Satellite SST · Chlorophyll · Live AIS
Fish where they are. Not where they were.
Satellite sea-surface temperature and chlorophyll with contour lines, live AIS, buoys and 7-day playback — read the water the night before, then leave the dock knowing where to start.
7 days free for new customers, then from $9.99 a month. Cancel anytime.
CatalySST SoCal · iPhone & Android
CatalySST US & International · Android
- Spotter-plane AOIs · SoCal editionWhere the planes have been circling
- Rings from recent spotter-plane orbits, on the same chart as the water and the fleet.
- Catch map · SoCal editionCatch reports, coloured by age
- Pinned where they were caught. After four days they drop off.
What is Catalysst?
Catalysst is real-time fishing intelligence — a blend of catalyst and SST (sea surface temperature).
Yes — spelled with a double S, on purpose. Not the word “catalyst.” Catalysst overlays live AIS vessel traffic with satellite sea surface temperature and chlorophyll charts, so you leave the dock knowing where the fish are — not where they were.
SoCal edition · Santa Catalina Channel
Read the water first.
Spotter planes flagged the water first. Members' catch reports were pinned on it while two sportboats on AIS were still heading toward the same spot.
- 1
Aircraft interest lit up the west side
Spotter planes started stacking over Osborn Bank and the Snail. Circling aircraft are the earliest tell that bait — and fish — are piling into a zone, usually well before a single one hits a deck. On the chart, that interest reads as a cluster you can't miss.
Aircraft interest
- 2
Members read it and put fish on the deck
Catalysst members lined the aircraft interest up against the temperature break and went. Their catch reports were pinned on the chart while that water was still “unproven” to anyone working off yesterday's fish report.
Catch reports
- 3
Two sportboats were still on their way
On AIS, two sportboats were still heading toward that water while members' catch reports were already pinned on it.
Sportboats en route
Recorded in the app
The same water, in motion.
Osborn Bank, the Snail and 499, the same week: one archived day played back in the SoCal app. A boat comes down from the north into the rings, with the water, the catch reports and the fleet on one screen.
- Spotter AOI (pelagic)
- Spotter AOI (swordfish)
- Catch report
- Boat on AIS
Rings: where spotter planes circled in the days before. Tracks: the boats on AIS. Boats with a gap in their AIS show their longest unbroken stretch. Names, dates and counts removed.
Start free trial (new customers)
Tuna on deck, offshore.
Blue water
Find the clean water before you leave the dock.
Bait and gamefish set up where clean blue water meets green, along a temperature break. Catalysst puts satellite SST, chlorophyll edges and the fleet on one chart, so you run straight to it.
Find the water.
Temperature shows where predators hunt. Chlorophyll shows where the bait lives. Where the two edges line up is where you run first.
Where two water masses meet, the surface temperature changes sharply over a short distance. Catalysst draws that seam for you: contour lines trace each temperature step, so a break reads as lines bunching together instead of a guess between two shades. Switch to chlorophyll and the same box shows the food side of the story.
- Contour lines
- Isotherms on every SST chart, one line per temperature step.
- Fitted colour scale
- The °F range fits the water on screen, so a two-degree edge still shows.
- Chlorophyll
- Green-to-blue edges, where the bait holds.
- 1-, 3- and 7-day windows
- One day for a live break; three and seven to see whether it is holding.
Fig. 1The SoCal app's 7-day playback, recorded from an archived week: SST stepping day by day under spotter rings and catch reports. Dates removed.
See the fleet.
Live AIS on the same chart as the water, in every plan. See which boats are working an edge and which are just passing through.
Boats on AIS leave tracks colour-coded by speed: fishing under 2 mph, trolling 2–9, traveling 9 and over. A tight cluster of slow boats sitting on a temperature edge tells you more than any single number on the chart.
AIS tracks · by speedFishing 0–2 mphTrolling 2–9 mphTraveling 9+ mph
Also on the chart
- GPS fishing spots
- Named banks and spots, preloaded
- Watch list
- Up to 50 boats you follow
Fig. 2AIS played back in the SoCal app from one archived day, Los Angeles–Long Beach to Catalina. Tracks in speed colours. Boats with a gap in their AIS show their longest unbroken stretch. Names, dates and counts removed.
SoCal edition · Spotter-plane AOIs
See where the planes have been working.
Areas of interest from recent spotter-plane activity, on the same chart as the water and the fleet.
Spotter AOI · pelagicSpotter AOI · swordfishFishing 0–2 mphTrolling 2–9 mphTraveling 9+ mph
Recorded in the SoCal app south and west of Catalina, where the planes were working that week, played back from one archived day. Rings: where spotter planes circled in the days before. Tracks: the boats on AIS. Boats with a gap in their AIS show their longest unbroken stretch. No times, no tail numbers; names removed.
- 1Rings: where spotter planes circled in the days before.
- 2Tracks: the boats on AIS, played back over the day.
- 3Read both against the temperature break.
SoCal edition · Catch map
See where the fish were caught.
Catch reports are pinned on the chart where they were caught and coloured by how recent they are, on top of the same water temperature you are reading.
- Redunder 36 hours
- Orangeunder 60 hours
- Yellowunder 96 hours
After four days a report drops off the map, so what you see is recent.
Read the report.
Fishing reports, placed on the chart next to the water they describe.
Anatomy of a report card
FishPin on the chartDate
SST —.—°FCHL —.—
Water at the pin · SST · CHLRegionRegional reports · US plan
Short reports in our own words — the fish, the place and the date — pinned on the chart beside the SST, chlorophyll and the fleet. Each region shows when it was last updated.
Regions are listed here as their reports go live in the app.
SoCal daily report + spotter AOIs · SoCal plan
In Southern California the chart comes with a daily fishing report and spotter-plane areas of interest — areas where fish-spotting planes have recently been working.
Explore the SoCal editionAnatomy of a report card
FishPin on the chartDate
SST —.—°FCHL —.—
Water at the pin · SST · CHLRegionEvery region, in the app.
Nineteen regions, each with its own SST and chlorophyll charts in the app — contour lines, 7-day playback and live AIS on the same map. Find your water; new customers start with a 7-day free trial.
East Coast
Gulf
West Coast & Pacific
Bahamas, Mexico, Caribbean & Central America
Plans
Better data. Half the price.
Every plan is monthly and includes live AIS. New customers start with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
US
$9.99/mo- 12 regions: West Coast, Hawaii, Gulf, East Coast & the Bahamas
- SST & chlorophyll, 1-, 3- and 7-day, with contour lines
- Live AIS vessel tracking
- Vessel watch list (up to 50)
- Coastal fishing spots (GPS)
Start 7-day free trial7-day free trial for new customers · cancel anytime
International
$12.99/mo- Everything in US, plus 7 regions in Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean
- International AIS
- SST & chlorophyll, 1-, 3- and 7-day, with contour lines
- Live AIS vessel tracking
- Vessel watch list (up to 50)
Start 7-day free trial7-day free trial for new customers · cancel anytime
SoCal
$15.99/mo- High-detail SoCal SST & chlorophyll
- Live AIS vessel tracking
- Spotter-plane areas of interest
- Daily SoCal fishing report
- Catch map
- SoCal app on iPhone & Android
Start 7-day free trial7-day free trial for new customers · cancel anytime
Secure checkout via StripeOn Android? Start your plan here on the web, then sign in on the app.Compare plans in detail →
Before you run offshore.
All questionsHow does the 7-day free trial work?
New customers aren't billed during the 7 days. If you don't cancel before the trial ends, your plan bills monthly from then on. A returning customer who already had a free trial, on any plan, is charged when they subscribe. Cancel any time from your account.
Which plan covers my water?
US covers 12 regions: the West Coast, Hawaii, the Gulf, the East Coast and the Bahamas. International adds Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The SoCal edition is Southern California in the most detail, with spotter-plane areas and the daily report.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. The CatalySST SoCal app is on iPhone and Android. The US and International plans have their own Android app, CatalySST Fishing Charts, and run in any phone's browser — add them to your home screen. On Android, start your plan on the web, then sign in on the app.
What does the SST chart show?
Foundation sea-surface temperature from JPL MUR, on a colour scale fitted to the water in view, with a contour line for each temperature step.
What is AIS?
The Automatic Identification System: boats broadcast their position, speed and heading. Catalysst shows live AIS on the chart. Not every boat carries AIS and coverage depends on receivers, so the fleet you see is a sample, not a census.
Can I navigate with it?
No. Catalysst is a planning aid. Navigate with approved nautical charts and your own electronics.
Leave the dock knowing where to start.
Seven days free for new customers. Plans from $9.99 a month, live AIS included.
CatalySST SoCal · iPhone & Android
CatalySST US & International · Android
