Casting into the deepest blue is a wonder, and it's one you won’t want to forget. Here's my personal ranking of the best underwater cameras on the market to amp up your fishing game!
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. AKASO Brave 4 Pro - Action Camera Bundle
Top-rated: 1,553 ratings | 185 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Shoots stunning video with up to 4K resolution; captures crisp and pro-quality photos with 20MP clarity.
Helpful review: "This is my third AKASO action cam and the best so far to date that I have owned. I bought the Brave 4 Pro to have another action cam handy to record our upcoming Disney Cruise trip. I have really been impressed with the value of the AKASO brand action cameras as they do everything I need them to do at an affordable cost over other brands. The camera is loaded with features, has 4K resolution and stabilization, great image quality, good battery life, and comes with a ton of accessories. The waterproof case just works and I have used it for swimming and snorkeling. The wireless wrist remote is just fantastic and convenient. The only gripe may be the audio quality could be better but is acceptable and expected for the small built-in microphone. No hesitation to recommend for the average user out there looking for a value 4K action camera.
A FEW WORDS FROM A NEIGHBOR:
This is my first action camera. I bought it primarily for my E-Mtn bike but will also use it for my motorcycles and as a dash cam for cars. It's amazingly small and there are a multitude of mounting hardware included in the kit. Setting the options in the menu is relatively easy. There was some confusion regarding finding all of the optional settings listed in the owner's manual vs. what I actually saw on my camera's menu. I sent an email to Akaso regarding this question and I received a logical answer within a few hours suggesting that my camera was a newer version compared to the manual download. I have used the camera several times as the sun was going down and it doesn't do great with low light levels. But overall it is a nice little entry-level camera for an amazingly competitive price." — Edgar E. Levinson
Get it from Amazon now: $149.99 & FREE Returns
2. Eyoyo Fish Finder - Portable Underwater Camera
Top-rated: 1,145 ratings | 136 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: IR lights provide brightness and clarity in dark environment.
Helpful review: "I've been researching underwater fishing cameras for quite some time. Looking at comparison videos between the Eyoyo, AquaVu and Marcum. I've finally made my choice and ordered the Eyoyo 7inch / 15m(49ft). So far, it exceeds all my expectations, for such a low price point! Quality packed neat little device!
PROS:
- First off, setup and connections are really foolproof.
- Takes less way less than 5 minutes. Every cable is clearly labeled.
- Carrying case is robust and sturdy. Everything fits in its place.
- The image quality is stunning. I attached the camera at the end of a long saltwater fishing pole and lowered it in the water. Water wasn't too deep, but it didn't really matter. The image is soooooooo clear. Unfortunately, the screenshots I captured with my cell phone may not fully convey how clear and detailed the image is.
THOUGHTS:
- Is a 7" in screen big enough? I think so. The LCD screen is really nice, daylight viewable. And it's really really sunny out there, you can install the supplied sunshade. I didn't need to yet.
- The camera angle can easily be adjusted in 3 positions: Looking down, looking horizontal, and somewhere in between.
- This camera will truly shine during ice fishing season: Dig two holes. Send the camera in one, send a jig in the other. I regret I didn't buy it a few weeks sooner. Now I've got to wait 'til next January. hehe.
- If you're on a boat, anchored, it'll be great for jigging there too. When fishing from shore? Hmm.. maybe.
CONS:
- I wish there was a little more weight at the bottom of the case.
- The LCD screen is relatively heavy, compared with the rest of the case, and it's easy for the case to fall over.
- The case 'can' fall into an 8in ice fishing hole. Be careful!
- I wish it had DVR capability, or even the ability to capture still images onto an SD card. That would be awesome! But for that, you have to pay a little more.
- Finally, if it had a built-in compass, it'll make it easier to figure out what direction the camera is pointing down below.
Other than that, big thumbs up! Highly recommended. Really glad I bought it! Affordable! Great value! I'll keep adding more pictures throughout this fishing season." — Dan Dion
Get it from Amazon now: $219.99 & FREE Returns
3. MOOCOR Underwater Camera - Fishing Camera Kit
Top-rated: 35 ratings | 4 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Built-in 16GB memory card.
Helpful review: "I received my order very quickly but unfortunately after charging it up, it wouldn't stay on. It would turn on, show the camera for 2 seconds and shut off. I reached out to the seller on a Friday and they quickly responded with troubleshooting info. We weren't able to get it corrected, so they shipped out a new one free of charge and it arrived within 2 days (on Tuesday). The new camera works perfectly and they told me to keep the old one for spare parts. Crazy good and quick customer service, highly recommended! As for the camera/screen, the quality is quite good and for the price, you absolutely can't go wrong.
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
This camera absolutely blew me away. I purchased it for ice fishing, I was on the fence between this camera or spending a whole lot more money for one of the big brand names you find in box stores. I decided that the price could not be beat with this product and it was worth a try based on the other reviews. WOW, is all I can say! I fish with a guy who uses a Marcum Pursuit 5 and his camera stayed in the tackle box when we took this out. We were both more impressed with this than the Marcum. Customer service is on par too, I had one slight hiccup and the seller got back to me that day and all has been resolved. Will definitely be recommending this product to all of my ice fishing buddies.
MY NEIGHBOR’S REVIEW:
I had been searching for something that would work well for ice fishing that didn't break the bank. I'm thoroughly pleased with this product. Performs well in cold temperatures and the adjustable video and camera settings allows for maximum viewing and recording underwater. A con to this is the wire storage, so the wire wraps around the back and can sometimes get tangled up. Another con is that it takes a fine touch to get the camera to stay put underwater. The camera likes to spin around and the wire keeps its memory so keeping it on your jig can be tough. All and all it's a good purchase and not bad for the price." — Chris Stevens
Get it from Amazon now: $169.99 & FREE Returns
4. Eyoyo Fishing Camera - Underwater Filming Bundle
Top-rated: 409 ratings | 102 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Upgraded 9" TFT color monitor (with a removable sun-visor).
Helpful review: "Love this camera so far. It took a few attempts to figure it out but I eventually got it to do just what I wanted.
For ice fishing, I drill 2 holes as close together as possible without touching (an inch or two apart) and I put the camera (in horizontal setup, not vertical) in one hole and my bait in the other. From there you have to twist the camera cord until you see your bait, this may be difficult to do in murky water so if that's the case use a larger or easier to see bait. Once you get the bait centered on the screen I find it easiest to set the camera right on the bottom, I didn't think the footage would be good like that but it really is.
However in cases where the fish aren't on the bottom or there's a lot of weeds, you need to suspend the camera and this takes a good bit of time to get it to hang just right with your bait in the center of screen but it is possible.
Overall, this product is great for what I paid. The battery life is awesome, I used it for 4 hours straight and it was still well above 50%. I wish the camera could film in 1080p but 720p is still good. I put my 32 GB SD card (that I usually use for my GoPro) in place of the 8 GB one they give, that way I never have to worry about recording too much.
The settings, features and setups can be a little confusing so make sure to read the instructions and don't worry if you struggle like me the first few times. This product has made ice fishing about 100x more enjoyable for me and I love making videos with it. I highly recommend it.
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
First off, the camera is very simple to run and picture quality is good. The only drawbacks I see with the product is that the camera cord is built to come out of the back which hangs the camera vertically if you use "as is". I ended up using 3 zip ties and looped it to the top mounts so it would hang horizontal.
The other "drawback" is that some fish like to attack this camera which is fun as you can see by my clip when the camera shakes or spins. I am now ordering the tripod to fit above the ice hole and hold the cable because it is very difficult to line it up perfectly on your bait as the cable has "life or coil" in it which causes it to not want to micro adjust with it just laying on the ice.
I would suggest using this in an ice house where it's dark for best results because it's hard to see the screen outside with sun which is with any screen (example: phone).
I have only used this on a couple outings but I wanted to share some footage I took of some Pike while ice fishing in Montana. It's neat to see what those fish are doing down there and how they take or not take your bait. Hope you enjoy the clips and would suggest you get one of these for yourself and start the fun. Once you get several clips recorded you can use another program to put them together and share on whatever media you want.
Also on another note: This is recorded in about 15 feet of water and can see fish out to 10 feet which is great for me." — Bryan Miller
Get it from Amazon now: $229.99 & FREE Returns