Public land maps
Hatch map, public land, and offline downloads in the IdentaFly app.
What’s the difference between the live map and a downloaded area?
The website hatch map is always live. It needs an internet connection to load the map, public land shading, waters, and gages.
On iPhone and Android, subscribers can download a map area before they leave service. That download is a snapshot on your phone: streets and public land for the place you picked. Hatch forecasts, flow, and other live details still need a connection when you want them fresh.
Use the live map when you have signal. Download an area when you expect to lose it.
What shows up on the hatch map?
On this website: streets-style or satellite basemaps, optional public land shading, waters, and stream gages. You cannot save those tiles for offline use in a browser.
In the iOS and Android apps: the same planning map, plus a download of streets and public land for the area you choose. Satellite can be included in that phone download when you turn it on.
How do offline map downloads work on the phone?
Open the hatch map in the IdentaFly app, pick the area you plan to fish, and download it while you still have coverage. The files stay on your device so you can still see roads and public land when you have no bars.
A download covers the area you selected, not the entire country at once. It is a planning map in your pocket—not a substitute for a dedicated GPS, a compass, or checking access on the ground.
Desktop browsers cannot download maps. For a saved map in your pocket, use the IdentaFly app.
What makes IdentaFly maps different?
Most fishing apps give you a map or a hatch list. IdentaFly puts them on the same trip: public land next to the hatch forecast for that place, so you can match insects to where you actually plan to walk in.
On the phone, that map can come with you offline. Identify a fly, see what should be hatching, and still read public land when you drop into a canyon with no service.
Can I download maps on my computer?
No. Desktop browsers cannot pack map tiles for offline use, and the phone’s download files are built for the app.
Plan on the website. For a saved map in your pocket, use the IdentaFly app.
How accurate is the public land overlay?
Public land shading is a planning aid, not a survey.
Boundaries are approximate. The colors show who manages the land, not whether you may fish, park, or cross. Unshaded land is often private or simply unmapped in this dataset.
Always check access locally before you go.
Do I need a subscription?
You can open the hatch map and search without paying. Public land on the map and downloading areas in the app are subscriber features.
Hatch species detail on the forecast is gated the same way as the rest of IdentaFly: sign in and subscribe to see the full picture.
More answers live in the full FAQ.