I Let AI Plan My Fishing Day—Then Tested It With a Bass Pro

How onWater’s new Angler Intelligence feature stacked up against the instincts of a veteran professional angler

I let an AI-powered fishing app plan my entire day on unfamiliar Florida water, then tested that plan on the water with a veteran bass pro. The results were surprisingly close. | Kurt Mazurek

I reviewed the onWater fishing app earlier this year, and remember being impressed by the depth of information available—detailed maps, weather forecasts, launch sites, and a truly smart fishing journal. Now onWater has added a new AI (Angler Intelligence) feature designed to use all that data and more to answer any of your fishing questions. It sounded like having 24/7 access to the world’s most-experienced, multi-species, local-to-everywhere, fishing guide, who is always 100% honest.

I wanted to see for myself how close this AI app could come to thinking like a seasoned angler.

So I let the AI plan my fishing day—then tested it on the water with a bass pro.

What Is Angler Intelligence?

According to onWater, Angler Intelligence Chat simplifies how anglers find answers to fishing questions and saves time. Ask where you can and should go, when you should go based on conditions, and how you should fish. It's where you start when you're unsure.

Letting AI Build a Fishing Game Plan

Here you can see the exact prompt I used and the beginning of the plans Angler Intelligence provided. It starts with current conditions, which are very useful, but after this it got into an actual game plan for the day with incredible details. | Kurt Mazurek

While on a recent trip across Florida, I found myself in parts of the state I’d never been before. On this December day, from the KOA campground in Crystal River, I asked Angler Intelligence to build me a game plan. Here is exactly what I typed:

I’m meeting a friend in Dunnellon tomorrow morning. He is bringing a bass boat. Can you recommend a fishing strategy based on current conditions and time of year, to catch largemouth bass?

It processed my request for several seconds, then presented a detailed plan, much deeper and more specific than I had anticipated. Of course, it organized all of the data about current weather and weather predictions, water temp and conditions, launch points, tackle recommendations, local regulations, and safety notes.

But then it also presented an overall strategy, followed by an hourly plan of where to fish and what to throw. And most impressively, in addition to the “what”—early morning, start with topwater—it also provided the “why”—calm morning conditions are perfect for walking baits over grass beds and along vegetation edges. The pre-spawn period is beginning and bass are looking up. Target south-facing banks and protected areas that warm first.

In the short video below, you can see how I tested Angler Intelligence in real time, in the real world. I walk through the AI’s recommendations—and then take them to the water.

Testing the Plan With a Bass Pro

The app didn't know I'd be fishing with a local Florida bass legend. Likewise, Bernie Schultz didn't know I had asked the app how to catch fish here. Let's see how well they align. | Kurt Mazurek

What onWater’s Angler Intelligence didn’t know was that my “friend with a bass boat” was veteran Florida bass pro, Bernie Schultz. He has fished the waters around Dunnellon for decades.

Likewise, Schultz didn’t know I had asked Angler Intelligence for a plan.

What the AI Got Right

The app and the pro were in sync for most of the day. | Kurt Mazurek

Right from the start, we focused on the same areas the app recommended near the confluence of the Rainbow and Withlacoochee Rivers, focusing our casts on vegetation edges and fallen and submerged wood.

As the day progressed, it was interesting to see just how closely the pro angler was unknowingly in sync with the plan on my phone.

At one point, Schultz pointed out a specific spot where the clear water of the Rainbow met the tannic-stained water of the Withlacoochee, forming a visible transition line in the water. He recalled that it had long been popular for bass anglers to drag baits out of the stained water into the clear water. It wasn’t until much later that I realized the app had included this same story: “The Money Spot. How to fish it: Position your boat in the clearer water, cast into the stained water”.

There Is No Substitute For Time On the Water

Bernie Schultz unhooking one of several bass that fell for his topwater prop bait in the low-light hours. | Kurt Mazurek

That said, there were a few instances where human judgment and a lifetime of experience took the lead—mostly regarding specific lure choices and nuances in presentation.

For example, Schultz used a topwater prop bait rather than a walking-style bait as the plan suggested (again, he had no idea the app had recommended anything). In fact, Schultz shared the story that he was integral in the design and development of the Rapala X-Rap Prop, with a good bit of the initial testing happening on these very waters. Our results that day made it pretty difficult to question his choice.

And the app recommended a vibrating jig several times, which is a very popular bait in Florida at this time of year. However, as we spent a good bit of our time in the gin-clear waters of the Rainbow River, a vibrating jig is a pretty aggressive presentation, especially on the relatively sunny and calm day we had.

As a follow up to the vibrating jig, the app suggested a small soft-plastic stickbait which was how we caught most of our fish midday. But again, the bass pro’s very specific knowledge and experience paid off by wacky-rigging the bait instead of the AI’s plan to Texas-rig. That subtle difference in the way the bait moves through the water seemed to be the key to triggering bites that day.

Schultz's experience and understanding of bait presentation kept the bites coming during the tougher hours in the middle of the day. | Kurt Mazurek

But, could someone have followed the exact suggestions in the plan and had a good day of fishing? Almost certainly. And for anglers who aren’t as fortunate as myself with access to the mind of a Florida bass fishing legend, it’s a pretty impressive starting point.

Who This Feature Is Actually For

For a beginner or anyone looking for a headstart, the depth of information beyond conditions and locations is pretty impressive. | Kurt Mazurek

It’s important to note that this new feature isn’t about replacing experience and time on the water. It’s about how AI can help beginner anglers, or anglers that are new to the area, or just traveling through, plan smarter, faster, more effective fishing days.

Why This Is a Meaningful Upgrade

OnWater Angler Intelligence was spot on with a lot of the details including the incredible clarity of the water in the Rainbow River. | Kurt Mazurek

I was impressed with the onWater app before. Now that I’ve seen firsthand just how useful this new Angler Intelligence feature can be, I’m even more convinced. This incredibly useful information hub can now distill the data into a very rational, thorough, easy-to-follow game plan.

I know AI seems to be a fairly divisive topic at the moment, but I can assure you that this Angler Intelligence app will only ever help you. Think of it like this: As anglers, we’ve all spent untold amounts of time sifting through a mountain of information by reading articles, watching videos, attending seminars, and learning from other anglers. That’s literally what’s happening here, but the information is filtered to apply to your specific day of fishing, it’s available 24/7 and presented in an instant. This is an incredibly useful application of AI that will benefit a lot of anglers.