GoPro for fly-fishing?

Fishfinder · #1 06-12-2016, 01:47 PM

This thread may not belong here...but I'm starting it here

I've decided to bite the bullet and buy a GoPro. Now I just don't know which one to buy. I'm not a big techy guy, its primary use would be to record fly fishing footage. So do I need to go buy the latest and greatest or would a Hero3 suffice and if so black or silver? My main concerns really are just cost and battery power/length?

I know there are reviews out there but thought I'd ask fellow fisherfolk here first, what are y'all using, any advice on which route to go? They are not cheap but I figure it's worth it as I don't plan on retiring from fishing anytime soon and I fish alone a lot so need best way to capture the moments without really having to take fish out of water at all, if not for a brief moment. Memory won't last forever

Any advice?
Cheerio

rycoma · #2 06-12-2016, 02:11 PM

The guys I play paintball with use them. They are near indestructible. I would like to get one myself. For both of my hobbies.

Paintedblac · #3 06-12-2016, 02:19 PM

i got the sony action cam i find the picture quality better

4x4bowhunter · #4 06-12-2016, 06:09 PM

I use the Go Pro hero 3 black. For what you want to use it for, I do not think you need the newest models. Even the Hero 3 Black is overkill. From what I know, the only difference from the silver and black is that with the black, you have the option of WIFI with the black. This feature basically means you can use the camera remotely either with the go pro remote, or your smart phone (do not get confused by the word WIFI, you do not get the internet through it, just remote access). For recording while fishing, this feature really does not come into play. Where I use it is at the end of the day. You can turn on the camera's WIFI and view the footage on your phone or tablet through the GO PRO APP. This way you can delete the video's that did not turn out well and save space on the memory card for the next day's recording. Here are 3 videos that I did a few years ago. Some of the footage was shot with a chesty mount and others were shot by my wife just holding it. I did not get great footage from using a head attachment. The footage gets very blurry as while fishing my head turns constantly from side to side watching where i am walking, looking for places to cast and most importantly, looking for bears, lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qw3-sxo52I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fFEoJYgSY0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIH3iwI4wi4

lucky_magic_stick · #5 06-12-2016, 07:26 PM

I love using my go pro for fishing footage. I bought an attachment for rifles/rods.. But I use it by putting it on my nets, so you can get the angle of the fish getting netted. Also, I grabbed an old hockey stick that got broken, and attached one of the sticky attachments too (and some zip-ties for security). This way I can have an extended stick (5-6 feet) and try to hold it over the holes to go get neat dry fly footage/fighting footage. And it doubles up as a wading stick haha.

A-Baum · #6 06-13-2016, 07:55 AM

I've used a GoPro the last few years for fly-fishing. If you really want to have some fun, buy yourself the dive housing and an 8' or so telescoping monopod. I have used it while laying down on a large rock and exploring the pools and riffles and just seeing what's down there. My buddy and I did some underwater exploration for around an hour during the mid day lull, and then went to a pizza joint and watched footage on the laptop while we ate. Fascinating stuff. Fish aren't really spooked by the camera.

Only drawback to underwater footage is it's really hard to tell scale. I was in an Idaho river and my buddy was up on the bank and saw some ~12kg chinook salmon coming up the river. I got some footage of them underwater, but upon watching it since the bottom was mostly sand and there was no structure, it was hard to tell if they were 15" trout or the monster Chinook that they were.

Final advice, get a chest harness for it rather than using a head mounted harness. Chest harness gives you more stable footage as well as better scale when the fish is in close and you're releasing it.

Fishfinder · #7 06-13-2016, 08:22 AM

Thanx for all the advice guys. You've convinced me on the chest mount rather then head mount though I'm sure I'll end up with both in the end haha. Depending on where I am, I could see uses for both. I'm only 5'6" so I'll have plenty of underwater footage hehe. I foolishly wade a little to deep sometimes I think..as I'm a lightweight..don't take much to lift me off my feet. At least should a fatal step be taken, should make for some interesting video if ever found.

After watching 4x4's footage (great fish there, nice water too, thanx for sharing!) I think a Hero3 should do just fine. Funny, I instantly forgot I was supposed to be examining viewing quality and just enjoyed watching a guy fish for 15 min haha. Quality was fine as far as I could tell.

Pool viewing pole is a neat idea, though I think I'd fish a pool first, then view it underwater, as to not spoil the surprise/s

Thanx again guys, much appreciated.
Have fun, be safe.

A-Baum · #8 06-13-2016, 08:36 AM

I have the very first GoPro Hero camera, and the quality in HD is fantastic. I've seen no need to upgrade, although I likely will here soon as the battery performance isn't great after 4 years. Just make sure you get a 32gb or 64gb SD card so you don't have to worry about running out of space.

As for pool watching, like I said we usually did that during the middle of the hot day when fishing was pretty much dead. It's amazing the number of fish you'll see stacked up in places you don't expect. Really fun to watch that video and see how many fish you can count. It's also really funny as you watch the film and see a pair of sunglasses tumble by underwater...then feel your head and realize they were YOUR sunglasses that are now at the bottom of the drink.

kcoderre · #9 06-13-2016, 10:47 AM

I started doing the same thing this year but a GoPro wasn't in the budget, so I bought a knock off...SJ400 Wifi, it came with all the attachments and two batteries for $67. Took about 3 weeks to get here. Then I bought a charger and 4 more batteries for $15 (the batteries last about 90minutes). Another $6 got me a head mount (the chest mount is the same price). All off ebay. It takes 1080p HD video for a fraction of the price. Here are two of my videos.

It is a budget camera but works great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo4Aj6Q4zoQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyoMXiuc1g8

CanadianEh · #10 06-14-2016, 01:13 PM

I would skip the GOPRO price tag.

look into an Activeon CX Gold action camera. Quality is easily the same as GOPro but with better features, and a lower price tag.

frewbrandon · #11 06-15-2016, 03:08 PM

If anyone is interested, I have a go pro hero forsale, $150, it's the original GoPro in awesome shape. I didn't use it very often, few times snowboarding and a couple times in Mexico. Comes with all the boxes accessories, brand new case with no scratches over the lens. Also have the wrist case, a pole, and a 16gb memory card.

r-von · #12 06-16-2016, 07:44 AM

i've been using a hero3 for the last couple years and have been fairly happy with it. The only thing i dont like about my hero 3 is the fact it has no view finder and it only takes 6 megapixel pictures. Recently i picked up a SJCAM SJ5000 off amazon which is a pretty well a knock off gopro, it still takes 1080p video at 30fps as well it is 14 megapixel and has a lcd display on the back. For $125 i figured it was worth a try and so far i can't say i'm disappointed.