🎣 A11: Fishing Buddy¶
Primary Feature: Web Grounding (personal/lifestyle use case) Status: ✅ Built (Corp) — v2 (swapped SwellMap → Warnings after user feedback) Built in: Corp ✅ 2026-04-10 | Lab ⬜ Shared with: Manager (fishing & boating enthusiast)
🎯 Problem It Solves¶
"I check 10 different websites before every fishing trip — MetService, tide charts, moon phases, swell forecasts, fishing reports. It takes 30 minutes just to figure out if Saturday is worth going out."
This agent consolidates NZ fishing and boating conditions from 4 trusted sources into one conversational assistant.
Why This Agent?¶
This is our real-world lifestyle use case — proving that Agent Builder isn't just for corporate knowledge bots. It can solve personal productivity problems too. It's also the same pattern as A01 (NZ Policy Advisor) but for a completely different domain, showing how versatile web grounding is.
Origin Story¶
Sutheesh's manager saw the AI News project and said: "I want something similar for fishing and boating conditions — reading the 10 sites that issue information on conditions, moon, tide etc." After analysis, we determined an M365 Agent covers 80% of the need with zero coding. A full website (Phase 2) can come later if needed.
🏗️ Architecture¶
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ "Should I go fishing Saturday at the Hauraki Gulf?" │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Fishing Buddy Agent │
│ │
│ 📝 Instructions: Kiwi fishing mate persona │
│ 🌐 Web Knowledge: 4 NZ marine/fishing websites │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ MetService │ │ MetService │ │
│ │ Marine │ │ Warnings │ │
│ │ Weather, wind, │ │ Severe weather │ │
│ │ swell, boating │ │ watches, alerts│ │
│ └────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ │
│ ┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ Tides4Fishing │ │ The Fishing │ │
│ │ NZ │ │ Window │ │
│ │ Tides, moon, │ │ Fishing score │ │
│ │ solunar charts │ │ predictions │ │
│ └────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ │
│ │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🎣 FISHING FORECAST: Hauraki Gulf — Saturday │
│ 🌊 Wind: 10-15 knots SW, Swell: 1.0m │
│ 🌙 Moon: Waxing gibbous, High tide: 10:42am │
│ 🐟 Activity: Medium-High, Best window: 9am-12pm │
│ ⚠️ Small craft advisory in outer Gulf after 2pm │
│ 📋 Verdict: GO — but be back by 2pm! │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
✅ Capabilities Used¶
| Capability | Used? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| SharePoint Knowledge | ❌ | Not used |
| Web Grounding | ✅ | 4 NZ marine/fishing URLs |
| File Uploads | ❌ | Not used |
| Graph Connectors | ❌ | Not used |
| Office Artifacts | ❌ | Not used |
| Tool Groups | ❌ | Not available in Agent Builder |
| Teams + Email | ❌ | Not used |
| Instructions | ✅ | Kiwi fishing mate persona with structured forecast format |
| Starter Prompts | ✅ | 6 working + 1 boundary |
🛠️ Quick Build Guide (Copy-Paste Ready)¶
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Go to microsoft365.com/chat → Agents → Create Agent → Skip to configure |
| 2 | Name: A11: Fishing Buddy |
| 3 | Description: Your NZ fishing and boating assistant — tides, conditions, forecasts, moon phases, and when to fish |
| 4 | Instructions: Paste the full instruction block from below |
| 5 | Knowledge → Web content: Add these 4 URLs: |
— https://www.metservice.com/marine |
|
— https://www.metservice.com/warnings/home |
|
— https://tides4fishing.com/nz |
|
— https://thefishingwindow.com |
|
| 6 | Search all websites: OFF |
| 7 | Generate documents, charts, and code: OFF |
| 8 | Starter Prompts: Add all 7 prompts from the table below |
| 9 | Create and test with T1 ("Should I go fishing this weekend?") |
| 10 | Share with your manager once tested! |
🌐 Web Knowledge Sources (4 URLs)¶
| # | URL | What It Covers | Why This One |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | https://www.metservice.com/marine |
Marine weather, wind, swell, boating forecasts | NZ's official weather authority — most trusted |
| 2 | https://www.metservice.com/warnings/home |
⚡ Severe weather warnings, watches, advisories for all NZ regions | Critical for safety — added after real user feedback (storm missed without it) |
| 3 | https://tides4fishing.com/nz |
Tide tables, solunar charts, moon phases, fish activity | Best all-in-one fishing + tides + moon for NZ |
| 4 | https://thefishingwindow.com |
Fishing score predictions, water temp, best times | Specifically built for NZ fishing success |
Why We Swapped SwellMap for Warnings¶
⚠️ Real User Feedback
Manager tested the agent and found it missed a severe storm warning heading the next day. He had to go to metservice.com/warnings/home manually to get this critical safety information. We swapped SwellMap (which overlaps with MetService Marine — both cover swell/wind) for the Warnings page. Safety warnings are non-negotiable for a fishing/boating agent.
Sites We Couldn't Include (4-URL limit)¶
| Site | What It Offers | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| swellmap.co.nz | 7-day swell/wave visual forecasts | Swapped out — overlaps with MetService Marine which already covers swell/wind |
| linz.govt.nz/tides | Official NZ tide predictions | Covered by tides4fishing.com |
| windy.com | Wind/weather maps | Covered by MetService marine |
| fishingmad.co.nz | NZ fishing reports & forums | No workaround — community content |
| nauticaled.co.nz | Boating safety rules | Referenced in instructions |
💡 Tip: If your manager has 4 specific sites he swears by, swap them in! The agent can be edited anytime.
📝 Instructions Used¶
Copy-paste these instructions when building the agent:
You are the Fishing Buddy — a knowledgeable NZ fishing and boating assistant that helps plan fishing trips using real-time conditions data from trusted NZ marine sources.
## Your Role
- You help recreational fishers and boaters in New Zealand plan their trips
- You provide information about tides, weather, swell, moon phases, and fishing conditions
- You are conversational, enthusiastic about fishing, and safety-conscious
- You speak like a Kiwi mate who knows their stuff on the water
## What You Can Help With
- Tide times and heights for NZ locations
- Marine weather forecasts (wind, swell, rain, visibility)
- Best fishing times based on tides, moon phase, and solunar activity
- Boating safety conditions and warnings
- Fish species activity predictions
- Trip planning: "Should I go fishing this weekend?"
## Rules You MUST Follow
1. ALWAYS base your answers on information from your 4 knowledge source websites
2. ALWAYS mention the source: "According to MetService..." or "Tides4Fishing shows..."
3. ALWAYS include safety warnings when conditions are marginal or dangerous
4. When discussing tides, always specify the location and date
5. When conditions are unsafe, say so clearly: "I'd skip this one mate — conditions look rough. Here's why..."
6. If you don't have data for a specific location or date, say so and suggest checking the source website directly
7. ALWAYS remind users to check conditions again before heading out — "Conditions change fast on the water!"
8. Use NZ English and be conversational — you're a fishing mate, not a weather robot
9. NEVER give specific depth or navigation advice (you're not a chart plotter)
## Response Format for Trip Planning
When someone asks "should I go fishing?", structure your response as:
🎣 FISHING FORECAST: [Location] — [Date]
🌊 Sea Conditions:
- Wind: [speed and direction]
- Swell: [height and period]
- Visibility: [good/moderate/poor]
🌙 Moon & Tides:
- Moon phase: [phase]
- High tide: [time]
- Low tide: [time]
- Solunar rating: [if available]
🐟 Fishing Outlook:
- Best time to fish: [window]
- Expected activity: [high/medium/low]
- Species likely active: [if available]
⚠️ Safety:
- [any warnings or cautions]
📋 Verdict: [Go / Maybe / Stay home — with brief reason]
💡 Remember: Always check conditions again before you head out!
## Topics You Do NOT Cover
- NEVER give navigation or chart advice — that's what proper charts and GPS are for
- NEVER recommend specific fishing spots (respect local fishing etiquette)
- NEVER give advice on fishing regulations or catch limits — direct to MPI (fisheries.govt.nz)
- NEVER answer questions unrelated to fishing or boating. If asked, respond: "I'm your Fishing Buddy — I stick to tides, conditions, and fishing! For other questions, try asking Copilot directly."
💬 Starter Prompts¶
| # | Title | Prompt |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | 🎣 Should I fish? | Should I go fishing this weekend? I'm based in Auckland and thinking about heading out on the Hauraki Gulf |
| T2 | 🌊 Conditions | What are the marine conditions and forecast for the next 3 days around Auckland? |
| T3 | 🌙 Tides | What are the tide times for Auckland this Saturday? |
| T4 | 🐟 Best time | When is the best time to fish this week based on tides and moon phase? |
| T5 | ⚠️ Safety check | Is it safe to take a small boat out this weekend? I have a 5.5m trailer boat |
| T6 | 📅 Plan my trip | I'm planning a fishing trip to the Coromandel Peninsula next Saturday. Give me the full conditions briefing |
| T7 | 🌩️ Warnings | Are there any severe weather warnings or watches for the upper North Island this week? |
| B1 | 🚫 Off topic | What is the best restaurant in Auckland? |
🚨 Gotchas & Design Decisions¶
🔢 Gotcha 1: Only 4 of 10 Sites Fit — And URL Selection Is Iterative¶
Manager has 10 fishing sites but Agent Builder allows only 4 web URLs. We originally selected MetService Marine, Tides4Fishing, SwellMap, and The Fishing Window.
But real-world testing changed our selection. Manager found a severe storm warning was missed because the Warnings page wasn't included. We swapped SwellMap (which overlaps with MetService Marine — both cover swell and wind) for metservice.com/warnings/home.
💡 Lesson: URL Selection Is Not One-and-Done
The initial 4 URLs are a starting point. Share the agent, get feedback, then iterate. The best 4 URLs emerge from real usage, not planning.
Our iteration:
| Version | URL Slot 2 | Why Changed |
|---|---|---|
| v1 (original) | swellmap.co.nz | Seemed useful for swell forecasts |
| v2 (after feedback) | metservice.com/warnings/home | Storm missed! Safety warnings are non-negotiable |
🌊 Gotcha 2: Not Live Data — Indexed Web Content¶
The agent reads from indexed web pages, not live APIs. This means: - Tide predictions (which are pre-calculated) work well - Current weather may be slightly behind real-time - Instructions tell the agent to always remind users: "Check conditions again before heading out!"
🛡️ Gotcha 3: Safety-First Instructions¶
The instructions explicitly prioritise safety: - Warn about dangerous conditions - Include safety section in every forecast - "I'd skip this one mate" when conditions are rough - Never give navigation or depth advice
This is important — fishing agents should never encourage going out in unsafe conditions.
🎣 Same Pattern as A01¶
This is architecturally identical to A01 (NZ Policy Advisor): - 4 web URLs as knowledge - Rich instructions with structured output format - Boundary enforcement - No files, no SharePoint, no Teams/Email
The only difference is the domain (fishing vs employment law) and the persona (Kiwi fishing mate vs professional advisor). This proves web grounding is versatile across any domain.
👍 Pros & Cons¶
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Built in 10 minutes — no coding | ❌ Only 4 of 10 desired sites |
| ✅ Structured fishing forecast format | ❌ Not live data — indexed web content |
| ✅ Safety-first design | ❌ Can only be used in M365 Copilot (not shared publicly) |
| ✅ Shows Agent Builder works for personal/lifestyle use | ❌ 2-level depth may miss detailed sub-pages |
| ✅ Easy to share with manager via M365 | ❌ Manager's fishing mates can't use it (no M365 license) |
🔮 Future: Phase 2 (Website)¶
If the agent isn't enough and a full dashboard is wanted:
| Need | Solution |
|---|---|
| More than 4 sources | Website with RSS feeds (like AI News) |
| Auto-updating dashboard | GitHub Actions scheduled pipeline |
| Share with fishing mates | Public website (GitHub Pages — free) |
| Charts and maps | JavaScript libraries (Leaflet, Chart.js) |
| Live tide data | LINZ API + MetService API |
🎤 Demo Talking Points¶
- "Not just for work" — Agent Builder solves personal productivity problems too
- "Same pattern as A01" — Swap the domain (fishing instead of employment law), same architecture
- "10 minutes, zero coding" — Your manager can build this himself
- "Safety built in" — The agent warns about dangerous conditions. Responsible AI for real life
- "The 4-URL limit shapes design" — Had to pick the best 4 from 10. This is a real design decision