About Fishing Reports Today

Our Mission

Fishing Reports Today was founded with a clear purpose: to transform complex environmental and geographic data into practical, trustworthy fishing intelligence. Covering more than 500 locations across the United States, our system helps anglers decide when to go, where to fish, and how to adapt techniques to real-time conditions. Each forecast merges scientific precision, on-the-water expertise, and validated local knowledge—empowering anglers to make smarter, safer, and more successful fishing decisions.

Where Our Data Comes From

Environmental data (wind, waves, temperature, UV, precipitation, water conditions) is sourced from the Open-Meteo API, which provides integrated atmospheric and oceanographic datasets refreshed every six hours. These measurements are validated against:

• NOAA CO-OPS tide gauges
• NDBC ocean buoys
• USGS river and lake monitoring networks

To complement sensor data, we analyze publicly available fishing reports from forums, blogs, regional news, and open social channels. Natural language processing identifies species, bait types, hotspots, time patterns, and behavior trends. All user-generated signals are anonymized and used only for statistical validation.

Geospatial & Access Data Sources

Our access, facilities, and shoreline data are drawn from multiple official and public cartographic datasets:

• Recreation.gov RIDB — boat ramps, park facilities, access rules, trailheads, recreation areas
• Overpass API (OpenStreetMap) — fishing piers, docks, marinas, slipways, parking areas, shore paths
• Google Maps Places API — bait shops, marinas, fuel stations, general services, ramps
• Public angler repositories and open hydrological datasets

Each fishing spot’s geolocation is cross-referenced across RIDB, OSM, and Google Maps to ensure accuracy. Facility data is re-validated periodically to reflect updated access points, seasonal closures, and changes in local infrastructure.

Regulations & Legal Data

Regulatory information on bag limits, size restrictions, open seasons, and protected areas is sourced exclusively from:

• Federal agencies (NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
• State wildlife and fisheries departments
• Local county and regional park authorities

This ensures all rules presented on Fishing Reports Today are aligned with official, traceable sources.

The Fishing Score Algorithm

The Fishing Score is our proprietary 0–100% index estimating how favorable current fishing conditions are. It functions like a “fishing traffic light”: green for excellent, yellow for fair to good, and red for challenging conditions. The model is grounded in bibliographic research from marine biology, oceanography, and ichthyology, supported by decades of charter-log data, tournament records, and expert angler experience.

It weighs four environmental variables proven to influence fish feeding behavior:

• Tide dynamics (≈35%)
• Wave energy (≈25%)
• Wind behavior (≈20%)
• Time of day (≈20%)

The algorithm continuously adjusts for wave period, wind intensity, water clarity, and light conditions. Inputs are benchmarked against historical success rates, calibrated seasonally, and recalculated every six hours to reflect current conditions.

In practice, a strong incoming tide, moderate two-foot waves, a steady 6–10 mph breeze, and dawn light often produce scores above 90%. Conversely, slack tide with heavy surf and crosswinds at midday suppresses activity. The Score is not a guarantee—it is a data-driven strategic guide to help anglers understand when conditions align for peak activity.

Species Guides and Expertise

Our species and regional guides draw from extensive bibliographic research and input from expert anglers, licensed guides, tackle manufacturers, and regional specialists. These guides translate environmental patterns into practical technique—explaining why certain conditions favor specific species and how to adapt bait, presentation, and location accordingly.

Coverage

Fishing Reports Today spans the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts as well as major inland lakes, reservoirs, and river systems across the United States. Each regional page combines localized weather, wave and tide data, verified regulations, facility information, geospatial analysis, and aggregated angler activity. Forecasts refresh automatically every six hours to ensure up-to-date accuracy.

Editorial Standards & Human Review

All narrative content—species behavior, local insights, seasonal trends, access descriptions, and safety notes—is written or reviewed by the FRT editorial team. Automated data (forecasts, geospatial layers, facility metadata) is clearly identified and always cross-checked with official sources.

Our review process includes:

• Verification of regulations and access data against state/federal sources
• Quarterly audits of Google Maps, OSM, and RIDB facility information
• Editorial rewriting to ensure clarity and practical angling relevance
• Scientific consistency checks across all environmental explanations

This guarantees that readers receive human-curated, expert-validated fishing guidance.

Transparency, Accuracy & Limitations

All datasets used are public, traceable, and cited. Environmental conditions can change rapidly—particularly in exposed marine, prairie, or inland-lake environments. We strongly encourage anglers to verify:

• Local weather and severe alerts
• Ramp or park closures
• Ice thickness and safety conditions
• Current fishing laws and seasonal restrictions

Our reports are intended as a planning aid, not a guarantee of catches or safety. Ethical, sustainable angling begins with informed preparation.

Contact

If you have questions about our methodology, data sources, or the Fishing Score algorithm, please visit our contact page.

Authored by the FRT Marine Analysis Team — integrating Open-Meteo, NOAA, USGS, Recreation.gov RIDB, Overpass API, Google Maps geospatial data, academic bibliographic sources, and verified public angler reports to deliver data-driven, expert-validated fishing forecasts.