Using Intel: seasons and rules

This guide shows you how to check what is in season and what the rules are with Intel, the fourth tab in Inshore.

Steps

1. Open the Intel tab. The first time, a sheet asks you to read one thing: Intel is a reference, not the law. Tap I understand and it does not come back.

2. Set your location with the pill under the title. It is the same picker Tides uses: Use current location, one of your saved spots, or a station search. You can also pan the Trends map and tap Use this location to anchor on the center of the map. Intel reads the state from your location and remembers it until you change it.

3. Read Trends. It opens on a map of your area with two cards under it.

   • Here now has two tabs. In season lists the species to expect right now, with a line under the chips for any open harvests. Changes coming lists what opens or closes soon, soonest first. Tap a chip to open the species, or the event with its source link.
   • Year at a glance shows every species' months at once. Darker cells are better months, a green bar marks a harvest season, and the outlined cell is this month. 12 months starts from today and This year shows the calendar year. All species opens the full table.

4. Switch to Species for the whole list, in three groups: In season near you, Harvest, and All species A to Z. Search by name or by a phrase like "flounder size". The filter button narrows the list (keepable now, in season, closed, harvest, gamefish), sorts it, and has a Licence row with the current fees and a link to the agency's page.

5. Open a species page. Top to bottom:

   • Keep it? When the rule differs by waters, a toggle such as State waters and Federal sits above the verdict. The verdict card gives the size and bag limits for the waters you picked and names the other waters where they differ.
   • Size. A ruler drawn to scale, with the measure named (total length or fork length).
   • Season and peak months. The same month strip as the year view, with the open months marked underneath and a line naming the peak.
   • Best conditions. Tide, moon and time of day, with a link straight to Tides.
   • Baits this season. What to put on the hook this time of year.
   • For the record. The regulation behind the numbers, its effective and verified dates, and the source link.

   A harvest species (shrimp, crab, oyster, clam) shows its season and quota in the units your harvest log uses, a Gear and rules card in place of the ruler, and an In your harvest log link to the log form.

6. Check the footer. Every screen ends with a "Reference only" line naming the agency, the date the rules were verified against it, and the data version on your phone. Trends adds a Sources link. If a number looks wrong, tap Something wrong?, pick what is wrong, add a note or a link, and tap Send report.

7. Glance at Home. Under the Log button, In season near you shows the top chips and an Intel link. While an announcement is showing it folds to a single line.

What fills in automatically

• Your state, from the location you picked. Move the pill to another state and Trends and Species switch with it.
• Open, closed and changing soon, worked out on your phone from the dates behind each rule, so the verdict is right for today without a lookup.
• Corrections. When a rule is corrected, Intel picks up the change the next time your phone is online. A rule that is being checked shows "Under review" in place of the number until it is confirmed.

Common questions

Which states does Intel cover? Twelve coastal states: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Set your location in any of them and Intel shows that state's seasons and rules.

Does Intel work offline? Yes. Seasons, rules and species pages read from the data on your phone, so they open with no signal. The Trends map needs a connection, and a "Something wrong?" report sends once you are back online. See Using Inshore offline.

Is this the law? No. Intel summarizes public regulations and dates every entry, but rules change between our checks. It does not cover federal-water rules beyond what is listed, emergency actions before the next check, sanctuaries and closed areas, or the rules for piers and charter boats. Before you keep a fish, confirm with your state agency. Following this app is not a defense to a citation.