iOS · Public beta late 2026 · Ship target late 2026 / early 2027

GhostFingers Fish

Fishing intel for the central California coast. Public data, paid features. The data stays free forever.

Early TestFlight invites land here first. One email at launch, one at TestFlight open. No newsletter spam.

Sample home-screen verdict · what you'll open the app to

Biting · 6:00–9:00 AM · Refugio kelp line

Target: halibut + barred sand bass. Solunar major opens 5:42 AM. Mid-flood through slack high. Bag: 5 halibut, 22" min. 10 sand bass, 14" min.

SST64.2°F · halibut ideal band
Tidemid-flood 5:30 AM, high 8:14 AM (+5.8 ft)
WindNW 3–5 kt through 10 AM
Solunarmajor 5:42 AM, 1.5 h
Your logmatches Oct 22 day: 4 keepers, same SST band

Every factor is a tap. The engine shows its work. No black box.

Multi-discipline by default

Surf-fish, pier, kayak, spear, boat-inshore, boat-offshore, lake-shore, lobster, fly. SoCal saltwater and Sierra freshwater. Not boat-only. Not San Diego-only.

Public data stays free

NDBC buoys, NOAA tide, SCCOOS SST, CDFW seasons, computed solunar, USGS streamflow. Free on both tiers, forever. Pro is features, not paywalled data.

Your catches stay yours

Catch log is local to the device. No public catch broadcasts. No data sales. No catch-location feeds to brokers, insurers, or aggregators.

Free

$0 with ads + sponsorships

  • 5 spots
  • Full daily verdict + solunar window
  • Full catch log + pattern dashboard basics
  • Full public-data forecast
  • CDFW season + bag-limit overlay
  • 1 free Punk Trophy card / month

Pro

$19.99 / year · removes all ads

  • Unlimited spots
  • Kit-aware tackle recommender
  • Full pattern dashboard
  • Planning mode + waypoint nav
  • Offline maps + ENC raster overlay
  • Unlimited Punk Trophy cards

The ladder · six tiers, no ambiguity

Closed-season species cap the top tier at Nibbles, regardless of conditions. The law is a hard gate.

Where the numbers come from

Used as-is, no warranty of accuracy. GhostFingers Fish is a forecast tool, not a marine forecast service. Fish at your own risk.

What it covers

Saltwater · Central + Southern CA

  • Santa Barbara Channel
  • Ventura coast
  • Channel Islands
  • Central Coast (Morro Bay, Avila, Cayucos)
  • Los Angeles + Long Beach
  • Orange County
  • San Diego (north + south)
  • Baja Norte (drop-pin support)

Freshwater · Sierra + Central Valley

  • Eastern Sierra (Owens, Hot Creek, Crowley)
  • Mammoth Lakes Basin
  • Big Bear + Arrowhead
  • Delta + Central Valley reservoirs
  • Castaic, Cachuma, Casitas, Pyramid, Diamond Valley
  • Coastal steelhead streams
  • Urban lakes (Lake Hodges, Diamond, Castaic Lagoon)
  • Drop-pin anywhere in CA

Questions, answered

What is GhostFingers Fish?

A daily fishing intel app for the central California coast. Open it at 5:42 AM and it tells you which of your spots to fish, when, target species, tackle, and why, based on live conditions, the day's forecast, and your own logged catches.

What does it cost?

Free with ads and sponsorships gets you 5 spots, the full verdict, full catch log, and the full public-data forecast. Pro is $19.99/yr and removes all ads and sponsorships, then adds unlimited spots, kit-aware tackle, the pattern dashboard, planning mode, waypoint nav, and offline maps.

Where does the data come from?

Free public sources. NDBC buoys, CDIP wave models, NOAA tide stations, SCCOOS sea-surface temperature, NOAA HRRR wind and pressure, USGS streamflow, CDFW seasons and bag limits, plus computed solunar windows. The public-data layer stays free on both tiers, forever.

Does it cover freshwater?

Yes. SoCal saltwater is the core, but V1 covers Sierra trout and steelhead, the Owens, Hot Creek, Crowley, Mammoth, Big Bear, the Delta, Central Valley reservoirs, urban lakes, and coastal streams. Fly is a first-class mode alongside surf-fish, kayak, spear, pier, boat-inshore, boat-offshore, lake-shore, and lobster diving.

Will my catches be shared?

No. Catch log and spot data stay on the device. Catch locations are never broadcast to a public feed and never sold to a broker, insurer, or aggregator.

How is this different from Fishdope or Fishbrain?

Fishdope is $199/yr and San Diego-centric. Fishbrain aggregates community catch broadcasts. GhostFingers Fish is built for the Santa Barbara Channel and the central California coast, costs $19.99/yr at the Pro tier, keeps the public-data layer free on both tiers, and never broadcasts your catch locations. You can use all three. They do different things.

When does it ship?

TestFlight beta in late 2026. App Store ship target: late 2026 or early Q1 2027. Waitlist gets the earliest TestFlight invites.

Is there an Android version?

Not at launch. iOS first. Android lands if the iOS app earns it.

The waitlist is the front of the line.

One email when TestFlight opens. One when the App Store version ships. No newsletter, no drip funnel.