venv venv

• On Windows:

  python -m venv venv

Step 3: Activate the Virtual Environment

• On macOS/Linux:

  source venv/bin/activate

• On Windows (Command Prompt):

  venv\Scripts\activate.bat

• On Windows (PowerShell):

  venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

  Note: If you encounter an error regarding script execution policies in PowerShell, you may need to adjust the execution policy:

  Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Step 4: Upgrade pip

Ensure you have the latest version of pip:

python -m pip install --upgrade pip

Step 5: Install the Required Dependencies

Install the necessary Python libraries with the following command:

python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 6: Set Up the API Key

The application requires an API key from Visual Crossing Weather to fetch weather and astronomical data.

Follow these steps to set up your API_KEY:

1. Sign Up for an API Key

   • Visit the Visual Crossing Weather API website.
   • Sign up for a free account to obtain your API key.

2. Create a config.toml File

   • In the root directory of the project (where app.py is located), create a file named config.toml.

     • On macOS/Linux:

       nano config.toml

     • On Windows:

       • Open a text editor (e.g., Notepad) and create a new file named config.toml.

   • Add the following content to config.toml, replacing "your_visual_crossing_api_key" with the API key you obtained:

     # config.toml
     API_KEY = "your_visual_crossing_api_key"

   • Save and close the file.

3. Secure Your API Key

   • Important: To prevent accidentally committing your API key to version control, add config.toml to your .gitignore file.

     echo "config.toml" >> .gitignore

Step 7: Run the Application

With all the setup complete, you can now run the application:

streamlit run app.py

This will launch the web app locally, and you can access it in your browser at http://localhost:8501.

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Important Notes

• API Key Setup:

  The application relies on the API_KEY provided in the config.toml file to fetch necessary data. Ensure that the API_KEY is correctly set up as per the instructions.

• Virtual Environment:

  Using a virtual environment isolates the project's dependencies, preventing conflicts with other Python projects or system-wide packages.

• Dependencies:

  The required Python packages are listed in the requirements.txt file:

  streamlit
  pandas
  numpy
  requests
  pytz
  streamlit-js-eval
  folium
  streamlit-folium
  toml
  

  Note: The toml library is required for reading the config.toml file.

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Code Overview

app.py

This is the entry point for the web app. It ties together data acquisition, processing, solunar calculations, and the recommendation engine. The user interface is built with Streamlit, providing options to input location, select date, and display results.

src/data_acquisition.py

This module handles fetching data from external APIs (e.g., weather data). It ensures that relevant data points, such as moon phases and weather conditions, are retrieved and prepared for processing.

• Key Functions:

  • get_solunar_data(lat, lon, date): Fetches solunar and weather information for the specified location and date.

• API Key Retrieval:

  The API_KEY is retrieved from the config.toml file using a function that ensures the key is securely and consistently accessed.

src/data_processing.py

This script processes the raw data obtained from the data acquisition step. It ensures data is clean, correctly formatted, and ready for analysis.

• Key Functions:

  • process_solunar_data(data, date_str): Cleans and formats raw data for use in calculations.

src/solunar_calculations.py

This module contains the logic to compute solunar events, such as major and minor feeding times, based on the moon's position.

• Key Functions:

  • calculate_major_minor_times(solunar_data): Calculates major and minor periods for fishing activity.

src/recommendation_engine.py

This module uses solunar theory to recommend the best times for bass fishing.

• Key Functions:

  • generate_recommendations(major_times, minor_times): Generates personalized fishing recommendations.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you want to contribute to the project, follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository.

2. Create a new branch for your feature or bugfix.

3. Make your changes and ensure everything is tested.

4. Open a pull request, and we will review it.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Feedback & Support

For any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out to the Bassfinity team. You can also open an issue on the GitHub repository or contact us via email at [email protected].

🎧 Join the SolunarBass Community on Discord

We now have a dedicated #solunarbass channel in the Bassfinity Discord server! Join our community to discuss solunar theory, share fishing experiences, and collaborate on improving the SolunarBass tool. Whether you're a developer, an angler, or both, we'd love to have you.

• Discord Invite: Join our Discord and find us in the #solunarbass channel.

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Credits

Special thanks to Visual Crossing for providing the weather data used in this application. Their comprehensive and reliable weather API was essential in building the forecasting functionality for this project.

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Happy Fishing! 🐟