10 Best Fishing Apps (For iPhone & Android) Reviewed In 2021.

It’s exciting, it’s thrilling, it’s an adrenaline pump, it’s a profession and it’s a sport …. Guess what we are talking about?

What else it could be other than Fishing!

40, 000 years of History!

Fishing is as old as the human civilization or might I reword it to as old as humans (civilizations develop farther down the road). According to studies, humans adapted fishing nearly 40,000 years ago (yes that’s 4 with four zeros). Today it continues to stay an important and vital economic and cultural aspect for billions of humans across the globe.

An Activity that transcends all boundaries!

I mean I don’t know another activity that transcends all gender, race, culture and economic stereotypes. At moment you are sailing in the boat or dock at the bank of a river, no matter who you are and where you are from all those become immaterial as the only thing that matter is the catch.

Gush the adrenaline Rush through your veins!

If the adrenaline rush is what keeps you going, you are going to fall in love with the gush of adrenaline pumping across your veins while you pull the line or reel your catch. I am not even talking about the pride and exhilaration you feel as you finally got to see your catch.

For me, it’s always about the biggest catch that makes me feel at the top of the world. For others, it might be the rarest creature while still for others it might be the overall quantity. Irrespective of preferences, the pride remains constant – besides it’s the sport that has stood the test of time.

Don’t know where to start from?

If you are looking to connect with your burning desire of fishing out in the coast or inland waterways, let me help you connect with the right resources. Here’re some of the best fishing apps that will certainly let you explore the world of angling for good!


#1

#1. Navionics.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Navigation

Free

3.1 in Apple Store

4.2 in Play Store

Navionics is one of the finest fishing apps that you’ll find on iOS or Android platform. It’s also one of the most refined apps for functionalities like scrolling and zooming. The app particularly integrates seamlessly with iOS devices. The app depicts the tidal data in the form of tide bars and arrows, whereas, for a more interactive use you can animate the arrows for interrogation and a time-lapse function.

Best Feature:

For ease of use, the app can be customized and swapped between sonar and standard view with a single-touch function. The shading options for depth contours give you best visual display, while you can also enlarge many critical navigational features with easy view mode.

Pros

  • Easy to use interface with full customization options
  • Customizable depth layers
  • Interactive Tidal Information
  • Free Sonar Charts

Cons

  • Draws battery big time
  • GPS accuracy can be better

#2

#2. FISHRULES.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Free

3.7 in Apple Store

4.3 in Play Store

If you are looking to go fishing at the East or Gulf Coast, this is the only app that you’ll need. The app not only helps you identify your catch but actually helps you to choose the right bait for the fish you wants to catch.

It’s pretty much got the information for every fish that swims the East or Gulf coasts. The super interactive and easy to use photo layout means you never again have to worry about the identification of your catch. The app comes loaded with detailed information about each species found in East or Gulf Coast including if your catch tastes good or not.

You can either input your geographic location or it can simply relate it from your GPS positioning. Once you are done with positioning, the apps clearly list down all the species found in the area, as well as regulations for each species. This is especially helpful for reporting at the end of the season.

Best Feature:

The app also gives you log function which can be used to store all your catches information including quantity and species type. The information can be reproduced for reporting function that’s especially required for limited species.

I want to start with the most significant limitation of Fish Rules; the laws, regulations, and species are limited to just the Eastern US, Gulf Coast, and the Bahamas. That’s a huge area of coverage, so even though it doesn’t cover the west coast, the most significant limitation is quite minimal. If you are a fisherman on the line anywhere in the salt waters from Maine to Texas, this app will work for you.

Pros

  • Detailed information with pictures for all species
  • Fishing regulations and Fish markers
  • Easy and accurate identification of fish species

Cons

  • The app is limited to East and Gulf coasts
  • Limited information for saltwater species
  • Limited Catch log feature

#3

#3. DEEPER - SMART SONAR.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Free

Not Enough Reviews

4.1 in Play Store

Deeper-smart sonar app has been the most downloaded fishing app over Android and iOS platforms. It’s certainly one of the best apps that you’ll find online for anglers that works perfectly fine with or without deeper sonar while detailing precise information and features to plan and carry out a successful fishing adventure.

Best Feature:

If you are really looking to maximize your catch rate, this is one app that will help you break all your previous records. The app comes with detailed information including the measured depth, right time and location to fish, finding the target, keeping a log for your catches and well, even sharing your success story on social media apps. I mean, what else you can think of for a fishing app that’s available for free?

Pros

  • Accurate depth readings
  • Fish target location
  • Species information
  • Log maintenance
  • Social media sharing

Cons

  • Limited depth range
  • Not great for casting

#4

#4. Fishidy.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Freemium

3.8 in Apple Store

3.5 in Play Store

Fishidy has become an indispensable app for smart anglers who want to maximize their catch rate. The app has received an “A” grade from the fishing tech, which means you can trust this app for its utility and reliability.

Best Feature:

The app offers a wide range of impressive features to boost on the anglers’ catch rate. The best part of the app is its social connectivity that let you connect with various other anglers whether you are at home or sailing the river. There is also a ton of useful information for waterways including species data, weather conditions, guides & tips. Need more, the app comes with a massive database for 20,000 freshwater waterways and nearly 180 saltwater locations.

With precise Fishidy maps, you can easily traverse through thousands of waterways and get the precise information you need to know about the area of fishing including depth contours, navigational features amongst others.

Pros

  • Limited-feature access with the free version
  • Data for thousands of waterways including lakes, ponds, rivers, and saltwater locations
  • Social integration with other anglers
  • Statistical logs for catches

Cons

  • Can’t be integrated with other social media platforms like Facebook
  • There are reports of missing data for certain waterways 

#5

#5. PRO-ANGLER.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Freemium

4.5 in Apple Store

3.2 in Play Store

Proangler is one of the best apps that you’ll find for the coastal fishing experience. To be honest, there are very few (if any) apps that can compete with the preciseness and utility of Proangler for coastal fishing. The massive database and information in this app aren’t just great for coastal fishermen but for any beach goer.

Best Feature:

To start-off this app lets you explore any coastline across the country and get accurate information about the activities going on. The layered information let you explore in great detail from broad coastal information to specific inland waterways to nearshore or even offshore activities. Drilling down to specific region will give you ample information and complete overview of the overall conditions that might influence the fishing experience including weather forecast, tidal information, bait shops, marinas, winds, and even lunar cycles. In fact, you can also search out a region by the specific species. So, if you are looking to catch some bluefish, this app can help you search the best coastal place where you have maximum chances of catching a bluefish.

Pros

  • Complete information for coastal fishing
  • Specie specific searches
  • Weather forecasts
  • Navigational features
  • Tidal information
  • Rules and bag limits

Cons

  • Limited to coastal (saltwater) water
  • Nil information about freshwater fishing

#6

#6. Fishing & Hunting Solunar Time.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Freemium

4.7 in Apple Store

4.3 in Play Store

It’s a great utility app that can help you maximize your fishing experience. The app works on Solunar tables and lets you have the complete information on the feeding data for fishes. The app will predict the best fishing time/season based on the lunar and solar cycles that are inbuilt in its database.

Best Feature:

By knowing the feeding schedule and best fishing seasons, you can maximize your fishing experience and catch rate. Save your favorite fishing spots for future updates.

Pros

  • One stop information for all fishing related information
  • Detailed weather forecast for 5 days with map views
  • Weather radar updates for rain and snow information
  • Detailed solunar information
  • GPS trailing
  • Online sharing on Facebook, Twitter, and email

Cons

  • Lack specie specific search

#7

#7. FishingPoints.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Free

4.6 in Apple Store

4.4 in Play Store

FishingPoints is a highly popular app that let users to find and save cool fishing spots, trolling paths and trotlines. What’s really great about the app is the use of high-resolution satellite imagery from Google Maps, while you can also use the maps in offline mode. 

Best Feature:

The app comes with detailed nautical charts accurately pointing to your saved or new fishing spots. That app comes with in-built Solunar data, weather prediction and tide predictions, giving users a fair chance to maximize their fishing experience and increase catches.

The app also lets users create a log of catches, even better you can save the details of every catch including length, weight and photos.

Pros

  • Navigation
  • Forecast
  • Weather and tide
  • Solunar Data
  • Fishing Log
  • Networking

Cons

  • You need to pay for premium features.
  • GPS use can drain batteries

#8

#8. iAngler Tournament

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Free

Not  Enough Reviews

3.6 in Play Store

iAngler is one great app for competitive anglers that's purely designed to promote fishing tournaments. The app lets competitors of fishing tournaments make a log of their catches automatically so you can keep a focus on making the catch. The app also enables you to compare your catches with fellow competitors and broadcast live boards for tournament leaders.

Pros

  • List of angler tournaments 
  • Online tournament registration
  • Updates from tournament activities
  • Weather forecast
  • Live tournament boards

Cons

  • Not really integrated with Android 8
  • Loading issues
  • Too many questions

#9

#9. Fishbrain.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Freemium

4.6 in Apple Store

4.4 in Play Store

Fishbrain is more of a social application that primarily facilitates anglers to connect with other passionate anglers. The success of the applies in its community, which with 5 million active anglers and 3 million catches log have become one of the largest fishing community app.

The app is available for free version as well as a paid premium version with additional features and functionalities. It also lets you connect with other anglers to share tips and tricks.

Best Feature:

Apart from socializing and sharing, the app also offers great features like weather updates, fishing forecast, over 100 species information, and bait set-ups.

Pros

  • Largest network of fishing community for any app
  • Connect and interact with anglers across the country
  • Bait recommendations
  • Specie specific information
  • Fish forecasting

Cons

  • In-app ads even with premium version
  • Lack geographic customization
  • At times malfunction; especially the species identification software

#10

#10. FishAngler.

Category

Type

Platform

User Rating

Sports

Free

4.8 in Apple Store

4.4 in Play Store

FishAngler is a free Android and iPhone app that have taken the angler community to a whole new level of networking and sharing their success. The app let’s anglers to make most of their fishing experience by making more catches and capturing & sharing their best fishing moments with other anglers across the globe.

Best Feature:

The app comes with real time fishing forecast that really helps users to increase their chances of making a catch. With fishing forecasts and connecting with other anglers on the network, you can simply discover cool new fishing spots and stay updated of what’s happening in your surroundings. Track weather and water conditions along with over 40 other attributes, all the way while keeping in touch with other professionals across the globe.

Pros

  • Fishing maps
  • Fishing Forecast
  • Fishing Log books
  • Networking
  • Social Newsfeed.

Cons

  • There have been reports of app getting unresponsive at times.

Equipped with these multipurpose apps, you are definitely in for some enthralling and successful fishing experience.

The best part, you won’t just break your catch records, but also keeps a detailed log for your catches, while maintaining records for favorite fishing spots, best baits and all other relevant information for years to come.

I’m looking forward to your comments…

cheers.

Ned Taylor
 

Ned is passionate about outdoor activities like fishing, camping & hunting. Always eager to explore new places for outdoor activities and testing new outdoor products.

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