How We Build and Verify Our Data

Indiana Fishing Guide is built on public, verifiable data — not self-reported listings or paid placements. Every fishing guide in our directory is here because official records confirm they are licensed, certified, or registered to operate in Indiana.

Data Sources

Our primary data source is Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. We pull structured records that include:

• Full name and business name
• License or certification number
• Credential type and status (active, expired, inactive)
• City and county of record
• Expiration date (where applicable)

We do not fabricate listings. If a fishing guide does not appear in our directory, it is because they do not appear in the source data. If you believe a listing is missing or incorrect, contact us.

Google Places Enrichment

After importing official records, we cross-reference each fishing guide against the Google Places API to add:

• Google star rating and review count
• Verified phone number and website
• Precise geographic coordinates for map placement
• Google Maps link for directions

Name matching uses multiple algorithms (Jaccard similarity, substring matching, and Indiana bounding-box validation) to avoid false positives. If we are not confident in a match, we skip it rather than display incorrect information.

How Often We Refresh

Our data pipeline runs on a regular cycle:

• Source data refresh — We pull updated records from Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife and process any new, changed, or expired entries.
• Google Places re-enrichment — Ratings, review counts, and contact info are refreshed to keep profiles current.
• Site rebuild and deploy — After each refresh, the entire site is rebuilt and redeployed with the latest data.

Every listing page displays a "Last verified" date so you can see when the data was last confirmed.

What We Don't Do

• We do not accept payment to add or remove listings
• We do not fabricate reviews or ratings — all review data comes from Google
• We do not guarantee the accuracy of contact information beyond what public records provide
• We are not affiliated with any Indiana state agency

Verify It Yourself

We encourage you to independently verify any fishing guide's credentials. Every profile includes a license or certification number that can be checked against the original source. If a fishing guide has a Google Business Profile, the link goes directly to Google Maps where you can read reviews yourself.

Who Maintains This Site

Indiana Fishing Guide is operated by M. Shores Tech, LLC, an Indiana-based technology company. Our directory sites are built by Matt Shores, a former Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detective (25 years) who transitioned into technology. We build tools that make public data more accessible to Indiana residents.

Questions or corrections? Contact us.