PRIVACY & COOKIE POLICY

PRIVACY & COOKIE POLICY

Last Updated: March 20, 2026

YOUR CONSENT

By using our website and services, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy. If we update our privacy practices, changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Please check this page periodically to stay informed of our latest practices.

YOUR PRIVACY

West Side Fly Guide is committed to respecting your privacy. We recognize that when you choose to provide us with information about yourself, you trust us to act responsibly. You may use our website without providing any personal information. Please read on for details about our privacy practices.

WHO WE ARE

West Side Fly Guide is a professional fly fishing guide service operated by Westley Allen, based in Michigan. Our website is located at westsideflyguide.com. For privacy-related questions, contact us at westleysallen@gmail.com.

WHAT PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT AND WHY

Contact Forms. When you submit a contact form on our website, we collect your name, email address, and any information you include in your message, which may include health or physical ability information relevant to your guided trip. We use this to respond to your inquiry and provide appropriate services. Submissions are retained for up to 12 months for customer service purposes and are not used for marketing.

Email Newsletter Signup. When you sign up for our email list, we collect your email address to send you fly fishing tips, river reports, and gear recommendations. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send.

Purchase Information. When you make a purchase through our online shop powered by Shopify, we collect your name, email address, shipping address, and payment information including credit card numbers collected through a secure third party payment processing company. We do not store your full credit card details on our servers.

Technical Data. When you visit our website, basic technical data may be collected automatically, including your IP address, browser type, device type, geolocation, pages visited, time spent on pages, and number of clicks. This data is used to understand how visitors use our site and to improve our services.

OUR COLLECTION AND USE OF NON-PERSONAL INFORMATION

We also collect non-personal information that does not permit direct association with any specific individual. We may collect, use, and process non-personal information for service improvement purposes including understanding user preferences and developing improved offerings.

COOKIE POLICY

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. By using our website and agreeing to this policy, you consent to our use of cookies and similar technologies as described below.

Cookies do not contain information that personally identifies you and do not harm your device. Similar technologies include HTML5 cookies, flash cookies, and other web software that store information in your browser or device. Web beacons are small files that may work in concert with cookies to provide anonymized data on user behavior.

We use cookies for the following purposes. To identify your device and recommend appropriate content. To store your preferences and settings so they do not need to be reset on each visit. To detect fraudulent activity and abuse of our website. To store information you provide such as your email address and feedback. To enable social media sharing features. To record advertisement clicks. To ensure our website remains up and running through load balancing. To gather usage and performance data to improve our services.

Types of Cookies We Use

Session cookies are stored only during your browsing session and are automatically deleted when you close your browser. They store an anonymous session ID allowing you to browse without logging in to each page and do not collect personal data from your device.

Persistent cookies are stored on your device as a file and remain after you close your browser. They can only be read by the website that created them when you return to visit. Persistent cookies are used for analytics purposes.

Strictly necessary cookies are essential to enable you to use our website effectively, such as when completing a purchase. These cannot be restricted without affecting our services.

Performance cookies allow us to monitor and improve our website performance by evaluating the number of visits, identifying sources of traffic, and seeing which parts of the site are most visited.

Functionality cookies allow our website to remember your preferences and provide improved features. Information collected by these cookies is usually anonymized.

How to Block or Delete Cookies

You can check or change the type of cookies you accept within your browser or device settings at any time. However, if you restrict cookies you may not be able to make full use of our website including completing purchases. Please note that some third parties who provide services on our website, such as analytics providers, may also use cookies over which we have no control.

WHO WE SHARE YOUR DATA WITH

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with the following third party service providers who help us operate our business. Shopify for e-commerce and payment processing. WPForms for contact form processing. Hostinger for website hosting. Mailchimp for email marketing if you have subscribed to our list. These providers maintain their own privacy policies governing how your data is handled. We may also share information in response to a legal request, to protect the rights and safety of West Side Fly Guide or others, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of our business.

HOW LONG WE RETAIN YOUR DATA

We retain contact form submissions for 12 months. Email newsletter subscribers are retained until you unsubscribe. Purchase records are kept for 7 years for tax and legal compliance. Analytics data is retained for 26 months. We will retain your data only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy or as required by law.

YOUR CHOICES

You may choose not to provide personal information to us, though this may limit your ability to use certain features or services. You can opt out of marketing emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send. You can limit automated data collection by adjusting your browser or device settings. To exercise any choices regarding your personal data, contact us at westleysallen@gmail.com.

WHAT RIGHTS YOU HAVE OVER YOUR DATA

You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you, request correction of inaccurate data, request deletion of your data, and withdraw any consent you have previously provided. To make a request, contact us at westleysallen@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

HOW WE PROTECT YOUR DATA

We have implemented measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. Our website uses SSL encryption to protect data transmitted between your browser and our server. Access to customer data is restricted to authorized personnel only. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure and any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to prevent unauthorized access.

WHERE YOUR DATA IS SENT

Our website is hosted in the United States. All data collected through this website is stored and processed in the United States. If you are visiting from outside the US, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES

Our website may provide links to other websites, apps, or services including social media platforms and third party resources such as river flow data providers. We do not control and are not responsible for the content or practices of these third party sites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites and you should review their own privacy policies separately.

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Our website does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at westleysallen@gmail.com. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

UPDATES TO THIS POLICY

This policy may be updated periodically to reflect changes in our information practices or applicable laws. We will indicate at the top of the page when it was last updated. Please review this policy any time you access or use our site to make sure you have reviewed the most recent version.

CONTACT US

West Side Fly Guide. Email: westleysallen@gmail.com. Website: westsideflyguide.com.