What Happened When I Brought A Coros Smartwatch On A Fly-fishing Trip

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Coros Nomad is disposable now successful Green, Brown, and Dark Grey for $349.
• It's built to withstand nan elements pinch elaborate metrics and focused diary utilities for fishing.
• There is nary speaker to playback sound notes, nary star charging, and nary LED flashlight to spot successful nan dark.

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I've had nan opportunity to trial a batch of smartwatches, but it's still reliable to find 1 watch that covers each nan bases. I find myself ever looking to nan adjacent 1 to capable nan gaps. 

With each caller model, brands sprout for unsocial features to thief them guidelines retired from nan pack. Well, it looks for illustration rugged marque Coros has been pursuing my adventures successful alert sportfishing complete nan past 7 years pinch the Coros Nomad, a stylish instrumentality pinch immoderate unsocial features for group who for illustration to fish. 

Also: I tested nan champion sports watches successful 2025: Here are nan latest and top watches, nary matter your budget

Like nan Garmin Instinct line of watches, nan Coros Nomad takes immoderate creation cues from Casio's G-Shock pinch a chunky integrative assemblage and ample outer buttons. It peculiarly resembles nan Garmin Instinct 3 Solar that's $100 much and supports star charging, but its monochrome show pales successful comparison to nan higher solution colour surface connected nan Coros Nomad. 

The Coros Nomad is simply a durable watch that tin grip nan elements while weighing only 49 grams. It has a waterproof standing up to 50 meters, hardened mineral solid display, operating somesthesia from -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and dual microphones for sound notes that person to matter successful nan Coros app. 

The Nomad offers an enhanced acquisition that's conducive to documenting your adventures pinch sound notes, pictures, videos, and way details. The caller Adventure Journal characteristic is peculiarly appealing for my alert sportfishing outings because I for illustration to archive wherever successful nan rivers I onshore nan fish, what clip of twelvemonth I was successful, and beryllium capable to stock those experiences pinch family and friends.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

My main information for alert sportfishing is to flight from nan agency and walk clip opinionated successful acold stream h2o arsenic I plaything my barren alert to and fro. I often seizure photos of nan food I onshore earlier releasing them backmost into nan h2o and emotion nan situation of reference nan stream and discovering basking spots for fish. With nan Adventure Journal feature, I tin now spot nan photos synced to my outing pinch nan expertise to easy stock nan data. 

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

As an illustration of nan optimization Coros provides for immoderate of these unsocial activities, let's return a person look astatine nan alert sportfishing activity. Coros added a caller hardware fastener to nan Nomad called nan Action button, positioned connected nan little near of nan watch. This is programmable wrong activities and is not presently functional astatine immoderate different clip while utilizing nan watch. You tin prime to adhd a caller pin aliases move from nan representation page to different activity information page.

Some of nan customizable information fields for Shore Fly Fishing see casts and catches truthful you tin support way of really galore times you plaything your alert rod and merchandise nan statement into nan river. With an easy property of nan apical correct fastener you tin log a drawback aft landing your fish. 

Also: The champion training watch I've ever tried is nan first Coros pinch a modern display

Personally, I would emotion to spot a hands-free measurement to log a drawback since I americium often rather engaged handling my rod, nan net, nan fish, and my camera. It is bully to person nan expertise to log a drawback aft nan merchandise though, and helps crippled retired nan outing for sharing and early planning. All of nan different emblematic metrics for activities are supported, including bosom rate, region covered, upwind conditions, and more.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

While sportfishing is simply a attraction for nan Coros Nomad, it's besides a complete sports watch pinch afloat support for meticulous GPS search of your running, hiking, climbing, swimming, and more. It offers offline maps for phone-free navigation, and moreover includes thoroughfare names, points of interest, and alerts you if you rotation disconnected of nan route. The MIP colour show helps pinch navigation done colour differentiation of roads, trails, and highways.

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Similar to Garmin watches, Coros provides you pinch nan action to prime from a wide scope of widgets that tin beryllium accessed by swiping down from nan main watch face. Details wrong each widget are disposable erstwhile you scroll down and past prime nan widget utilizing nan integer dial fastener aliases your digit connected nan touchscreen. 

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The toolbox paper tin besides beryllium highly useful since it tin beryllium accessed astatine immoderate clip by agelong pressing nan back/lap fastener connected nan little correct broadside of nan Nomad. The expertise to motorboat power of an Insta360 aliases GoPro camera tin beryllium very adjuvant erstwhile you are sportfishing aliases performing different activity and want speedy entree to your camera. 

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

One critique I person is nan deficiency of an LED ray connected nan watch. An outdoor escapade watch for illustration this is simply a cleanable level for specified a feature, and I dream to spot it connected a early Nomad aliases Vertix watch from Coros. 

For now, I will proceed to usage nan Nomad for alert sportfishing and dream to onshore immoderate ample cutthroat trout connected nan Yakima this autumn truthful I tin stock 3D flyovers, sound notes, pictures, videos, and my way pinch friends. My dream is that this shape of storytelling whitethorn animate others to effort retired these types of outdoor adventures.

ZDNET's buying advice

I've utilized nan Fish activity connected Garmin watches successful nan past, and it's been useful for logging catches and location tagging nan catch, but that's wherever nan acquisition ends. Now, pinch nan Coros Nomad and Adventure Journal usability I tin create a complete communicative of my outdoor activities to easy stock pinch friends successful an engaging way. 

The Coros Nomad is simply a comfortable, affordable, and reliable sports watch I highly urge to anyone who loves to fish, but it's besides a coagulated smartwatch for athletes and anyone who wants entree to fittingness metrics.