The 6 Best Underwater Cameras for Fishing in 2024 – Buyers Guide

An underwater fishing camera is a useful gadget for anglers who want to fish more efficiently. We reviewed the best underwater fishing cameras and where to purchase them.
Underwater Cameras for Fishing

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A key piece of fishing gear every avid fisherman needs in the tackle collection is a great camera but a great underwater camera takes things to another level.

Being able to watch fish behavior underwater live, take amazing pictures of the fish you catch, take awesome high-quality videos of fish underwater, and capture moments like fish eating your fly and the situation around you adds a lot to your fishing experience.

In order to get the best images and videos, you are going to need the best underwater fishing camera for your needs.

Image Product Details  
flyfisherpro-table__imageBest Underwater CameraFor PortabilityGoPro HERO9
  • High-Cesolution Camera
  • Works in & out of the Water
  • Great for Cold & Tropical Fishing
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flyfisherpro-table__imageBest Fishing Camera For All-Around UseTough TG-6 Waterproof Camera
  • Excellent Waterproofing
  • Great Video & Image Quality
  • Simple & Easy to Use
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flyfisherpro-table__imageBest Underwater Fishing Camera For Underwater ImagesSeaLife Underwater Camera
  • Durable Bombproof Build
  • Solid Battery Life
  • Excellent Storage Capacity
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flyfisherpro-table__imageBest Underwater Fishing Camera For Live ViewingMarCum Underwater Fishing Camera VS485c
  • Great Fish Viewing System
  • Works in Murky Waters
  • High-Resolution Camera
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flyfisherpro-table__imageBest Remote Viewing & RecordingAnysun Underwater Fishing Camera
  • Affordable Quality HD camera
  • 120 Degrees Wide View Lens
  • Durable
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flyfisherpro-table__imageSuper AffordableLUCKY DVR Underwater Fishing Camera
  • Excellent HQ Video
  • Simple to Use
  • Great Battery Life
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flyfisherpro-table__imageBest Underwater Fishing Camera For Recording BitesGoFish Cam Underwater Fishing Camera
  • Excellent Recording Quality
  • Simple to use
  • Great for Trolling Behind Boat
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When it comes to underwater fishing cameras you have two choices, an all-around camera for taking pictures and videos of fish you catch or a live viewing camera that helps you catch fish.

In this article, we are going to look at the best underwater cameras for fishing in both categories so you can the ideal underwater camera for your fishing needs.

Detailed Underwater Cameras for Fishing Reviews

GoPro HERO9

gopro hero 9

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Best Underwater CameraFor Portability

Specs

Video resolution: 5k

Remote viewing: No

Recording capacity: Micro SD dependent

Waterproofing: IPX 8

Battery life: 100 minutes of 5k video recording

Weight: 1lb

Pros

  • High-resolution camera for great video and image quality
  • Excellent camera quality to handle all environments
  • Simple and easy to use
  • Great for taking pictures and videos of caught fish
  • Front and rear display
  • Awesome features like Hindsight, 8 x Slo-Mo, Time Lapse
  • Works in and out of the water
  • Great for cold and tropical fishing

Cons

  • No underwater viewing system

One of the best underwater fishing cameras for all-around use, above and below the water is, without doubt, the GoPro HERO9. Now, we have all heard of GoPro and they have been used as an underwater fishing camera for years now, and they are still some of the best.

The thing I love about this underwater fishing camera is the combination of rugged durability, ease of use, awesome recording quality, and portability.

Throwing this underwater camera into a backpack before a fishing trip is easy as it is super light and compact, and you know that it is simply not going to break since it is shockproof and very waterproof too.

When you need to use this underwater fishing camera, it is quick and easy to turn on and you can use it to capture images and video of the entire fishing situation from above the water to shooting underwater too.

Whether you want a slow-motion video of a fish eating the angler’s bait on the surface or a time-lapse of cruising on a flats boat or a slow-mo of the fish being released, this camera can do it. It even has a hindsight mode where it records for 30 seconds before you press record so you never miss a bite.

With an LCD screen on both sides with excellent screen resolution, it is also a great camera for fishing alone as you can take fish selfies with ease too.

As one of the best gopro for fishing, this digital camera is not designed for live viewing though and thus it is not a fish-catching aid, it is more about capturing the overall experience so fishing enthusiasts have it documented and can share their memories.

Tough TG-6 Waterproof Camera

OLYMPUS Tough TG-6 Waterproof Camera

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Best Fishing Camera For All-Around Use

Specs

Video resolution: 4k Full HD

Remote viewing: No

Recording capacity: SD card dependent

Waterproofing: 50 feet /15 meter

Battery life: 340 images or 50 mins video recording

Weight: 0.56 lbs

Pros

  • Works in and out of the water
  • Excellent waterproofing
  • Macro settings for close-ups
  • Great video and image quality
  • Simple and easy to use
  • Built tough with shockproofing
  • Awesome for photos/videos of caught fish
  • Works for ice fishing and tropical environments too

Cons

  • No underwater camera viewing system
  • Quite expensive

The OLYMPUS Tough TG-6 Waterproof Camera is one of the best underwater cameras around as you can use it anywhere and everywhere.

You can use it snorkeling to capture an underwater scene, on safari to video wildlife, at events, and of course to capture images and videos of the fish you catch and where you catch them.

This digital camera is built to survive in the environments we angles find ourselves in. It is waterproof to 15 meters, shockproof, and dustproof and it handles extreme temperatures also so you can use it for ice fishing.

The video and images are of excellent quality and it has multiple modes for bright environments and macro shots, and it comes with image stabilization too.

Taking video and pictures couldn’t be easier either, and when used as an underwater camera, it takes incredible images and video too.

This is also a very compact underwater fishing camera that you can simply walk around with in your pocket and use to take pictures of a bear walking on the bank in one moment and an underwater shot of fish you have caught in the next.

SeaLife Underwater Camera

SeaLife Underwater Camera

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Best Underwater Fishing Camera For Underwater Images

Specs

Video resolution: 4k 1080p HD

Remote viewing: No

Recording capacity: 64 GB

Waterproofing: 200 ft / 60 m

Battery life: 2-3 hours of shooting/video

Weight: 0.9 lbs

Pros

  • Durable bombproof build
  • Waterproofing is incredibly tough
  • Large buttons for easy underwater use
  • Solid battery life
  • Excellent storage capacity
  • Takes top-quality images and video
  • Compact and portable

Cons

  • Quite expensive
  • Not good at macro

The SeaLife Underwater Camera is designed to be a diving camera but it works just as well as an underwater fishing camera too.

The great thing about this underwater camera is that it is specifically designed to take underwater videos and images so if you want the best subsurface footage of the fish you catch, this is one of the top underwater fishing cameras to own.

The camera is built to survive all environments and it comes with extra-large buttons so it is much easier to use underwater and requires very little fiddling. It captures natural light very well and takes in all the visible light underwater to give ensure your footage is awesome.

The one thing this camera isn’t so good at is macro shots so it is not the one to go for if you want close-ups of a fish’s eye or skin tones. It is also pretty expensive so it’s not ideal if you are on a budget.

MarCum Underwater Fishing Camera VS485c

MarCum LX-9 Digital Sonar/Camera System

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Best Underwater Fishing Camera For Live Viewing

Specs

Video resolution: 1080p HD

Remote viewing: Yes

Recording capacity: RCA video out jack

Waterproofing: 50 ft

Battery life: Up to eight hours

Weight: 11 lbs

Pros

  • High-resolution camera and image quality
  • Great fish viewing system
  • Helps you catch fish
  • Works in murky waters
  • Works well as an ice fishing camera or in tropical places
  • Goes to 50 feet deep
  • Quality screen resolution with sun visor
  • Long battery life and uses rechargeable batteries

Cons

  • Not for taking pictures of fish
  • No sun visor for the screen
  • Not as portable as the other underwater fishing cameras above

The MarCum Underwater Fishing Camera VS485c is a little different from the underwater fishing cameras we looked at above as it is all about letting you see what is happening beneath the surface.

You should think of this underwater fishing camera as a live viewing system as it doesn’t even come set up to record images, although you can buy plugging in a recording device into the RCA video out jack.

It comes with a 7-inch LCD screen with an excellent screen resolution to which you connect the underwater camera via a 50-foot cable and to the large lithium-ion battery.

You then simply drop the camera into the water which comes with a .01 lux rating and built-in LED lights so you can see images in deep murk water too.

Once the camera is down you can see if there are any fish down there on the excellent monitor resolution, what depth they are sitting at, and how they are reacting to your baits. This is super useful when bottom fishing for species like walleye or reef fish in the ocean.

You can use this live viewing system in all environments so ice anglers take note as this is one of the best ice fishing cameras around for seeing what is going on and how fish are behaving to your bait. It will be a valuable addition to your ice fishing gear.

The downside of this underwater fishing camera is that it is not really made for recording and the whole setup is quite heavy to carry around, especially when you include the power bank.

Anysun Underwater Fishing Camera

Anysun Underwater Fishing Camera

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Best Remote Viewing & Recording

Specs

Video resolution: HD 800 X 480 pixels

Remote viewing: Yes

Recording capacity: 8 GB

Waterproofing: IP68 98ft/30m

Battery life: Up to 12 hours of recording time

Weight: 4 lbs

Pros

  • Affordable for a quality HD camera
  • Good depth range of up to 30 meters
  • Live images of the underwater world
  • 120 degrees wide view lens so you see more
  • It will help you catch more fish
  • Comes in one carry case for portability
  • Durable and will last
  • Easy to use and great battery life
  • Ideal ice fishing camera and warm water camera

Cons

  • The camera cable can get tangled
  • Quite heavy with a 12-volt battery

The Anysun Underwater Fishing Camera is another of the underwater cameras that are designed for live viewing of how fish behave but it is also designed to record the footage with too.

This video camera comes with an LCD screen, float, camera, cable, and battery all ready to go in a handy carry case. The monitor resolution is excellent for all light conditions and the camera has 12 LED lights so you can use it in low light and murky waters too.

The cable is 30 meters long so you can drop the camera down to up to around 90 feet and see if the fish are there, and how they are behaving and reacting. The 120-degree camera angle captures a lot and the built-in 8GB memory stores all your footage for review later.

This underwater video camera is also great for ice fishing, is easy to use, and it has an epic battery life too.

The only cons to this fishing camera are that the cable can get tangled and it is pretty heavy to carry around with the battery.

LUCKY DVR Underwater Fishing Camera

Lucky Underwater Fishing Camera

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Best Underwater Fishing Camera On A Budget

Specs

Video resolution: 480×272 pixels

Remote viewing: Yes

Recording capacity: 16 GB card included

Waterproofing: 65 ft max

Battery life: 4 hrs recording

Weight: 2.2 lbs

Pros

  • Super affordable for the quality
  • Watch the underwater environment live
  • Excellent high-quality video camera
  • Simple to use
  • Solid screen resolution
  • Works for night fishing in night vision mode
  • 6m to 19 ft detecting range
  • Comes in a portable carry case
  • Great battery life

Cons

  • The cable can get tangled
  • Images are better on other cameras

If you are on quite a tight budget then the LUCKY DVR Underwater Fishing Camera might be just what you are looking for.

This is a super affordable option that still allows you to get a live view of fish behaviors under the water and record footage on the included 16GB SD card. You can also upgrade the SD to 64 GB or even 128 GB if you want to.

It comes with an easy-to-use LCD with buttons to select the modes, a 65 ft cable, and a solid camera that you connect via the cable. You can drop the camera down, float it, or troll it slowly too.

Like most cameras of this type featured it also comes with LED lights so you can get a solid image on the LCD in murky and deep waters. It is a simple setup to use and it even comes with infrared lights for infrared vision so you can use it for night fishing too.

All underwater fishing cameras like this the cable can get tangled. One other issue is that its images aren’t of as good quality as others but that is what you get when shopping on a budget.

GoFish Cam Underwater Fishing Camera

GoFish Cam Underwater Fishing Camera

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Best Underwater Fishing Camera For Recording Bites

Specs

Video resolution: 1080P / 60fps

Remote viewing: Above water only

Recording capacity: Up to 64GB via microSD

Waterproofing: 500 ft / 150 meters

Battery life: 2 hours of recording

Weight: 94 g / 3.3 oz

Pros

  • Great for recoding bites
  • Excellent recording quality
  • Simple to use
  • Links to your smartphone for viewing
  • You can add it to your fishing line and cast it out on a fishing rod
  • Great for trolling behind a boat
  • Can capture footage at 500 feet deep
  • Great for ice fishing and tropical fishing

Cons

  • Live viewing above the surface only
  • Might put fish off when on the line

The GoFish Cam Underwater Fishing Camera is a little different from all the other cameras we have covered in this article as it is designed for a different purpose.

This underwater fishing camera is made to capture images and videos of fish taking the bait. It comes in a streamlined torpedo shape that is clipped to a stainless steel mounting. You then attach your fishing line with your bait behind to capture footage of the fish taking the bait.

You can also use it in lots of other ways too such as trolling behind a boat to get images of billfish and other pelagics in the spread, floating it above a shoal of fish, or even dropping it down to 500 feet to see what is going on down on the bottom.

It is super light and hydrodynamic so you can cast it out and wind it back in with ease. It also connects via WiFi to your smartphone so you can review footage immediately and when using it with a float you can get a live view too.

It comes with a micro SD card port where you can add as many GBs as you like and there is also a micro USD port for downloading footage directly to your computer.

The footage quality is excellent at 1080P / 60fps and you can record in any environment from freezing to tropical, and it features a green, fish-attracting LED light perfect for deep water or night fishing.

The only downside to this camera is that it won’t give you a live picture when underwater and it might put fish off biting your bait when fished inline.

buying guide

What Type Of Underwater Fishing Camera Should I Buy?

The first decision you need to make is deciding what kind of underwater camera you want to own.

You kind of have two categories to choose from, a camera that gives you a live view of what is underwater to help your fishing success or a camera that lets you take awesome footage of the fish you catch above and below the water, and the environment around you.

In an ideal world, you would own both types of cameras so you can capture everything you want to but these cameras are pretty expensive so not all anglers have that luxury.

I personally would own a camera that takes great footage of where I fish and what I catch but as a fly angler, I don’t have much use for a live view of what is going on underwater.

If you fish conventionally on lakes, on the ice, and in the sea, then the advantage of being able to see fish underwater, what depth they are at, and how they react to your baits is a huge advantage.

You will be able to tailor your bait depths and tactics to the behavior of the fish and in the end, catch a lot more too.

Image Quality Vs Budget

Like with everything in fishing, more expensive options equal better quality and the same goes for an underwater camera.

If you want the best resolution such as 5k video or HD you will have to pay for it, and this is worth it if you want great footage for Instagram and other marketing purposes.

Portability

Live view cameras are generally a lot less portable than cameras like a GoPro as they come with a large battery, monitor, cable, and camera. They do come in a handy carry case but it is an extra weight to carry around to your fishing spots.

This also means you can not fish on foot with live view options as you are not going to be carrying them around while fishing but they are great for use in a boat.

The smaller cameras like the GoPro and the Olympus Tough are great for stashing in your wader pockets or in your backpack as they are light and compact.

Depth & Durability

An important factor to consider is both how durable the camera is and how deep it can go. Now durability is key as fishing environments are rough and you will want a camera that can handle where you fish, whether it is on the ice or in the warm waters of Florida.

Luckily, all the cameras featured in this article are made for extreme temperatures and designed to be treated roughly so they will last.

When it comes to depth, it depends on the type of camera you want. Live view options are typically constrained by cable length which is on average around 60 feet while handhelds average out around 15 meters.

Make sure you choose a camera that can handle the depths you want it to so you aren’t caught out while fishing and don’t miss out on some great footage.

wrap up

FAQ

How to use an underwater fishing camera?

1. Prepare your underwater fishing camera by charging the battery and inserting a memory card.

2. Attach the camera securely to your fishing line or rod.

3. Ensure that the camera is securely attached and is facing the desired direction.

4. Lower the camera into the water, ensuring that the camera is submerged.

5. Monitor the camera’s feed on the monitor or LCD screen.

6. Take pictures or videos of the underwater environment, fish, or angling action as desired.

7. Retrieve the camera from the water when finished.

8. Download the images or videos to your computer or device.

How much does an underwater fishing camera cost?

Prices for an underwater fishing camera vary depending on features and quality. Basic models can cost as little as $50, while more advanced options can cost up to $500 or more.

Who makes the best underwater camera for ice fishing?

Several companies make good underwater cameras for ice fishing, including Aqua-Vu, MarCum, and Vexilar. Aqua-Vu has the widest selection of models and is the most popular choice among ice anglers.

Do underwater cameras work in murky water?

Yes, some underwater cameras are designed to work in murky or low-visibility water. Look for cameras that have a built-in light source, such as LED lights, to help illuminate the water and make it easier to see.

How do I choose an underwater camera?

When choosing an underwater camera, consider the type of environment you will be using it in (freshwater, saltwater, ice fishing, etc.), the size of the camera, the resolution and image quality, the battery life, and the cost.

Winding Up

Thanks so much for reading my article. I hope you enjoyed it, found it useful, and have found the best underwater fishing camera for you.

It’s all about choosing between a camera that helps you catch lots of fish and a camera that lets you document the fish you catch and where you catch them in the best way possible. In an ideal world, you would have both, of course, but they are an expensive investment.

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