Mobile experience
Forums
Pinch-to-zoom, no app
GilledIt
Native iOS and Android apps
A fishing community built by American anglers
The Modern Fishing Community
Forums had their day. GilledIt is what a fishing community should look like in 2026. Social feeds, catch sharing, real-time messaging, and challenges, all in one app.
Free on iPhone and Android. Optional GilledIt Pro, no ads.
Remember When Carp Forums Were the Only Option?
Remember refreshing BassResource on your phone and it looked like 2005? Squinting at tiny text, waiting for images to load, scrolling past 47 replies of blokes arguing about whether to use pellets or boilies?
Forums were everything. They were where you found your first swim, learned to tie a hair rig, and argued about whether PVA bags were cheating. But it is 2026 now. Your catches deserve better than a forum thread nobody sees.
Traditional Forums vs GilledIt
We are not pretending forums are dead. But here is how the experience compares.
The old vs the new
Traditional Forums
Est. circa 2005
- Pinch-to-zoom mobile experience
- Upload photos to Imgur, paste BBCode links
- Text-only discussions, no logging
- Check PMs manually, no push notifications
- Ask a question, get told to "use the search"
- Catch of the month buried on page 47
- Classifieds subforum, no payment protection
- Volunteer moderation, hit or miss
GilledIt
Built for 2026
- Native iOS and Android apps, one-handed use
- Tap, snap, post: up to 5 photos per catch
- Full catch log with GPS, species, gear, stats
- Instant DMs, @mentions, push notifications
- Welcoming community, no gatekeeping
- Catches in feeds across the community
- Built-in marketplace with Stripe payments
- Designed for positivity, report system
Photo sharing
Forums
Upload to Imgur, paste BBCode
GilledIt
Tap, snap, post: up to 5 photos per catch
Catch logging
Forums
Discussion only, no logging
GilledIt
Full logbook with species, weight, GPS, gear, stats
Real-time messaging
Forums
Private messages (check manually)
GilledIt
Instant DMs with read receipts + @mentions
Finding fishing spots
Forums
Ask in a thread and hope
GilledIt
Interactive map with species filters and GPS
Competitions
Forums
"Catch of the month" threads
GilledIt
Weekly challenges, leaderboards, 30+ badges
Buying / selling tackle
Forums
Classifieds subforum
GilledIt
Built-in marketplace with Stripe payments
Speed
Forums
2005-era page loads
GilledIt
Instant, app-native performance
Moderation
Forums
Variable, volunteer mods
GilledIt
Designed for positivity, report system
Forums gave us community. GilledIt gives us everything else as well.
Community Features That Actually Work on Your Phone
Every feature designed for the bank, not the desktop.
Built for anglers
Social Feed (For You + Following)
An algorithmic feed scored by recency, engagement, and photo quality. Following tab for chronological updates from anglers you follow. Stories carousel for quick updates from the bank.
Learn moreCatch Sharing & Photo Gallery
Up to five photos per catch, auto-tagged with GPS and species. Your catches build a visual portfolio, not buried in a thread nobody sees.
Learn moreDirect Messaging & @Mentions
Real-time DMs with push notifications. @mention anglers in comments. No more checking “Private Messages” in a forum header.
Learn moreLocal Fishing Groups
Find anglers near you. Plan sessions. Share local knowledge. Like the best bit of your local forum, but with people you can actually meet.
Learn moreChallenges & Leaderboards
Weekly challenges: biggest catch, most species, longest session. 30+ badges across seven categories. XP system. Catch of the Week.
Learn moreWhy Anglers Are Switching
Traditional fishing forum activity has declined as anglers move to platforms with better mobile experiences and visual content.
The shift
Built for Your Phone, Not a Desktop
GilledIt is a native mobile app designed for one-handed use on the bank. No pinch-to-zoom, no squinting at tiny text, no waiting for forum pages to load.
Your Catches Deserve an Audience
Post your PB and it appears in feeds across the community. Not buried on page 47 of a thread about parking at the boat ramp.
Real-Time Everything
Instant notifications, live feed updates, real-time DMs. Not the forum experience of refreshing a page to check if someone replied three days later.
Welcoming, Not Intimidating
Designed for positivity. No gatekeeping, no “use the search” culture. New anglers are welcomed, not shouted down. Ask a beginner question and get helpful answers.
Everything in One Place
Catch log, social feed, marketplace, challenges, maps, messaging, all in one app. No more juggling a forum, Facebook group, Gumtree, and a spreadsheet.
What Anglers Log on GilledIt
A preview of the catches and sessions anglers log in the app. Yours fills up the day you start.
From the community
Largemouth Bass
8 lb 4 oz
Walleye
11 lb 2 oz
Channel Catfish
22 lb 0 oz
Bluegill
1 lb 3 oz
Rainbow Trout
6 lb 9 oz
Crappie
2 lb 1 oz
Smallmouth Bass
5 lb 8 oz
Muskie
34 lb 0 oz
Striped Bass
18 lb 0 oz
Loved by early users, join the launch cohort and share your catches on GilledIt.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Fishing Community
The biggest US bass forums are BassResource.com, Bassmaster.com forums, and Reddit's r/bassfishing. They remain active for text-based discussion. However, modern anglers are increasingly moving to app-based communities like GilledIt that combine social feeds, catch logging, maps, and messaging in one platform.
GilledIt takes the best parts of a fishing forum (community, knowledge sharing, catch discussions) and wraps them in a modern mobile app. Instead of threads, you get an algorithmic feed. Instead of PMs, you get instant DMs. Instead of a classifieds subforum, you get a full marketplace with Stripe payments.
Traditional fishing forum activity has declined as anglers migrate to Facebook groups, Instagram, and fishing apps. BassResource and Bassmaster.com forums remain active but see lower engagement than their peak years. The community has not disappeared; it has moved to platforms with better mobile experiences and visual content.
Yes. GilledIt’s interactive map shows anglers and catches near your location. You can follow local anglers, DM them directly, and join the community feed to connect with US anglers in your area.
GilledIt is free to download and use. All core features (catch logging, social feed, map, messaging, challenges, and badges) are included at no cost. The marketplace charges an 8% platform fee on completed sales only.
By traffic volume, BassResource.com is the largest dedicated bass forum in the US, with hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors. The Bassmaster.com forums and Reddit's r/bassfishing community are also highly active. All remain popular in 2026 but face competition from app-based communities like GilledIt that combine forum-style discussion with catch logging, mapping, and real-time messaging.
Yes. Every catch you log can include up to five photos, auto-tagged with GPS location and species. Your catches appear on the social feed and build your personal fishing portfolio with stats, PBs, and a visual gallery.
Facebook groups are general-purpose, and fishing content competes with everything else in your feed. GilledIt is built exclusively for anglers: integrated catch logging, interactive fishing maps, species stats, challenges, a tackle marketplace, and a community that only talks about fishing.
Join the Community
Your next PB deserves an audience. Download GilledIt and join a fishing community built for 2026. Free to download. Free to use. Just bring your rod.
Free on iPhone and Android. Optional GilledIt Pro, no ads.
Free on iOS and Android. No credit card required.