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.
When to go today
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
Wind & where to fish
Where to start here
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.
Center the map on any pond, backwater, or park lake — even an unnamed one — and tap Conditions here for its bite forecast. Tap the map to drop and label a marker (drop-off, weed bed, point, inlet, structure, ramp). USGS topo lines show depth contours and shoreline structure. Markers save on this device.
My spots
Log a catch
History
Keep or release?
Official sources
- ODNR Fishing Regulations↗
- Licenses & Lake Erie permit↗
- Take Me Fishing — Ohio (where to fish)↗
- Digital regulations digest↗
Free fishing days for residents: June 20–21, 2026 (no license needed, but all size and bag limits still apply). A license is required for anglers 16+. Questions: 1-800-WILDLIFE (1-800-945-3543).
Common inland limits
| 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. Protected species (lake sturgeon, several gars, cisco, and more) must be released immediately.
Pre-trip checklist
- Current fishing license on you (plus Lake Erie permit if fishing Erie or its tributaries)
- Checked seasons & bag/size limits for this water on ODNR
- 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.