Learn: Satellite Ocean Data for Fishing
Every fishing app that shows a satellite chart draws from the same public pool of NASA and NOAA data, but almost none of them explain what the numbers, colors, and delays actually mean. This is where Chlorofishy does, sourced from the sensors we ingest and from published agency documentation, not general assumptions about satellites.
Why this section exists
How to use Chlorofishy covers the app: which button to click, which key to press. This section covers the domain underneath it: what a satellite pass actually is, why two apps can show different temperatures for the same patch of ocean on the same day, and why a chlorophyll reading of 1.0 mg/m³ means something different depending on where you see it. If you want the full picture in one place, start with the complete guide to satellite fishing charts. Every claim on this page and its children traces back to either our own data sources or a cited NOAA/NASA/ESA source; nothing here is guessed.
Data literacy: what the chart is actually showing you
The gap between a raw satellite pass and the smoothed daily composite most apps default to, why a chart is sometimes just blank, and the single most misunderstood fact in this entire category: that different fishing apps, using different sensors, do not show you the same water.
- Do all fishing apps use the same satellite data?: no, and it's the most damaging false belief in this market
- Raw satellite pass vs. composite SST
- How do cloud-free SST charts work?
- Is cloud-free SST real data or interpolated?
- Why is my SST chart blank?
- How old is the data on your SST chart?
- VIIRS vs. MODIS vs. AVHRR for fishing
- What is microwave SST, and why is it blurry?
- How often do SST satellites actually pass overhead?
- SST resolution: 750m vs. 1km vs. 25km explained
- Why do two satellites show different temperatures?
- Why doesn't my boat's temp gauge match the SST chart?
Ocean science: reading what the water is doing
Temperature breaks, chlorophyll edges, upwelling, eddies: the features anglers actually look for, and what the numbers on the legend mean when you find them.
- Chlorophyll numbers that mean something: what 0.2 vs. 1.0 vs. 3.0 mg/m³ actually looks like
- What is a temperature break?
- What is a chlorophyll edge?
- What is upwelling, and why does it hold fish?
- What is an ocean eddy, and how do you fish it?
- Thermocline depth, explained
- Secchi depth and water clarity
- How to read water color offshore
- How to combine SST and chlorophyll charts
Glossary
One-concept, definition-first pages for the eight terms anglers actually search for: see the full glossary.
Want to see the real thing rather than read about it? Check pricing or open the live SST map for any of Chlorofishy's 38 regions. Curious how we stack up against named competitors on price and features? See Compare.