Baseline Maps vs onWater: Flow-First or Access-First?
Last updated: July 26, 2026 · Prices checked against vendor sites
The honest verdict
onWater is a well-regarded fly-fishing app centered on water access and its My Waters dashboard. Baseline Maps is built flow-first — live CFS for 1,300+ rivers with custom alerts — and adds tides, buoys, and hunting maps at $34.99/year, one tier.
| Baseline Maps | onWater Fish | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per year | $34.99 — everything included, 14-day trial | Tiered subscription (see their site for current pricing) |
| Focus | Live water data + hunting | Fly fishing — access and water intel |
| Live river flows | Real-time CFS for 1,300+ rivers, custom alerts | Stream flow readings on covered waters |
| Tides & ocean buoys | Included (US Pacific Coast) | Not the focus |
| Land ownership | Included | Access-focused mapping |
| Hunting | Included (11 Western states) | Not included |
| Regulations | Fishing regs parsed by river/zone (OR, WA) | Varies |
Where onWater Fish is stronger
- →Your priority is access intelligence on fly water — where to legally get on, wade, and float.
- →You want their My Waters home-water dashboard experience.
Where Baseline Maps is stronger
- →Flow is your decision driver: per-river fishable ranges and push alerts when a river drops into shape.
- →You fish the coast or estuaries — tides, NOAA buoys, and bar conditions are built in.
- →You hunt too: one subscription instead of two apps.
Bottom line
Pick onWater Fish: A dedicated fly angler optimizing for access knowledge on well-known trout water.
Pick Baseline Maps: An angler who plans by the gauge — and anyone splitting the year between rod and rifle.
FAQ
- Does Baseline Maps have flow alerts?
- Yes — set your fishable CFS range for any of 1,300+ rivers and get a push notification the moment the river enters it. It’s the most-used feature in the app.
- Which app covers more rivers with live flow data?
- Baseline Maps tracks live USGS flow for 1,300+ rivers across 38 US states plus BC and Ontario. onWater’s flow coverage centers on its supported fly-fishing waters.
- Can I run both?
- Plenty of anglers do — they solve different problems. If you have to pick one and flow data decides your trips, Baseline’s alerts and coverage are the differentiator.
Try the whole thing free for 14 days.
Every feature unlocked. $34.99/year after — one tier, no per-state buying. Waypoint import from onX, Gaia, and Google Earth takes about a minute.