April 9, 2024 – WDFW launches new version of Fish Washington mobile app with upgrades for anglers
Whether you’re an experienced angler or just starting out, the Fish Washington app should be on your smartphone or other mobile device.
The free mobile application is designed to convey the latest fishing regulations for every lake, river, stream and marine area in the state.
In April 2024, WDFW released a new version with several upgraded features and fixes common issues reported by users on iOS and Android platforms. The new version is ad-free and designed to work more smoothly while using less data and device memory. The developers completely rewrote the app’s code, which now has a unified codebase for iOS and Android platforms. This means a smaller app size, less frequent updates and fewer bugs.
How to get the app
The application can be downloaded for free from Google Play and the Apple App Store. Users who already have the Fish Washington app should see an automatic update to the new version.
Anglers can use the commenting features in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to provide feedback, which will help the department improve the app over time. The public can also submit comments to [email protected].
Spring 2024 upgrades include:
- United States Geological Survey (USGS) location-enabled river gauges.
- More consistent delivery of emergency regulations.
- Map updates with new iconography for water body restrictions and features.
- Full name of the water body and description or part of the emergency regulation card.
- NOAA tide predictions for marine bodies of water and the lower Columbia River.
- New base maps to improve user experience.
- One codebase for iOS and Android platforms.
Fish Washington still includes:
- Interactive mapping that helps anglers find fishing near them.
- Details of catch limits and permitted gear for fishing species in each water body.
- Access to the Fish Washington website and instructional videos designed to convey when, where and how to fish in Washington.
- Boat launches and other access points for fishing.
- Ability to add waypoints on maps and report poaching in progress.
- Downloadable updates and offline capability designed for those who may not have cellular service in remote areas or on the water.
Reduce time, cost and errors with a single code base
The new version of Fish Washington is written with a single codebase for iOS and Android platforms. This means a smaller app size, less frequent updates and fewer bugs. By using a single code base, Flutter (an open source platform that is free to use), also reduces the time and cost to develop new features by around 75% instead of using native languages for iOS and Android.
In addition to new updates, this cross-platform rewrite will include highly requested features in the future, including electronic catch reporting cards (eCRCs) expected in late 2024 or early 2025.
Support for mobile applications
The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife develops and supports a variety of mobile applications for internal and external users. You can contact our team with questions, enhancement requests, or report issues at [email protected].
You can also leave a message with our team at 360-902-2700.