It’s that time of year again– time for a lot of fishing. Why waste a single moment of it when you can utilize modern technology to enhance your fishing experience? We have researched the best current apps for fishing to include logbooks, weather, maps and more. All five of these have great features and can help increase the odds of fishing success.
1. Navionics
This is an incredible app designed for GPS on the water. For those who do not have a GPS on your boat, this is the best free option available right at your fingertips. Navionics is owned by Garmin and has been the leader of marine charting for quite some time. It includes detailed charts, nautical charts, sonar charts, and a GPS plotter. It also includes other special features to customize your fishing trip and experience by editing routes, marking various locations, wind forecasting and more. It is no surprise that this is the world’s number one app for boaters. Ice fishermen also find this app super helpful.
2. Fish Brain
This app is free with an option to upgrade to a premium version for $5.99/month. Unlike Navionics, this app is all about connecting with other anglers on a platform to share with millions of like-minded people about fishing activity and locations. You can share fishing photos, keep a personal fishing journal and stay abreast of the weather. It is a great option to skip over social media or use in addition to, getting involved with others in the fishing community. It can also be used solely for personal use, fishing clubs or just a group of fishing friends. Fish Brain is packed with resources on techniques from other anglers.
3. Deeper App
Using via Bluetooth, this sonar device connects to your phone or tablet and projects an underwater map on your screen. No larger than a baseball, the Deeper app has the same features as other fish finders but can be cast from the shore or mounted to a boat or kayak. It is extremely useful, providing information like water depth and temperatures, locating fish, weather indicators and even detailed bottom composition helping anglers to find and catch more fish. Not only is this app awesome, but it’s also free to download.
4. GoFree Hooked
This user-friendly app is not only helpful by allowing you to record catches by location and save various details about each catch, but it also allows anglers to connect and share fishing stories, photos and success. It even helps create a little healthy competition, by showcasing the “best angler” via a live leaderboard. This app is about analytics from past and future predictions and can be a game-changer for any anglers catching success. This is a great app for advancing your fishing game while also competing with other fishermen on the water.
5. Fish Rules
Knowing the state and federal regulations before getting on the water is annoying, but imperative. This app lays out fishing regulations in an easy to find a format for saltwater anglers. The app can tell you if it’s the right season for a specific species, how many fish you can keep and the size limitations. When in doubt about fishing regulations, Fish Rules is the app to source. No internet service is needed to access the app once downloaded.
There is nothing wrong with a good old book and map but let’s be honest, in today’s age they won’t get you quite as far as you’d like. Technology is an amazing resource with constant updates, upgrades and new tricks to tuck up your sleeve and enhance your fishing skills. You can’t go wrong with any of these 5 apps for anglers.