Fish smarter. Equip yourself with all available underwater intel, say the sport’s top practitioners, and you’ll almost always find and catch fish. It’s a credo espoused by Dr. Jason Halfen—university professor and director of The Technological Angler, an angling think tank that blends fishery science with electronic fishing gear.
A longtime underwater camera user, Halfen recently joined forces with Aqua-Vu, the recognized leader in underwater viewing technology. The goal of the alliance, Halfen says, has been to teach the angling community what’s really happening beneath the surface. “Help folks appreciate and comprehend the underwater world, and they’ll not only catch more fish on any water, but also increase their enjoyment in the field.”
Aqua-Vu president Ben Gibbs notes the advantages of underwater learning, as well as the rewards of having a good teacher. “Using an Aqua-Vu camera is simpler than interpreting sonar, and also requires no guesswork as to what you’re seeing on the screen. But folks who use a camera can still benefit greatly by learning shortcuts to success from someone like Jason, who’s both a terrific angler, and a fantastic educator.”
Drawing on over twenty years of professional teaching experience, Halfen conducts hands-on training workshops as well as online and DVD videos on using the full array of angling electronics. “I first used an Aqua-Vu camera about 6 years ago, while learning to interpret Side Imaging sonar,” says Halfen. “Since then, I have used an Aqua-Vu extensively to identify fish and structure I’ve located with sonar.
“How many times have you fished through a school you thought were walleyes or bass, only to leave frustrated because they wouldn’t bite? Chances are, the fish down there weren’t the species you imaged, but instead small perch, carp or something else entirely. By dropping my Aqua-Vu Micro cam, I can immediately remove the margin for error. That’s what I call awesome intel.”
To help anglers make the connection between sonar images and real life Aqua-Vu video, Halfen has been conducting an instructive online quiz and contest. Visitors to the Facebook pages of Aqua-Vu and The Technological Angler are presented with a Humminbird sonar image and asked to identify what they see. Folks log their guess and a week later view a short Aqua-Vu video clip that reveals the answer. The first to guess correctly can win a variety of prizes, including a new Aqua-Vu Micro Camera System.
“Without exception,” says Gibbs, “the most popular content on our social media is Aqua-Vu underwater video. Folks can’t get enough of seeing fish and how they interact with lures. It’s why video material from Jason and other pros is so helpful for our customers. Aqua-Vu is a learning tool. But it’s also the most entertaining fishing tool there is—at least, other than your rod and reel.”
About Aqua-Vu
The Original Underwater Viewing System, Aqua-Vu is manufactured by Outdoors Insight, Inc., and has led the underwater camera category in design, innovation and quality since 1997. They were also the first with on-screen displays of water temp, depth and camera direction, LCD monitor, IR and LED light systems, DVRs and now Digital Zoom. The Central Minnesota based company builds other popular outdoors products as well, such as the iBall Trailer Hitch Camera (iballhitchcam.com) and Odor Check Moisture and Odor Control System (odorcheck.com). For more information on Aqua-Vu, visit www.aquavu.com.