Looking for the best underwater fishing camera? We are here to help you find the best one for you, and to guide you to the best price…
Fishing is a pastime where skill, knowledge, and chance play equal roles. Or at least it was. Now we can use technology to help with the last two of these and increase the odds of making a catch. Enter the underwater fishing camera, providing the keen angler with a visual representation of what’s otherwise hidden and happening beneath the surface. In short, these all-seeing devices can help reveal what would otherwise be extremely difficult if not impossible to ascertain from the riverbank.
Underwater fishing cameras can be deployed on the line to work alongside the angler’s bait, and often unobtrusively mimic regular floats in their design. As they’ll be dealing with murky and sometimes dark waters, when making your selection you may want to consider a device promising low light capability, possibly with infrared vision. Yes, you could simply use a regular underwater camera or action camera rather than one directly related to fishing, but then, unless said camera has a dedicated app that allows you to use a smartphone as a remote, you won't have a way of monitoring what’s going on below the water’s surface in real time. Which some may consider the whole point of a dedicated underwater fishing camera.
At their simplest, such devices comprise of an underwater camera and a monitoring screen connected by a cable, which can be extended or retracted courtesy of a spool; much like the fishing line itself. This means manually raising and lowering the camera by hand.
Other options may be connected to the fishing line or lure itself – though beware that these may not be offering real time monitoring, unless Wi-Fi transmission/sharing is featured, possibly via a dedicated app. You’ll also want to consider the fact that there’s more potential for such devices becoming loosened and, worse case scenario, lost.
With the above in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best underwater fishing cameras you can buy right now, whether you’re looking to improve your technique, determine species of fish, or are simply looking to locate and make a catch that much easier. So let's look at the best underwater fishing cameras around right now...
Best underwater fishing camera in 2021
With its manufacturer suggesting this option is for use in clear water, this set up features a camera, slender 20m (65 foot) cable on a reel plus a 4.3-inch LCD resembling a typical digital camera back. Yet here there are operational buttons provided to remotely take the shot, not just review it. Functions include video recording and still picture taking, with the ability to view both on screen. The unobtrusive camera element features four infrared LED lights ranged around its lens, enabling fish to be observed even in darker underwater environments. Battery life is good for up to four hours of use when fully charged, with a USB cable helpfully provided. The monitor section can also be mounted on the handle end of your fishing rod, if so desired, so you’re not distracted from the sport itself.
GoFish is an American company, and its solution to underwater fishing camera is to mount the camera on your line so that you can use it to capture footage of you striking your fish, or to gain intel as to where the fish are and just how interested they are in your bait. The GoFish Cam works wirelessly, but can not stream footage when underwater (that’s physics for you). What you can do is set the device up to beam footage back to your phone when the camera is above water, so you can share online after each catch. The video is recorded continuously in one-minute segments - and backs up to a microSD card. Incredibly the device is tested for use down to 150 feet (50m) - and has a built-in green light to aid visibility when night fishing (and this will even attract some species of fish!).
With a 4.3 inch monitor on a reasonably generic monitor, the Moocor doesn’t look anything special at first glance, but to the ice fisher it’s a potential game changer. Neatly tucked to the back of that screen is 15m / 50ft of cable, for a start, which connects into a neat little camera housing that has been designed with cable clips at different points so the HD camera can be angled according to conditions. There are also three IR lights around the lens which can be enabled according to conditions. We also liked the combined screen shade / cover; using displays in bright conditions is never easy and this definitely helps. If fishing in clear ice water, you may also appreciate the 4x digital zoom to see closer into the waters without disturbing the fish.
Here’s a novel idea – send an image capture device below the waters (up to a generous 450ft) and get a high definition live relay on your smartphone’s handset via an app that links the two, thus ‘empowering’ your fishing experience. Cleverly, the Spydro activates immediately it gets wet and deactivates after being out of the water for three minutes. There is also a feature whereby it can be bite triggered, so you can capture the moment the fish strikes your bait. With what’s described as a submarine torpedo type design, its lens provides a wide 130° angle of view, while the Wi-Fi range is a generous 240 ft – although do note that quoted specification is for use above water. While by no means a budget option, the device comes with weights, float, USB cable and case, plus ‘built in’ 32GB SD card, sealed within the casing so no moisture can get to it. James Bond’s ‘Q’ would be proud.
Everything you need for remote underwater fish watching within the one easy-to-transport tackle box-like aluminium case, complete with a 7-inch 16:9 ratio LCD screen cleverly built into the underside of the lid. The case itself, not just the camera included, is further claimed as waterproof, though it’s not clear to what extent. Its 1/3-inch CMOS sensor camera can shoot both video and stills and features 12 infrared LEDs to allow fish to be seen more clearly beneath the surface. It’s worth noting however that in infrared mode, the image captured is in black and white. While camera is attached to monitor via 50 metre cable and wheel, to get you started, one 4GB SD card is included along with lithium ion battery and charger. In short, an all in one solution easily packed or unpacked.
Offering a very similar specified – and indeed nigh identical looking – box of tricks to the Eyoyo offering, for a price within the same ballpark, Anysun’s claim is that its IP68 certified waterproof camera system is so sharp you’ll be able to clearly see the fish actually bite your bait. Added to this, its chunky 12-volt battery will last an impressive 9 to 12 hours’ worth of angling. With a 7-inch monitor boasting a sun visor and 1000 lines of resolution, we basically have everything we need to record and view what’s up to 15 metres below the surface – even if the water itself is murky.
Not a fishing aid per se, unless you’re looking to catch bigger ocean-bound dwellers, but if you really want to push the boat out – no pun intended – when it comes to filming the underwater world and its wildlife, then an underwater drone could be your step-up product. Included in this package are not just the 12-megapixel sensor, 4K resolution camera-incorporating drone and handset, but also some VR goggles/headset, a 64GB memory card and 210ft tether. Also impressing is the ability for the PowerRay to transmit images via Wi-Fi up to a distance of 262 feet, while it’s usable to depths of 30 metres also. Yes, the price denotes this is a professional tool, but if you’re serious about getting deep into your hobby there is a lot of scope here.
With a generous 200˚ wide-angle lens, this system affords a good view of the water near the hook. This is viewed on a “1000 TVL” display, which is a dubious way of saying standard def (720P would be 1280 pixels horizontally, whereas this is ‘about 1000’ horizontally). Despite geeky grumblings, it is, we must admit, adequate in water and the screen does have some advantages too; it is supplied with a mechanism to attach it to a fishing rod and a 30m waterproof cable which can handle 80kg (175lbs) of tension. The 4.3-inch screen also sports touch-sensitive buttons in the shape of fish, and we really appreciated that the digital zoom didn’t go crazy but maxed out at 1.5x. The battery life is excellent, and the infrared lights a boon for night fishing and muddy water.
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