How To Set Up a GoPro Camera for Fishing

When action cameras hit the market a few years ago, bass fishing was changed forever. Almost overnight every-day anglers had a tangible way to gain notoriety on the internet. As Tim explains, its become so much more than that. The most significant benefit of filming your day on the water is the ability to review the footage after the fact.  So much can be gleaned from a video that you missed in person. 

We've received a lot of inquiries about what cameras we use and how we attach them to the boat. In this week's video Tim breaks down some of the different GoPro cameras we use including the differences in models and the must-have accessories that make using them on the boat as seamless as possible.

We recommend two different GoPro cameras. For the beginning angler on a budget, you can't beat the Hero camera. At $129 even a budget angler can gain the ability to record their day. For anglers that want to use the footage for promotion, pictures, etc... the Hero 4 Black Edition cannot be beat. They retail for $499 but the footage is second to none. You can shoot in 4K and in frame rates as high as 120/second. Both of our boats are covered from multiple angles by Hero 4 Blacks when we are fishing.

The accessories you need to be comfortable on the water day after day are:

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• LCD BacPac: The BacPac allows you to watch, edit, adjust settings, etc... without the use of an external monitor.
• Battery PacPac: This pack allows you to extend the life of your camera so you're not stopping to change batteries as often.
• GoPro Cigarette Lighter: Most bass boats are equipped with cigarette lighters and this will let you charge the camera to keep the batteries full.
• Battery Packs: Aftermarket battery packs are best sourced on Amazon. Combined with a USB cord you can film for hours, if not days, without charging.
• Gooseneck Clamp: The Gooseneck allows you to capture all kinds of angles without sticking multiple mounts to the boat.
• Jaws Flex Clamp: The Jaws Clamp will clip to just about anything. Gone are the days that you have to use the adhesive-backed bases all over the hull of the boat
• Suction Cup Mount: Stick this mount to anything from the windshield to the motor cowling to get great shots!

We know that not every angler considers filming their day on the water to be a priority but if you're thinking about giving it a try, these are the tools we use every day. They're yet another way that you can fine-tune your angling and become a better fisherman. Good luck out there!

Night Fishing with Infrared Cameras

This past week we attended the International Sportsman's Expo. Instead of fishing we were meeting anglers, shaking hands, and doing seminars on the bass tank. The seminars were recorded so you should expect to see some of the content uploaded here very soon. We know some of you live out of state, and even out of country so we did our best to capture it for anyone that wasn't able to be there in person.

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Since you'll have to wait on that footage we thought we'd share something unique with you this week. To our knowledge this has not been done before by bass fisherman. Tacticalbassin used Infrared technology and  highly modified GoPro cameras to record a night of fishing. This allowed them to capture very clear images without the use of lighting so that you can have a true, first person view of what goes on out there in the dark.

The footage is very well lit from the camera's perspective but remember, without the headlamps the anglers cannot see anything. Enjoy the footage, good luck out here this week, and keep an eye out for more infrared fishing clips in the future!

Winter Maintenance for Rods and Reels

With the holidays upon us its a great time to take a break and maintain your equipment. This week Tim breaks down the steps he takes to keep his gear in tip top shape. Take a few minutes over the holidays to winterize your gear, it will pay off when the new year starts. 

Step 1) Clean The Cork

After a long season of flipping, pitching, frogging, etc... the cork can get pretty dark. A quick scrub with denatured alcohol will have it looking like new. When you're done with the cork rub down the rod and reel as well. 

Step 2) Clean and Inspect the Guides

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Cork Before Cleaning

One of the most common causes of lost fish and nicked lines is damaged guides. Inspecting the guides by sweeping a cotton ball through them will show you if there is any damage. Any chips or cracks of any kind will require a guide replacement. Better now than when there is a 10 lber at the other end of the rod!

Step 3) Adjust and Dry your Reels

We're not going to go into a full breakdown of reel maintenance as its is a whole video series by itself. We do however recommend backing off your drags and drying your reels thoroughly. This is especially important if you use braided line. Braid holds moisture long after you're done fishing and if you have a perforated spool that moisture is going straight into the reel's interior. 

4) Clean the Braid

Clean the braid? Really? That seems like overkill until you do a little research. Cleaning your braid with a product like Braid Aid (recently recommended to us and man does it work) will extend the life of the braid and drastically increase your casting distance. Its a time consuming process to strip all the line and clean it properly but its worth doing. Besides, its the holiday season... its this or fruitcake so get to work. 

5) Rod Gloves

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Cork after Cleaning

Last but not least, use rod gloves. They're your friend. Matt spent years making fun of Tim and his rod wraps but fast forward to Matt's equipment falling apart and Tim's looking brand new... get some rod gloves. Not only do they keep your rods protected (no more broken tips in the rod locker) they also keep lines from tangling and can help with organization by color coordinating rods (wrap all your sissy spinning rods in pink rod wraps so everyone knows you're actually using those things).

We know this isn't a typical fishing tactics video but with the year coming to an end its important to take a few minutes and maintain your equipment. You'll be glad you did when you hook a giant on your first trip back to the lake!

Ledge Fishing: Tricks to Catch More Fish

No matter where you are in the country, when the baitfish start moving to the rocks the bass fishermen will be close behind. Whether you target summer ledge fish in the Southeast, fall ledge fish in the West, or Winter bluff fish everywhere in between, a time of year will come when dialing in your approach to fishing vertical cover will come in handy.

I have the unique opportunity of fishing with anglers from around the globe and in doing so, I've noticed a pattern. The vast majority of anglers struggle to effectively target bass when they move from their shallow haunts in favor of more vertical cover.

Fishing vertical cover presents some unique challenges that are not often encountered with other styles of fishing. In no particular order those challenges include staying in the strike zone long enough to get bit, knowing if you're on bottom, feeling the bite, and missing the bite because you're out of position. These problems are even more severe if compounded with fishing at night.

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Almost all of these problems are caused by adjusting your baitcasting reel correctly. Yes, I said correctly. For every other application your adjustments are perfect but if you want to fish vertical cover, its time to make some incorrect adjustments that will make all the difference!

Through trial and error I've found a very simple way to eliminate all of the above mentioned problems at once. By backing off the spool tension knob (found next to the star drag) you can eliminate the resistance the reel has on the line. This allows the bait to fall vertically instead of drifting away from the cover like a pendulum. Additionally, the free-floating spool will spin freely enough that you can feel the line falling, stopping, or even getting bit, without having to look down.

I've found this technique to be most effective when fishing jigs, worms, and swimbaits. If using a smaller reel like a Core 50MG you can get away with weights as light as 3/8 oz without experiencing the pendulum effect. If you're going to use standard tackle (I prefer a Curado 200) its important that you step up to a 3/4 oz jig (this works great with swim jigs as well) or heavier in order to keep the presentation as vertical as possible.

Using these quick tips will make you a more effective ledge fishermen overnight. I've seen clients go from getting no bites at all, to catching fish after fish by just backing off the tension. Its a simple solution to a very complicated series of problems that plagues us all at one time or another.