Honestly, I would recommend Fish Track primarily for experienced deep-sea fishermen. The app is directly marketed to ocean anglers, but if you don’t have knowledge of what all the features of the app mean, like chlorophyll imagery, the app presents a significant learning curve.
For this reason, I would say that if you are not heading out in your own boat than the app probably will not serve you all that well. If you are a freshwater inland angler this app also won’t do much for you. Unless of course, you are a fan of cool satellite imagery.
Main Features of Fishing Knots App
⇒ When you first load Fish Track you are looking at an extremely zoomed out version of Google Maps Satellite view. The whole world is shown to you, which is a symbol of how Fish Track has data on popular fishing spots all over the world.
⇒ Fish Track has two ways to narrow in on your desired fishing location. The first is the good old fashioned pinch and zoom maneuver. Sliding your fingers across the screen will allow you to pinpoint the ocean you wish to relieve of its excess fish. The second is by allowing the app access to your cell phone’s location function. It will give you conditions of the closest ocean fishing to you automatically.
⇒ The data you get access to is honestly not something I ever really thought about before, but have learned is quite useful for successful fishing. You will get access to cloud-free sea surface temperature views of the map that let you know the actual temperature of the water. Fish school and feed at different temperatures, and this helps to know where temperatures are ideal to find schools of fish, and their delicious predators.
⇒ The app also has options to view current marine forecasts, tide and lunar activity, and chlorophyll bloom imagery. Putting these sets of data together is very helpful in knowing ahead of time the temperament of Mother Nature, and how it may affect your catch.
What I Liked The Most?
⇒ I live right by the ocean, and while I don’t have my own boat I found this app very intriguing. The Pacific Northwest is often plagued with chlorophyll bloom that makes visibility in the water close to zero. I am no expert fisherman, so I had to jump in and learn quite a bit to be able to understand all the features. This may seem like a negative at first glance, but having to learn more about what the features of the app meant helped me to better understand the best practices of ocean fishing.
Save Imagery
Once I understood more of what the app was showing me, I dove in to get my feet wet. One of the coolest features I found was the ability to save imagery and data offline, so I could have the info I needed without having to rely on cell reception, which can be spotty out on the blue seas.
Depth and Water Temperature
I also love that when you pull up the satellite map and pinpoint a spot in the water it tells you the approximate depth and water temperature. I was able to put this use with the marine forecast function to plan out the best time of day to hit the water. Knowing the depth and water temperature let me plan good times and areas to head out to with my fishing buddies.
The app also allows you to plan routes and set way points to get you where you want to go quickly and easily.
Forcast
The forecast includes wind speed and direction, as well as how the waves impact the surface. Knowing the conditions on the way to the fishing spot is just as important as the spot itself. Add in the wave and water current direction indicators to help know where set the boat, and know which way fish may be schooling.
What I Liked The Least?
Limited Content
The first and biggest complaint I have about Fish Track is how limited the content is on the app. While I was researching the functions and usefulness of Fish Track, I jumped to their website.
The site is full of useful information that benefits novice and experienced fishermen alike. Articles on fishing techniques, photos of successful catches, and trends that are designed to help all ocean anglers get to the top of their game and stay there. I know you can’t put it all on the app, but some of it would be a nice inclusion.
Simplistic Design
The app is overly simplistic in the design. Again, may seem like a positive, but the simplicity of the app function added to the difficulty of the learning curve. I even went through the help section of the app, and still had some trouble finding my way through the functions. Fish Track is loaded with valuable information, but I feel like they make you work too hard to figure it all out. If you are an experienced deep sea fisher, you probably will figure it out much quicker than I could.
User Experience
Splash Screen, Tips & On-boarding – Rating: 4/5
- Splash screen is consistent with brand.
- Splash screen engages users and communicate the essence of the brand, and doesn’t keep the user waiting. So it puts the user in control and lets him execute the next task ASAP (Sign up).
Home screen & Navigation – Rating: 4/5
- Uses a menu drawer, it displays it on first use.
- Only primary content and functionality is on-screen by default.
- App purpose and the priority user journeys are clear.
Sign-up, Sign-in & Permissions – Rating: 3/5
- Doesn’t provide non-signed-in journey.
- Doesn’t request sign-up “only” when it is dependent on providing value.
- Requests minimal data during sign-up.
- User sign-up for the app is quick but the benefit statements are not compelling.
Content & Design – Rating: 4/5
- Content is used instead of a traditional home screen to engage users immediately.
- Visual design engages and enhances the user experience.
Usability Hygiene – Rating: 4/5
- Content is accessible when user has no internet connection (save imagery).
- Primary call-to-action buttons (download imagery) are persistently visible.
- On-screen content and transitions between screens appear fast and responsive.
My Final Take
Even with the steep learning curve, ♦ I would recommend Fish Track to anyone who plans on deep sea fishing, or just casting a line in the ocean. For professionals leading tours, you can increase your chances of delivering a solid experience to your customers. For avid amateurs with your own boat, use less gas and spend more time catching fish instead of searching for them.
If you are more like me, and are sitting nearer to the beginning of your fishing career, I highly recommend spending time using the app alongside the website to get to know and understand all the features and terminology. Taking the extra time will not only help you make better use of the app, but will also make you a better fisherman all around. Being good at any hobby takes time and effort, but if you use the right tools you will find yourself progressing faster than you would otherwise.
⇒ Fish Track is built and maintained by professionals and enthusiasts who are trying to make the sport more enjoyable for everyone. Once you have a handle on the fruits of their hard work, you can upgrade to the premium service to get more accurate and up to date information. You may not have a crystal ball, but Fish Track gets you close, once you figure it all out.
