Hilton's Offshore
Why Use Hilton's?
The advent of the internet has brought about fundamental changes in viewing the conditions offshore. You can now, from the comfort and convenience of your home or office in the days preceding your trip, monitor the diferent imageries, determine their tendencies, and ascertain what areas hold the most promise for holding fish. And as importantly, you can also determine which areas are NOT likely to be productive – this can save you lots of time, money, and frustration.
Hilton's Offshore
Our Reputation
Hilton’s has built our reputation in the last 26 years as being in the forefront of innovation and technology. In 2000, Hilton’s created the first 3d bathymetric paper fishing charts and atlases which were sold in Academy Sporting Goods, West Marine, and many fishing tackle stores and marinas across the Gulf. In May 2004, Hilton’s went to the internet and pioneered the online fish forecasting industry with 3 northern Gulf regions which has since expanded to over 36 regions on all 3 US coasts, Caribbean, Windward Islands, Bermuda, Central America, and the northern coast of South America.
Hilton’s Realtime-Navigator subscribers not only are able to monitor the conditions from their home or office in the days preceding their offshore fishing trip, they are able to actually see their boat’s position relative to the latest imageries while out on the spot, create routes to temp breaks, color changes, waypoints, etc. – no need for internet access or worry about data usage once the charts are saved into the system.
The ability for our subscribers to navigate on the latest sea temp, chlorophyll, surface currents, or altimetry imageries is available on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet using our free nav app RT-NAV. Our SAT2NAV system works directly on your chartplotter and was designed to be used with Starlink, allowing subscribers to slide seamlessly from navigation to Hilton’s (to get the latest charts) and then back to navigation, ALL from your chart plotter’s screen.
As a side note, Thomas Hilton was told by one subscriber that he was going to “Fish Hell” since he was responsible for so many fish being caught, and in many cases killed. To give back to the fishery, Hilton has been involved in producing and deploying artificial reefs in Texas state waters since 2007, with over 5,500 artificial reef pyramids deployed so far.
Thomas Hilton also brought the Hilton’s Texas FAD Network to reality in 2025 – he designed the layout of the buoys, went through the rigorous process of obtaining the required permits from the USACE, NOAA Fisheries, and the US Coast Guard, worked with the Houston Big Game Fishing Club to provide outreach and funding for the project, oversaw production and got all 14 buoys deployed in January 2025. Today, those 14 deepwater buoys have totally transformed Texas bluewater fishery, bringing billfish, dorado, tuna, and wahoo within reach of center consoles and chart operations. They also provide platforms (where there were none before) for important scientific research, as well as provide steady destinations to target fish as many deepwater structures are slated to be removed in coming years.
Navigate with Confidence
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Save Time & Fuel
Hilton's Offshore
SST AVAILABILITY
We provide the absolute best sea temp imagery available on the web – no question. Other sea temp services simply give you an image and say “Good Luck.” We give you the image then ASK; what part of this image are YOU interested in?
You have the availability to customize the shot based on your preferences. There are usually 12-18 satellite shots each day, per region, and the quality varies due to cloud cover, incomplete satellite shots, etc.
Here is a sample SST shot parsed in two different temperature range readings. The black splotches are clouds that are too thick for the satellites to read through. The upper image is painted based on the 84 to 88 degree temp range while the range for the bottom image is 86 to 87 – remember, both shots are just different interpretations of the same image. Having the ability to adjust the range is an extremely important feature that allows you to focus on specific areas as well as make multiple custom shots (clouds allowing) off of the same image based on different game plans.
There is a learning curve to getting the best results for this imagery – I recommend calling us to schedule a hands-on tutorial with Thomas Hilton himself – 713 530-2267. We can show you how to customize and pinpoint where weedlines (if there is Sargassum in the area) will likely be located using this imagery, how to use the Trip Planner to compare recent historical shots to ascertain tendencies on which way the structures are moving and how fast so that you can position your vessel in the area to intercept. It’s a dynamic environment out there and relying on a single static image only tells you part of the story. Our nav apps and SAT2NAV system allow you to split screen and view your vessel on 2 images simultaneously.
Hilton's Offshore
CHLOROPHYLL
The chlorophyll imagery only gets one shot per evening per satellite unlike the SST imagery, where we get 12-18 shots per day. Thus, we try to track as many chlorophyll satellites as possible (up to 5 per region) to give as many shots as possible each day – these come out usually in late evening.
The “1 Day” shots are “what you see is what you get” – we do not process the data but simply provide it warts and all. The bad news is, on the 1 Day shots is that if there are clouds, there is no data. The GOOD news is that if you have data, then you know that is what the conditions were at the time that shot was taken.
We also provide “3 Day” and “3 Day” shots which are custom shots that we create by stacking the last 3 or 7 “1 Day” shots into one image – the new image is on top and the older images help fill in the blanks. Personally, I like to compare 1 Day shots with one another to get a true idea of the tendencies.
Chlorophyll is green and is what makes the grass green in your yard – it’s found in the plant version of the plankton – the “Phytoplankton”. Where you have high concentrations of Phytoplankton, you have greener, more turbid water – the color green on the image is green water. Phytoplankton is also the beginning of the food chain, and often provide cover for bait fish in the green, murkier water.
The red/orange/yellow colors on the image represent fresh or brackish water coming out of the rivers/bay systems. The light blue color indicates blended blue/green water and is very fishable. The darker blue color represents the cobalt blue water which is devoid of chlorophyll.
This imagery is closely tied to the Chlorophyll imagery – it is basically a photograph looking down at the ocean, but because you only get 1 shot per day, it is rather limiting. There are some days that are clear and it is very good. The instruments on the chlorophyll are much more sensitive to the variations in color and turbidity than the resolution of the true color allows.
Hilton's Offshore
TRUE COLOR
Hilton's Offshore
ALTIMETRY
Altimetry imagery uses radar technology to measure subtle variations in ocean surface height, even through cloud cover. These measurements create detailed contour maps that help offshore anglers identify currents, eddies, and potential fishing hotspots.
Each contour line, or isobar, represents a small change in sea surface height, typically measured in centimeters. Satellite radar measurements are used to map these variations and reveal ocean circulation patterns.
Loop Current features and warm-core eddies appear as elevated areas (orange and red), where rotating currents can concentrate along the edges. The centers of these features are often less productive, while tightly packed contour lines around their boundaries indicate stronger currents.
Lower sea surface heights (light blue and dark blue) can indicate upwelling, where nutrient-rich water rises toward the surface and supports the marine food chain. Green areas represent transitional waters that may also provide productive fishing opportunities depending on surrounding conditions.
Hilton's Offshore
CURRENTS
Hilton’s features 2 Surface Currents models – the upper image is the currents imagery we have been using since 2004. The bottom currents imagery was added in 2023 and is animated to show the projected currents every three hours during the day.
You can animate the upper image by clicking on the action icon (blue circle with 3 stripes in the upper left corner of each image) and click “Loop Image” – this will put the last 7 days into motion so you can view how the currents shift in position as well as grow or dissipate in velocity.
It’s important to note that both imageries are computer MODELS and often do not depict the intricacies of what is happening out there, especially relative to backflow eddies. The sea surface temperature and chlorophyll shots are actual snapshots of the ocean’s surface (not a computer model) and often you can see very detailed imagery of the currents, especially when comparing recent historical shots with one another.
Both imageries have selected “Show/Hide Waypoint Names” from the action icon list which removes the text showing the names but leaves the icons in place for reference. Sometimes the text makes it difficult to read the imagery so the ability to remove it is very useful.
Hilton's Offshore
SALINITY
(Not available in all areas). Salinity shows where you have ultra-fresh water (indicated by purple) and how it gradiates to very saline water (maroon) – often the best areas to fish are the mixed areas that are not too fresh nor too saline.
Here is an example of how you can tweak the image to parse areas of interest by changing the PSU range – in this case the upper version of the image has a 30.5 to 36.5 PSU range and the lower version of the same image is 35.5 to 36.5.
Any data that is lower than the lowest PSU setting is represented as black. The definition of PSU is grams of salt per kilogram of water (called practical salinity units (PSU).
Hilton's Offshore
RADAR
(Not available in all areas). Radar shows the latest weather radar to indicate the conditions on the fishing locations offshore.
Hilton's Offshore
IR LOOP
This is an overview of the atmospheric conditions of the region – refer to this to see incoming frontal systems, or to see why the imagery has been cloudy lately.
Hilton's Offshore
NAV TOOL
The Nav Tool gives useful navigational data to give you an idea of distance and bearing to a point of interest from your starting point.
The Nav Tool is the white box with oval above it – on a PC or laptop the white box says “Place cursor in oval” and on a mobile device it will say “Tap to move”. On a PC or laptop, you can drop and drag the oval to anywhere on the screen and it will give you a lat/lon position, distance/bearing from your starting point, depth, and depending on type of imagery, more information such as temperature on sea surface temperature charts.
To select your starting point, click on the NAME of any waypoint and a white box will come up with a bullseye on it. Click on the bullseye to set the starting point for that waypoint and the system will replace the default waypoint icon with the bullseye. The starting point on this image is encircled with a black dotted line and the Nav Tool is positioned on a nice color change. The color change at that position is 94.91 nautical miles at 206 degrees from the Perdido Pass farewell buoy in a depth of 3,418’.
Hilton's Offshore
TRIP PLANNER
When ready to use the Trip Planner, click on “Trip Planner” on the left nav bar and a new window will open called “Trip Statistics”. Zoom in and scroll to the area that you are interested in and the Trip Statistics window will stay with you on the screen. Click on the starting point of your trip, and coordinate #1 will appear in the Trip Statistics window. Click on your next destination, whether it be a waypoint or a temp break, color change, whatever, and coordinate #2 will appear along with a distance and bearing from #1. You can repeat the process until you have up to 12 waypoints. The route can be overlaid on other imageries which helps to tell the whole story. It also is useful in helping you understnd the logistics of how much time and fuel it will take to get there and run the route the way you have it drawn. Lastly, it is very useful in helping you to understand the dynamics of what is happening out there – which way and how fast isthat temp break moving? You can overlay the route on the latest position then compare to historical shots to measure the distance travled relative to the time differential between shots (for example, it may have move 4 miles NE over a period of 8 hours, so you know it’s moving NE at 1/2 knot, and your boat will be out there about 10 hours from the latest shot so you can position your boat to be about 5 miles NE of the latest position in order to better able to intercept it.
Hilton's Offshore
FLOATERS
The term “Floaters” describes many of the Gulf of America deepwater oil structures, such as Drillships, Semisubmersibles, Seismic Vessels, Commercial Dive Boats, Well Intervention vessels, etc. Most of these structures act as Fish Aggregating Devices and hold bait and gamefish year-round. It’s valuable intel to know their present location relative to the dynamic variables such as sea surface temperatures, chlorophyll, altimetry, salinity, currents, etc.
Some structures such as Seismic vessels have the opposite effect, emitting loud, continuous sounds when shooting seismic pulses through the water column, which many believe shuts down the bite. It’s good to know if a seismic vessel is in the vicinity of the area you intend to fish – you may want to go to Plan B.
Structures with commercial Diving/ROV operations going on will prevent fishing vessels from coming within +_2 nautical miles due to safety precautions – again, a frustrating experience after investing the time, fuel, and money to get there only to find out you can’t fish. So, it’s good to know if they are onsite, how long they have been there, and most importantly, when they leave. That structure has basically been unfished while diving operations have been going on and if your vessel is the first one to fish it, well, your chances of success are great! We have seen it happen more than once.
These mobile structures move periodically, so it’s extremely important to know IF it is indeed on the position shown – many times these structures are located hundreds of miles offshore and requires a substantial investment in time and fuel to get there. If it’s not there, it can be a very frustrating, expensive experience. While Hilton’s cannot guarantee that these structures will be there (they move without alerting us), we are available to confirm their latest position BEFORE you make that investment in time, fuel, and money so you can make an informed decision on where to go.
(Available in the 3 northern Gulf of Mexico regions only). We pay about $4,000 per year for the absolute best data regarding the locations of the semisubmersibles and drillships in the Gulf. These large deepwater structures are fish attracting devices and hold bait and gamefish year-round.
Hilton's Offshore
SERVICE
We pride ourselves on our Customer Service. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or issues using the site.
Our philosophy is that if you do not understand how to best utilize the site’s features, you are not as likely to be successful – our goal is for you to maximize your efficiencies.
If we don’t answer, we are on the other line…
Hilton's Offshore
NOTABLE CATCHES
Hilton's Offshore
Texas FAD Network
Thomas Hilton designed the project, got the required permitting done, worked with the Houston Big Game Fishing Club to do outreach and funding, oversaw production and deployment of this historic project.
The Hilton System Explained
FAQs
Most images have a "Print Map" function at the top left of each image - this will print the entire region. Many times, however, it is desirable to have the ability to print a much smaller area. Here is how we do it;
Zoom in, zoom out, and position the image just the way you want it on your computer screen. Then click on the "Print Screen" key (prt sc) key located at the upper right of your keyboard - you may need to hold down the Function key (fn). Nothing will visibly happen as the image is simply cached inside your computer. Minimize Realtime-Navigator and open up another program such as Paint, Excel, or, as I prefer, Microsoft Word. Click Edit/Paste and the image will appear. You will need to switch the page orientation to landscape. Click on the image once, and handle bars will appear - drag a corner and the image will enlarge. Manipulate as needed and print! This is a great way to do it as it has the graphic of the imagery in addition to waypoints and any nav data.
If you want to change the position of the bullseye, simply click on the NAME of any waypoint, and the bullseye will replace that icon. The Nav Toll (oval with big white box) always reads from the bullseye when displaying the distance and bearing.
We have recently upgraded the system so that the bullseye stays at the waypoint selected until you select a different waypoint. This way, when veiwing different imageries, it is no longer necessary to reset your homeport location each time.
This is a feature that we introduced in May 2010 and is an alternative to using the Nav Tool. When you enter the site, you will now see "Trip Planner" at the top of each image. This is a great tool that allows you to plan your trip according to what the charts are showing. Once you click "Trip Planner" a window will open called "Trip Statistics". You can then start clicking anywhere on the image; waypoint icons, temp breaks, water color changes, etc. Each time you click on the image, a temporary waypoint is placed on the screen and the lat/long coordinates, distance and bearing from the previous waypoint are displayed. You can click up to 15 times on the charts, and the Trip Statistics window logs all of the info including the Total Distance for your trip. Click on "Print Map" and it will print all of the information for you to take on your trip. Also, when you view different imageries, click on "Start Trip Planner" and your route will be displayed on each imagery!