As the weather improves and the Pacific Northwest slowly starts to open back up, many are debating whether to stay home or head out to the water for the first time this season. No matter what you choose to do, you’ll be able to enjoy this month’s Digital Delivery of apps and podcasts! Starting things off, we have Fish Stories, a podcast with the sole mission of preserving the fishing tales and memories of the average angler.
Fish Stories is made up of episodes often submitted by listeners, who record their own stories. The project was founded by Buddy Seiner, who began fishing with his father when he was just two years old. With over a decade of experience in nonprofit management and communications, Buddy wanted to provide a place for all fishing stories to be collected and preserved for future generations of anglers.
Episodes can range from local anglers recounting the day they caught the record-busting walleye to the Executive Director of the Russia Fishing Federation giving an in-depth talk about sportfishing in Russia.
Where other platforms might rely on high-definition videos and expensive graphics and editing, the Fish Stories Podcast is audio only, ignoring the bells and whistles for pure storytelling. Head to fishstories.org to start listening today.
When you finally do get out of the house, no matter where you decide to go, you’ll want a reliable navigation device to help get you there. It’s a good idea to have a navigation app on your phone as a backup in case your chart plotter malfunctions. A phone navigation app also comes in handy on smaller boats without a chart plotter.
The iSail GPS app uses NOAA nautical raster charts that download to your device, making them available even when you cannot connect to data. A simple-to-use, no-frills app, iSail GPS makes it easy to set two points of interest and determine the course, heading, bearing, distance, cross track error, velocity made good, and ETA. Popular waypoints, routes, and tracks can all be downloaded.
The app stores up to 1,024 charts without the use of cellular data. In case of man overboard situations, a pinpoint can be made instantly on the map to mark the location the crew member went overboard. The iSail GPS app is available for $7.99 for iOS.
If you’re the outdoorsy type, maybe you can celebrate the return of fishing by trekking far from home and finding a new favorite fishing spot with apps like the onX Hunt app. Already popular with hunters, hikers, and campers, the onX Hunt app can turn your smartphone into a GPS with aerial view topographical maps. Anglers far off the beaten trail can use it to find secluded river and lake fishing spots and then find their way back at the end of the trip.
Set waypoints to find your camp location, vehicle, fishing spots, and other important destinations. The premium version has proprietary maps that include public lands operated by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Landowner names are displayed when you are near private lands. The onX app has the largest map database of roads and trails nationwide and a subscription to onX costs $30 a year for one state. A $100 a year subscription gives you access to all 50 states. The basic onX app is free to download for iOS and Android.
While you’re getting away from it all, you’ll also be far away from the lights and pollution of the cities, and the star gazing opportunities will be far more clear and vivid. Pouring yourself a drink and stargazing can be a very relaxing way to end the day. And if all that doesn’t persuade you, remember that for thousands of years, mariners navigated by the stars alone, so spending a little time staring at the night sky pays homage to our nautical forebears. To aid in your celestial navigation, a star gazing app like Star Walk 2 can be helpful.
This app can identify individual stars, constellations, planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, and structures like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. The augmented reality features of the app allow you to point your smartphone’s camera at the sky and all points of interest will be highlighted on screen.
A time feature allows users to project the locations of stars and planets at different times of the night and the day. Receive up-to-date astronomy news so you never miss a meteor shower or astronomy event
again. Download the Star Walk 2 app for free on iOS or Android today.
