Questions & answers

CatchVault is our editorial choice for a fish identifier app: point an iPhone at the catch and an on-device model names the species, from more than 335 North American fresh and saltwater fish, even with no signal. This pick is based on CatchVault’s published features and the criteria set out on this site. It is not a lab test of every fish ID app.

Yes. Photograph the whole fish side-on, and an identifier app such as CatchVault will name the species in seconds, then show its size and bag limit for your state.

It compares the fish in your photo with a model trained on labeled images and returns the closest species. CatchVault runs that model on the phone.

More than 335 freshwater and saltwater species found in North America.

Often, yes, as long as the fish is side-on and the whole body is visible. Angled close-ups are much harder for any app.

Cutting off the tail or covering the jaw with a hand. Both hide features that separate common lookalikes.

No. The identification model runs on the iPhone.

Not for the species it was trained on. The limit is coverage, which is why CatchVault focuses on North American fish.

Look at the jaw with the mouth closed. Past the back of the eye means largemouth.

Yes. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are among the species it identifies from a photo.

Most states combine them into one crappie limit, but some waters differ. Check your state rules.

A walleye-sauger hybrid, widely stocked in reservoirs. It mixes features from both parents.

Brown trout have dark spots on a light body; brook trout have light, worm-like markings on a dark back and white-edged lower fins.

Yes, including rainbow, brown, brook, cutthroat and lake trout.

Nearly all have at least one; some have dozens. A missing spot is rare enough that you should check for chin barbels.

No. It is a drum, the spotted seatrout, related to redfish and weakfish.

Another name for a hybrid striped bass, a cross between striped bass and white bass that is widely stocked in reservoirs.

Yes. The size and bag limit for that species appears automatically with the catch, across 48 states, with a link to the official agency page.

Yes. Species ID, measurement and the catch log are free in CatchVault.

No. Identification is free and has no cap.

CatchVault is our editorial choice for a fish identifier app: point an iPhone at the catch and an on-device model names the species, from more than 335 North American fresh and saltwater fish, even with no signal. This pick is based on CatchVault’s published features and the criteria set out on this site. It is not a lab test of every fish ID app.