Casting Time: Best Fishing Watches in 2022
June 3, 2022 Billy Brown Buyers Guides
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What's a good camping trip or day off without a little bit of fishing? And unless you're reeling in trophies like a character from A River Runs Through It, you're going to need an edge.
A good fisherman's watch has a powerful water resistance rating, timekeeping functions, bright display, and may even display barometric pressure for a better understanding of your environment. It's a quintessential tool that transitions easily between home and stream; a specialized timepiece that you can always carry with you.
So, without further ado, let's jump into the best fishing watch brands and models on the market.
Best overall: Casio Pro Trek Solar Fishing Watch
Impressive 660ft water resistance rating
Six-way atomic timekeeping function
Chronograph display
Compass, barometer, and altimeter built into three simple buttons
Solar-powered digital display
Backlit case
Casio is best known as one of the most inexpensive watch brands on the planet, but that's not the only thing that makes them a viable fishing watch. Their Pro Trek series has everything you could need to keep you fully aware, alert, and informed out on the water. Analyze your environment with a data-gathering watch with an anti-glare mineral crystal dial window.
You'll get an integrated compass feature that works alongside the barometric pressure detector, as well as the altimeter (which comes in handy if you're picking a lake out in the middle of New Hampshire to fish). Everything is designed to work in tandem with as little delay as possible, all displayed in glorious resolution on this small screen.
See Casio Pro Trek Solar Fishing Watch on REI
Best GPS fishing watch: Suunto Traverse Alpha Fishing Watch
Textured stainless steel case and bezel
Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal dial window
Moon phase calendar based on your location
GPS path tracking for iOS and Android
Sunrise/sunset alerts
Barometric pressure detector
Suunto's done it again. The company put its focus on making great hiking and fishing watches and they always slay it when it comes to the outdoors. Crafted from textured stainless steel, this beautiful case and bezel are the epitome of rugged design, ready to stand up to the elements. One of the strongest features of the Suunto Traverse Alpha is the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal dial window, which stands up against the roughest scrapes and scratches, keeping the dial window crystal clear.
That's before you even get into the features that really make it a good fishing watch. For one, they went with their usual nylon band for its water and sweat resistance, and because nobody wants bacteria sitting under their leather strap and creating odor. In addition, it's waterproof down to 330ft, which makes it as good a spearfishing watch as it is a fly fishing watch. If you're more of a rod person, you won't have to worry about reaching into the water and pulling that bass off the line.
There's a barometric pressure detector, as well as alerts for sunrise and sunset. And when it's hooked up to your app (available on iOS and Android), you'll be able to access the GPS tracking feature. If you've got a bit of a walk to and from the fishing spot, or you feel adventurous and want to venture out a little farther than normal, this is your ticket back to where you started.
Last but not least, there's a moon phase calendar, making it a contender for the best tide watch for fishing. Suunto threw all the best features in here, including a lithium-ion battery with an average fourteen-day life before needing to be recharged. Keep in mind that if GPS is on, that timespan will shrink dramatically, but it'll still work for days on end.
See Suunto Traverse Alpha Fishing Watch on Amazon
Best fishfinder: Casio WR100M Men's Fishing Timer Quartz Watch
Fishing indicator
Moon phase indicator
Multi-functioning alarm
Stopwatch, countdown timer, auto calendar
200m (660ft) water resistance
The Casio WR100M is one of the best sports fishing watches, designed to make every fishing trip run smoothly. It uses the time, date, and settings to calculate the moon phase and fishing level indicators, so you know exactly when to cast your line. This technology has been part of Casio's range since the 1980s, so it's not revolutionary. However, with each updated model, the technology gets a little bit more accurate. In addition to that, it has a multi-functioning alarm, stopwatch, countdown timer, and a fully automatic calendar. One downside with these watches is that they're relatively complex to set up, so you'll have to spend some time examining the instruction manual.
See Casio WR100M Men's Fishing Timer Quartz Watch on Amazon
Best military watch: Suunto Core All Black Military Model Fishing Watch
Weather trend graph with sunrise and sunset times
Over four hundred pre-installed location maps
Altimeter, barometer, and compass features
Backlit case back
100ft water resistance rating
Includes a two-year warranty
First off, this watch is so pretty that you'll want to wear it whether or not you're casting line. But it's also one of the best angler watches we've seen. On top of how it looks, the Suunto Core is extremely comfortable. Plastic bracelets traditionally have a bad reputation for catching your arm hairs and being fragile against outdoor conditions, which is where Suunto started when they designed this model, working the band into the case. It's flexible, doesn't catch any stray arm hairs, and is adjustable to fit any user.
You'll also get a weather trend graph that includes a sunrise and sunset detector. If you're heading out for a few days, you can check the weather forecast before you leave. Like any forecast, it's not guaranteed, but it's good to have an idea of what you might be in for. Weather changes and having a detector on your wrist when you're far away from cell phone service can be a serious one-up on Mother Nature.
You'll also get over four hundred local maps that come pre-installed, with more available from Suunto's official website and app. This watch also comes with a two-year warranty, leaving you well over a hundred weekend fishing trips to test it out.
See Suunto Core All Black Military Model Fishing Watch on Amazon
Most durable: Timex Expedition Shock XL Fishing Watch
Indiglo dial lights up
Impressive 660ft of water resistance
Resin strap
Anti-scratch acrylic dial window
Stainless steel case with shock resistance
Includes a chronograph, timer, and alarm feature
Timex is one of the leading inexpensive watch brands because they pack in way more value than the price tag suggests. It's clear that they want to be your only watch brand because they've put together everything they could to compete with more expensive models. Flip through the settings of your Timex watch to find the chronograph, timer, and alarm features.
This digital fishing watch also sports 660ft of water resistance and an anti-scratch acrylic case window. It's built tough. Use the Indiglo light-up case back feature to view your display in the early morning light and to take full advantage of the three-part calendar function tucked into the display.
Everything is displayed at a decent resolution. While Timex Expedition Shock XL Watch is not as high-def as some of the other models we've listed, it gets the job done without being grainy. Your resin strap comfortably sits on your wrist, keeping that 48mm stainless steel case right where it's supposed to be. Top-quality construction, as well as a ton of under-the-hood features, really make Timex a force to be reckoned with. If you're looking for a cheap fishing watch that performs like an expensive one, this is a great choice.
See Timex Expedition Shock XL Fishing Watch on Amazon
See Timex Expedition Shock XL Fishing Watch on Walmart
Best bargain: Casio Men's AQW101-1AVCF Fishing Watch
660ft water resistance
Moon data
100-hour countdown timer
30 time zones (50 cities)
Casio is one of the only watchmakers with a dedicated fishing line. With outdoor essentials like Moon Data, a thermometer, and the famous fish indicator, you can head out with all the information you need.
The fish indicator shows up to four fish, which is designed to indicate how many fish are in the water at a given time. The information is based on the moon cycle and time of day, which means it's a vague guide to fish levels. We wouldn't count on it as your only source of information but it's a cool feature. This watch is water-resistant to 200m, has an EL backlight, and a super durable strap. It also has a 100-hour countdown timer, a stopwatch, and 30 time zones (50 cities). Even if you don't need the fishing functions on this watch, it's a great watch for daily use.
See Casio Men's AQW101-1AVCF Fishing Watch on Amazon
How we tested and why you can trust us
To give you an in-depth look at each fishing watch on this list, we researched the best products online, recalled the watches that we've used in the past, and went out in the field with a rod and some beers to do some "testing."
We rounded out our first-person impressions with user reviews online to gather a comprehensive view and to find the top-rated items. I've been covering the outdoors, tech, and gear for over a decade as well.
This article is intended for people who are looking to find the best fishing watch for an array of situations. We found watches for a variety of needs and priorities.
We tried to find fishing watches that would be useful in all kinds of situations and sported a range of features, styles, and budgets. We looked at battery life, GPS, displays, and comfort, among other features, and tried to find a watch for a wide range of fishermen.
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