The 6 Best Fishing Apps Worth Using: Ranked and Reviewed

Key Points

• Our choice for the #1 Best Overall fishing app is Fishbrain.
• There are many apps available on iOS and Android to help fishermen better understand the weather, where to fish, and fish behavior.
• The best fishing apps are reliable, affordable, and packed with features.

The best fishing apps for iOS and Android are those that give us some insider insight into an aquatic swimmer’s thought process, where they’re happy, what type of bait to use, etc. Ultimately, we want an affordable companion application that helps us stock the live well, or just have a little fun chasing the fish.

As someone who spends every weekend from March to September on the TN river, in sloughs, and wandering creeks, having the perfect fishing app to tell you where to go will certainly give you an advantage. Fishing is a serious business (even if you’re a mere hobbyist).

You’ll want to up your odds of catching the perfect bass, walleye, or crappie. For that, you can install a simple application on your smartphone and get fishing! Of course, if you’re looking for other great apps, check out our other favorites here.

#1 Best Overall Fishing App: Fishbrain

The #1 best overall fishing app, in our opinion, is Fishbrain. Ask any avid fishing hobbyist or tournament aficionado, “Which fishing app is the best?” and you’ll undoubtedly get a few recommendations for Fishbrain.

It’s a one-stop shop for anyone who enjoys the thrill of the catch. Not only can you see where other people are catching fish, but the app also helps you find bait shops, boat ramps, and other fishing-related points of interest.

The app offers a free version that shows users some catch locations and basic points of interest. But for $12.99/month (or $6.69/month if you pay for an entire year), you’ll get depth maps, bait and lure recommendations, additional catch locations, and more. The company even offers a three-day free trial for those who want to test it out.

Best Fishing App on a Budget: FishAngler

FishAngler is another comprehensive fishing app that’s packed full of features and has a free option, and it’s easily one of the best fishing apps available. With millions of users, FishAngler helps users navigate to the best fishing spots, log their catches, and even track the weather.

One of the coolest features FishAngler offers is the ability to build communities and chat with other people who like to fish. You can learn a lot about which lures and bait are working, fish behavior, and more!

What’s more, you can use most of the great features for free. If you do want the premium version, it’s only $4.99/month, making it the best fishing app for a budget.

Best for a Forecast: Fishing Points

Fishing Points is another fishing app that’s worth a spot on our best fishing app list, mainly because of its forecast feature. If you’ve ever launched the boat and headed out with your poles, only to get lost in the fog, this app will help!

Among great features like fish activity predictions, you can save your favorite fishing spots and easily navigate to them (even in the fog, which isn’t recommended, but your dear author is speaking from experience).

Similar to FishAngler, you can also track the weather, and get lunar/solar information (for those of you who have to be home before dark or love crappie fishing). Overall, Fishing Points is one of the best fishing apps for tracking your catches and building a forecast.

Best App for Fishing Locations: Fishing Spots

Fishing Spots is another excellent fishing app for iOS and Android that we use often because of its focus on fishing locations! As the name indicates, the app helps you find the best fishing spots.

But what’s even better is you can see where other people are catching fish without paying a monthly subscription. This high-quality app is packed with other features like water depth gauges and underwater structures.

You’ll even get weather and water temperature information with Fishing Spots! You can use all the app’s features to find the best locations for fishing.

Best for Competitions: iAngler Tournament

iAngler Tournament is an app that any competitive fisher must have! While some people fish casually, others make a living doing it. If you’re ready to get more serious about your aquatic hobby, it’s time to join some fishing competitions. That’s where iAngler Tournament comes into play.

Working alongside the other apps on our list, you can quickly and easily find tournament information in your area. You can even host your own fishing tournaments if there aren’t any near you.

Best for Making Friends: Anglr

Finally, we love Anglr for its logging capabilities and social media aspect. Similar to our other apps above, it helps you find fishing locations and learn more about what works and doesn’t. This app will help you log your catches and it works on multiple devices. Including your Apple Watch!

Like the Fishing Spots app, Anglr also has a social media aspect to it. You can chat with others and get helpful tips. You can also make some new friends and get great information on fishing spots and techniques with Anglr.

How to Pick the Best Fishing App: Step by Step

There are many variables that come into play when choosing the best fishing apps for you. While that may seem quite straightforward, there are a few things to think about.

Reliability

First, you’ll want to find an app that’s reliable. A good day of fishing can be ruined quickly if you take an hour on the boat to get to a “good” fishing spot, only to find nothing popping up on the fish finder.

While some of our favorite choices rely on information provided by local fishermen, they’re typically quite reliable. Just be sure more than one person is pointing you toward the same spot.

Features

Another downloading point is the features. You want an app with ones tailored to help you find fish and navigate waters in your climate and landscape. For example, if you’re landlocked in a humid climate, a saltwater-focused app wouldn’t work here.

If the weather frequently changes where you live, the best fishing apps will help you check the weather and also give you tips on how to catch the fish you’re looking for in that climate.

You can choose apps that let you connect with others, or apps that don’t have any social media aspects if you enjoy peace and quiet.

Price

Lastly, and sometimes most importantly, it’s important to consider the price. All of the apps we listed above are free to download. However, most of them do have in-app purchases and monthly subscriptions. The features are well worth the money, but not everyone wants to pay for fishing data.

While FishBrain is our favorite, the premium subscription is quite costly. Fortunately, you can download the FishAngler app, too, and get a more comprehensive view of fish behavior in your area.

What to Know Before Downloading a Fishing App

One of the biggest points of contention we’ve had with fishing apps is that they either don’t work, or they charge astronomical fees for basic functionality. So, before you download any fishing apps, check these things:

• Reviews: Checking reviews will tell you whether downloading the app is even worth your time.
• Your Device’s Storage Capacity: We recommend downloading more than one fishing app to get a better idea of where to fish, the weather, etc. However, if your device’s storage is limited, you’ll run into trouble.
• Developers: Not all apps are created equally. Check that the developers are still updating the app, replying to reviews, and managing it. Otherwise, any glitches you come across may not get fixed.
• Check the Features: Every app in the App Store and Google Play Store should have a Features list. Review that to ensure it has everything you want.

There are a lot of fishing apps to choose from these days. Fortunately, checking the reviews, features, and price will give you a pretty good idea if it’s even worth downloading.

Using Fishing Apps: What’s It Like

Most fishing apps have a similar interface and perform similar functions. You may need to create an account and sign up with your email (this is helpful because you won’t lose any of your data if you lose your phone in a lake).

You must have internet service to use some of the features, but apps like Fishbrain will still show your saved locations without cellular data or Wi-Fi. Apps that don’t require the internet for maps are a must-have because you never know where you’re going to wind up.

Today, fishing apps are an integral tool for your metaphorical tackle box. They make it easier to find good fishing locations, track the weather and sunrise/sunset, and get tips from others who know the area.

The Best Fishing Apps: Wrap Up

If you love fishing, you definitely need some fishing apps. While FishBrain and FishAngler offer a lot of great information to give you a competitive edge, it’s a good idea to download more than one and cross-reference your information. We are, after all, trying to chase creatures that can be a bit unpredictable.

Summary Table

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock.com.