Big Buoy

Relatively Salty

Contains adsIn-app purchases

About this app

Every trip starts the same way: you check the buoys, read the tide, and figure out when the fish will move. Big Buoy puts all of it in your pocket — live NOAA buoy data, tide predictions, and solunar fishing times you can pull up from the truck, the boat, or the beach. It's free, and it runs coast to coast.

LIVE NOAA BUOYS
See what the water's doing right now. Wave height and swell, wind speed and direction, water temperature, and barometric pressure come straight off the NOAA buoy nearest you — the last real report off the station, not a model's best guess. Tap any buoy for the latest observations and how they've been trending.

TIDES
Tide predictions with the day's highs, lows, and the full curve, so you know when the water moves and which way. Pick the tide station that matches your spot — the difference-maker in the back bays and estuaries. Run the inlet on the incoming, or work the marsh edge on the drop.

SOLUNAR FISHING TIMES
Major and minor feeding periods worked out for your exact spot and date, lined up with sunrise and sunset. Stack a solunar window on the right tide and wind and you've done your homework before you leave the driveway.

WIND, WAVE & WEATHER
A marine forecast built for fishing, not commuting — wind and wave forecasts, current conditions, and a 7-day outlook. Check the wind the night before, watch the trend, and know when the window opens and when to stay home.

COAST TO COAST
873 buoy and tide stations across the US East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, and the West Coast. Chase stripers on the East Coast, reds in the Gulf, walleye on the Great Lakes, or tuna out West — inshore, surf, or offshore, the station you fish is on the map — one marine forecast for the whole country. All of it free, with nothing gated behind a sign-up.

BIG BUOY PRO
You only get so many days on the water. Pro is for the angler fishing off the clock — a day off, a few hours before work, a narrow window — who wants to make every one count instead of burning it on the wrong day or the wrong spot.

Survey-grade depth charts. The same soundings a chartplotter reads — Big Buoy's depth charts are built from official NOAA ENC nautical charts and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) eHydro surveys, referenced to MLLW. Real bathymetry on your phone, so you find the channel edge, the drop, and the structure before you leave the dock instead of spending your morning looking for it.

SST, chlorophyll and currents. Sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll, and ocean current overlays right on the map. Find the temperature breaks, color changes, and current edges that stack bait — so you run straight to where the fish are holding instead of hunting all day.

Longer forecasts, more models. 16-day forecasts and 5 weather models side by side, so you can pick the right day to take off and see where the models agree before you commit your time. Pro is ad-free, too.

Real data, real sources. Buoy observations come straight from NOAA and the National Data Buoy Center. Depth charts are built from NOAA ENC, NCEI, and USACE eHydro survey data referenced to MLLW — the nautical data serious anglers actually use. If a number ever looks off, pull up the buoy and check the water temperature or wave height yourself.

What’s new

Free 7 day trial available to Big Buoy Pro subscribers. Also a better designed pricing page.