'Fish Washington' app to provide up-to-the-minute information for anglers, WDFW says

Ahead of the lowland lakes fishing opener later this month, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday the debut of a new mobile application that will help users determine fishing regulations across the state.

The free app, titled "Fish Washington," is available on the Apple App Store, Google Play and via the WDFW website.

It lists up-to-the-minute regulations for every lake, river, stream and marine area in the state, WDFW says.

The app launches ahead of the lowland lakes fishing opener on April 28, which is considered the biggest fishing day of the year in Washington.

“The Fish Washington app is a planning and mapping tool that should be on every Washington angler’s smart phone,” spokesman Steve Thiesfeld said in a release.

Information on shellfish and seaweed collection regulations are not yet available.

According to the release, the app currently has the following features:

▪ Interactive map-based rules to help anglers locate local fishing areas. Maps will also include ability to add waypoints, and report poaching

▪ Information on harvest limits, and gear that can be used for species in each body of water

▪ Instructional videos intended to show anglers how to fish in Washington, as well as links to information on the WDFW website

▪ Boat launch locations, and other access points

▪ Offline mode, for users outside of cell service

More upgrades to improve communication are coming, the WDFW says. The organization plans to add sportfishing catch record cards to its app in the future, as well as design a comparable app for hunting in Washington.

“We are grateful to the outdoorspeople that made suggestions, tested and helped support us as we have worked to develop this phone app,” Thiesfeld said. “They are a big part of our work to maintain and improve the fishing experience in Washington.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2018 at 3:56 PM with the headline "'Fish Washington' app to provide up-to-the-minute information for anglers, WDFW says."