Why you need a fishing watch!

If you think a Watch can only tell the time, you’re underselling the potential of a wrist weapon.

These days a Watch can do everything except reel in a 20lb Goodoo, with some models stacked with insane features like a real-time barometer.

Depending on your needs, wants and, of course, bank balance, there are a few things you’ll want to consider.

If you’re in the market, we’ve rounded up some features to look out for.

Water Resistance

The number one thing you need to consider in a fishing watch is obviously its water resistance. Seeing as you won’t be swimming to the bottom of Blowering dam to unhook a $200 swimbait, or maybe you will, you won’t necessarily need a huge a depth rating of water resistance. However, you’ll want something that can handle short periods of submersion in water at the very least.

If a watch says that it can withstand 5 atmospheres (ATM), that means it can stand 5 times the level of atmospheric pressure experienced at sea level. 5 ATMs is also equivalent to 50 metres of water resistance.

The science lesson is over, I promise.

Durability

When you’re out on the water, the last thing you want is a weak watch that can’t handle the rough and tumble. Since fishing can be unpredictable, you’ll need a watch that is as durable as it is functional.

It’s very easy to bang and shock your watch while pulling up a fish or unloading your kayak. Personally, we love G-Shock watches because you can go fishing without worrying about damaging your watch. These things are serious tough and are purpose built from durable rubber in order to make them more shock-proof. Even for someone as clumsy as Hilly.

If you’re looking for a quality fishing watch, the G-Shock Mudmaster range is a great place to start. The Mudmaster is entirely mud resistant so you can cover it in mud, grit, dirt, and sand and still push all the buttons to your heart’s content.

Barometer

For us, this is the game-changing feature. Yes, a real-time barometer reading right on your wrist. The barometer function allows us to keep track of the weather, to the minute, and adapt our goodoo pursuit accordingly. Barometric pressure is essentially the measuring of air pressure and its long been thought to impact a Murray cod’s propensity to bite.

‘1020, cod aplenty’ or so the old adage goes.

While there are differing opinions and a lack of real scientific evidence confirming a causal link between barometric pressure and a feeding Murray cod, our own anecdotage evidence is hard to ignore. Being able to track a rising baro’ on your watch and therefore convincing your fishing partner to bust out the raincoat and stay out an extra half-an-hour as the baro’ shoots up, might be just the excuse you need to find your next PB Murray cod.

Tides and moon phase

Tide and moon phase functions are great if you are fishing in waters that are affected by the tide. While you can easily access tide charts on your phone, having them appear on your wrist is certainly a handy feature and it allows you adjust your trip on the fly.

Moon phase also affects the fish so it can be handy to know which moon phase is performing the best. That being said, not all fishing watches carry these functions so it’s important to figure out if you really need them.

Compass and GPS

Compasses are something that can be very helpful on a fishing trip. With the help of a compass, you will be able to know which direction you are moving to avoid getting lost. A simple glance at your wrist will be able to tell you everything you need to know.

GPS, location indicators and compasses are one thing that every good fishing watch should have. Having the ability to mark a quality fishing spot from your watch is handy, especially if you fish on foot or out of a low spec kayak. While many fishers already have a GPS fitted to their boat or kayak, a GPS on your watch can work as a great backup.

Our top pick

As we mentioned above, we are big fans of G-Shock watches and the Mudmaster range is a great place to start. The GG-B100-1A Quad Sensor offers a digital compass, altimeter, thermometer and barometer. Yes, a real-time barometer on your wrist – how good !

It’s also tougher than a crossword puzzle when you’re hungover, courtesy of G-Shock’s signature carbon core guard structure, mud resistance, shock resistance, spherical glass and 200m water resistance.

This watch also has the ability to connect to G-Shocks Connected app where you can set a destination via the app and send it directly to the watch. To check out this awesome piece and loads more, head over like we did, to Watch Depot and check ‘em out.