The call — right now
Reading the water…
Showing your last reading — updating now…
Enter conditions
No signal? Read these off the sky and water and Soundline still rates the bite.
Bite forecast — right now
A read on conditions, not a promise. Pressure trends, low light, wind, and sky are weighed — fish, season, and water still have the final say.
How Soundline rates the bite
The score blends conditions that experienced anglers and fish biology point to. It's a read on the odds, not a promise — fish, season, and the water always have the final say. Here's what goes in, and how far each is actually backed up:
- Light & time of day strong
Most freshwater predators feed hardest at dawn, dusk, and under cloud, when low light favors the ambush. - Water temperature & season strong
Temperature drives how active fish are and when they feed. - Wind moderate
Steady wind pushes plankton and baitfish onto windward shores, and a light chop breaks up the surface. - Barometric pressure trend mixed
A falling barometer ahead of a front is a classic trigger — though the science is less settled than the folklore. - Solunar (moon) timing tiebreaker
Moon-overhead and moonrise/set windows are a long-held tradition with limited hard evidence, so we use them only to sharpen when, never as the main call.
What's next: comparing your logged catches against the score at the time, so the forecast can start to show whether its better days really do fish better.
Your game plan
Building your plan from the forecast…
When to go today
Next few days
Building the outlook…
Feeding times — today
How to use it: aim a trip at one of these windows — a window that also lands at dawn or dusk (flagged ★) is the strongest call. Majors (~2 hrs) are when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minors (~1 hr) are moonrise and moonset. These windows are already factored into your bite score and the hourly bars above. Solunar is a timing aid, not a guarantee — it's most useful as a tiebreaker, and sharpest near the new and full moon. Works offline.
Conditions
Water conditions
Wind & where to fish
Where to start here
Lures to try
New to it? The all-rounder: a slip bobber, a small split shot, a #6 hook, and a live nightcrawler fished near cover catches bluegill, perch, crappie, and more — almost anywhere, almost any season.
Pan the map so your spot sits under the crosshair, then tap Drop pin to save and label it — drop-off, weed bed, point, inlet, structure, or ramp. Tap Conditions here for the bite forecast at the center, or just tap anywhere on the map to drop a pin there. USGS topo lines show depth contours and structure. Pins save on this device.
Get on the water nearby
My spots
Does the forecast hold up?
Log a catch
History
Your state
Auto-detected from your location when possible — change it any time. These links open the official license system and current regulations for the state you pick.
Keep or release? Ohio
Common inland limits Ohio
| Species | Daily bag | Min size |
|---|---|---|
| Black bass (LM/SM/spotted, combined) | 5 | 12" |
| Walleye / saugeye / sauger (aggregate) | 6 | 15"* |
| Yellow perch | 30 | — |
| Muskellunge / tiger muskie | 1 | 30" |
| Trout / salmon (inland) | 5 | — |
| Crappie & other panfish | varies | varies |
*The 15" walleye/saugeye minimum was removed on several inland lakes for 2026–27 — confirm your water. Lake Erie sets its own walleye, perch, and bass seasons and limits by zone. Ohio resident free fishing days: June 20–21, 2026 (size and bag limits still apply). Protected species (lake sturgeon, several gars, cisco, and more) must be released immediately.
Measure & decide
We keep a detailed keep-or-release checker for Ohio, the home water. Everywhere else, size and daily-bag limits vary by state — and often by individual lake — so check your state's current regulations with the link above before keeping a fish. The rules of thumb hold everywhere:
- Measure flat: tip of the mouth to the tip of the tail.
- If it's close to the minimum, under it, or you're unsure — release it gently.
- Know the daily bag and any closed seasons before you go; keep only what you'll use.
- Release any protected or out-of-season species right away.
Pre-trip checklist
- Current fishing license on you (plus any special permits — trout/salmon stamp, Great Lakes permit, etc.)
- Checked seasons & bag/size limits for this water with your state's wildlife agency
- Life jacket per person; check the marine/lake forecast for wind & storms
- Tell someone your launch point and return time
- Clean, drain, dry gear between waters — stop invasive species
Angler's glossary
Plain-language terms
- Structure
- The permanent shape of the bottom — drop-offs, humps, points, channels. Fish relate to it.
- Cover
- Things fish hide in or under — weeds, logs, docks, rocks, brush.
- Drop-off
- Where shallow water falls quickly into deep. A highway and an ambush spot.
- Point
- A finger of land or bottom reaching into the water; it concentrates fish and bait.
- Flat
- A wide, shallow, fairly even area — good in spring and at low light.
- Windward shore
- The bank the wind blows toward. Baitfish pile up there, and so do feeding fish.
- Chop
- Light wind-driven surface waves. Breaks up the light and often turns fish on.
- Falling pressure
- Barometer dropping as a front moves in — frequently the best bite window.
- Low light
- Dawn, dusk, and overcast — prime feeding times for most species.
- Jig
- A weighted hook, often dressed with soft plastic or live bait, bounced near bottom. The do-everything lure.
- Crankbait
- A diving plug you reel steadily to cover water and trigger reaction strikes.
- Slip bobber
- A float that slides on the line so you can fish bait at a set depth. Beginner gold.
- Total length
- How fish are measured for limits: closed mouth to pinched tail tip, laid flat.
- Minimum & slot
- Size rules: a minimum means keep only fish that long or longer; a slot protects a mid-size range.
- Catch and release
- Returning fish unharmed — wet your hands, support the belly, get it back in fast.