It could be the most common question found on internet forums, Facebook groups, and among the freshman class of ice’s newest anglers – “Sonar or camera?” Sounds like a simple question. Multiple choice even. The answer has always been straight-forward too, with most experienced anglers leaning towards a sonar first, then purchasing a camera to eventually fill in the knowledge gaps as needed depending upon their species of interest.

Panfish, specifically bluegill and crappie, are the most sought after fish throughout the entire United States.   Anglers of all ages pursue them for a lot of reasons.  They are good to eat, plentiful, and seem to always be willing to bite throughout the entire year.  Walleye and bass anglers can get skunked on any given day but a panfish angler seldom fails to connect in an outing on the water.

This makes them a perfect species to pursue anytime you have the family and or kids on the water.  The great thing about summer is that it can be really easy fishing.  By mid-summer the fish have completed their annual spawning and have transitioned out to where they will spend the summer months.

As an ice angler, there are several tools that can aid in your fishing success. Very few, however, are as effective as an underwater camera. The information provided to an angler from the use of an underwater fishing camera not only accelerates one’s learning curve but will ultimately, put more fish on the ice.

One of the most common questions heard from new ice anglers relates to electronics – “Which is better – an underwater camera or a flasher/sonar?” The short answer is that it really depends.

The long answer is that there are certain situations that each unit type excels in. Depth, water clarity, habitat, and fishing style greatly impact which unit is right for a specific set of circumstances. In a perfect world, an ice angler should have both. This is particularly apparent for anglers that target panfish during the winter months.

Crappie are probably the trendiest fish to pursue.  If there is a hot bite out somewhere it doesn’t take long for the multitudes to find out about it.  They are also pretty willing biters and some of the tastiest fish out there.  Crappie can commonly be found in and amongst the good bluegill areas although the crappie will be found higher in the water column.  Crappie will also be found suspended over deeper basins throughout any given lake.  This makes them relatively easy to find with your flasher or digital sonar.  Find your way out onto the basin and drill a hole and look for suspended fish.  When you get on top of them then drop your presentation down right away.  Be warned, because it is a basin with no structure to hold them in a certain area, a lot of times these fish will roam about.  The challenge will be to stay over them the best you can by drilling extra holes and hole-hopping.  Using lithium batteries in your electronics makes this much more doable.  Do your arms and back a favor and replace the heavy lead-acid battery in your electronic unit.

There is no doubt that underwater cameras have had a huge impact on the growth of ice fishing.  With a stable platform of ice to set up on, a camera is a perfect tool to be able to peer into the underwater world below.  There is nothing better than being able to literally watch fish behavior and watch the fish strike your presentation.  There is so much to learn from this simple viewpoint that children to veteran ice anglers get mesmerized while watching the screen.

Two decades ago, MarCum released its first underwater video camera with a monitor for fishing, giving eyes below the surface to an entire generation of anglers.  Their world has been forever changed because of it, from the way modern ice anglers fish to the equipment they use, underwater viewing has shaped the evolution of the sport.  While the systems themselves have also evolved through the years, the one thing that remains consistent over time is the amount of information anglers glean when seeing underwater for the first time. These MarCum underwater cameras can be used for ice fishing, freshwater, and saltwater fishing.

Press Release – New Hope, MN (9/29/21) – Marcum Technologies, the undisputed leader in ice-fishing-specific sonar and cameras, takes tech to the next level. Their long-held principle is that features are useless unless they help an angler catch fish, and that can be seen throughout decades of innovation. Patented technology like moveable zoom that led to angler’s ability to target fish anywhere in the water column was the first ping heard round the world among the ice sonar community. They followed it up with additional advancements to help distinguish echoes from noise in an interference rejection system so advanced, it’s also patented.

Sometimes the easiest way to record underwater footage is to simply use your phone. That’s why MarCum has created the PanCam, a mobile controlled camera that will work wherever, and whenever, you need it. There is no need for external recorders, excess cables, or SD cards. With the PanCam, mobile recording has never been easier.

There is just something about seeing it happen with your own eyes.  Imagine a jumbo perch roaming through a weed bed in search for an easy meal with its eyes going to and fro looking for its victim.  They casually swim the edge of the cover until they catch a glimpse of the bait hovering just above the top of the weeds.  Because you are fishing amongst the weeds, underwater cameras simply give you the best opportunity to be successful.  Flashers and depth finders will often pick up the weeds making it hard to see fish and your bait.  Underwater cameras allow you to see where the fish are and where your bait is.    

Our cameras are known for their incredible image quality and bright display.  However, what many people don’t know is that you can record with nearly all of them. This allows you to analyze underwater fish behavior, create compelling content, and have fun sharing your fishing adventures with friends and family.  On most of the units, recording underwater footage is relatively simple. However, it will require a little bit of extra gear on your part. 

If you’ve tried to make a major purchase in 2021, you’ve been affected by the global supply chain slowdown.  Materials are backordered, shipping is slow, containers held up; there are seemingly more reasons than ever these days for why you can’t get at what you’re looking to own. 

We’re nearing the end of walleye season in MN, and things have gotten a bit tougher. Snow is deep and ice is thick(er), and the amount of available light at depth has been cut dramatically. Your early season haunts are likely nowhere near where you are ice fishing now, and at this point, it’s more about just getting bites rather than talking about how many you’re catching.

TONY ROACH AND JOEL NELSON TALK ABOUT THE PAST 20 YEARS AND EVERYTHING THEY HAVE LEARNED A ANGLERS THROUGH THE LENS OF AN UNDERWATER CAMERA.

“Before underwater cameras, I used to think that certain weed-beds held bass, and others had the panfish I was after.  Careful study and lots of on-ice viewing showed that most often, the best weeds and weedbeds held both, but few panfish roam edges or openings in the presence of predators.  Two-feet can be too far if you’re trying to get a bull gill to come from cover and eat.  Punch a hole right on top of them, where they don’t have to leave the safety of cover, and you can pluck them from where you never thought they existed.”