Many fishers like to use fish finders to find their fish, which is really helpful. But they don’t really provide a true to life image, only an underwater camera can achieve that.
A good underwater camera can really bring you up close and personal with nature, and bring color and light to the unseen world in the rivers and lakes that surround us.
There’s no shortage of underwater cameras out on the market today, and we’ve gone through them to pick out 5 of the best.
Our reviews of them come next, followed by a brief buying guide which covers everything you might want to think about before purchasing.
In a hurry? This is our winner!
- 【9" LARGER COLOR MONITOR】: The image display is more realistic and delicate. The 9 inches bigger TFT color monitor comes with a removable sun-visor ideal for bright environments.
- 【1000TVL CAMERA w/ 12pcs INFRARED LIGHTS】: Specially manufactured 1000TVL program chip and 12pcs IR lights, fishes will be seen more clearly in the dark environment. Please note: the image will turn black and white if you open the infrared light.
- 【DVR RECORDING FUNCTION】: 8GB TF card included, you can record the underwater landscapes as your want.
- 【6-8H WORKING TIME】: 4500mAh high capacity rechargeable battery cell box included, It can also be used for light control.
- 【SPECIAL FISH SHAPE AND SILVER COLOR DESIGN】: This unique design will not disturb the fish, it can Lure the fish close to them.
Best Underwater Camera for Fishing – Comparison Table
Best Underwater Camera for Fishing – Reviews
There’s a lot to love about this underwater camera – Eyoyo has done it again.
The stand out feature of this beauty is that you can record video of your fishing antics – so you get to relive your catches and score bragging rights, long after your fish is caught, cooked and eaten.
An 8 GB TF micro SD is included in the price, for videoing your fishing, so you don’t have to run out and buy one separately.
The color viewing screen is really big too, a nice wide 9 inches altogether. It has a pretty good resolution, so you get true to life images, and it comes complete with a sun visor, that you can remove when not needed.
The high definition camera has HD 1000 TV lines.
It also has 12pcs of high-power infrared lights, you can even see the fish clearly in the dark of night.
The connecting cable is incredibly long, measuring a full 30 meters. That’s nearly 100 feet!
We love that the camera has a special silver look and fish shape, to imitate fish rather than disturb them, and can even help lure them in.
The high capacity lithium battery included in the price is rechargeable, and will continue working for up to 6 hours on a full charge.
Designed for underwater use, the camera has a waterproof rating of IP68 (more on that in our buying guide).
When you’re done everything packs away neatly into it’s neat little briefcase style carry case.
- Record video of your fishing
- 8 GB TF micro SD is included in the price
- 9 inch wide color high resolution viewing screen Removable sun visor High definition camera 12pcs infrared lights, for viewing in dark 30 meter long cable
- Camera imitates fish
- Includes a rechargeable battery
- Good battery life
- Waterproof rating of IP68
- Great portability
- Premium product at a premium price
If money were no object, this beauty would be the one to go for!
It’s stand out feature is it’s 360 degree horizontal panning camera, once the camera has been dropped into the water you can literally see all around, left, right, in front, behind, all without having to move.
The camera itself is designed for durability – it has impact protection and is anti corrosive.
It lets you record video of your fishing too, and even comes with an 8 GB DVR function memory card. You can capture all your fish catching memories, and access them whenever you like.
The LCD display screen is nice and big at 9 inches, and is in full color.
There’s a handy sun visor to keep the glare off, for when it gets bright.
When it gets dark you can switch on the infrared lights, of which there are 18 surrounding the camera’s lens.
It has a waterproof rating of IP68, perfectly designed for underwater activity.
The connecting cable is really long, it can drop the camera up to 30 meters below (that’s almost 100 feet).
It comes with a rechargeable lithium battery and charger, and the battery will last up to about 8 hours after a full charge.
It all comes stored in a convenient aluminum case for easy transport.
- 360 degree horizontal panning camera
- Camera has impact protection and is anti corrosive
- Record video of your fishing ventures
- Large 9 inch color LCD display screen
- Handy sun visor
- Infrared lights
- Waterproof rating of IP68
- 30 meter long connecting cable
- Rechargeable lithium battery
- Battery lasts up to 8 hours
- Comes in a convenient carry case
- Premium product at a premium price
This is a great underwater camera from Ricank.
We love how you can just fix the color LCD monitor to your fishing rod – perfect.
The screen shows the fish in high definition, and measures 4.3 inches. We would argue that this is plenty big enough, especially when attached to your rod, you don’t want to go making your rod unnecessarily heavy.
The display monitor can be used in any lighting conditions, since there’s both a sun visor and an LED backlight on the monitor.
With regards to the camera itself, it’s 1000 TVL, and we love how you can shoes whether to angle it horizontally or vertically.
It comes with a good length of connecting cable, measuring a full 15 meters altogether, that’s just over 49 feet. And the cable is thick and designed to be durable under water pressure.
The frosted metal casing is durable and strong, and it’s waterproof rating comes in at IP68, which is plenty good enough (more on IP ratings in our buyers guide).
When it gets dark, you can simply switch on the 8 LED lights that surround the camera, and see the fish almost as clearly as you would in the light.
It comes with a powerful rechargeable battery, which will last up to 8 hours on a full charge.
It’s small size and light weight make it really portable to carry around.
- You can fix the monitor to your rod
- High definition display
- Can be used in any lighting conditions
- Camera can be angled horizontally or vertically
- Good quality 15m connecting cable
- Frosted metal casing is durable and strong
- Waterproof rating of IP68
- 8 LED lights for when it gets dark
- Really portable
- As the product has only recently come on the market, there aren’t too many peer reviews for it on the Amazon page just yet
Here’s a real popular underwater fishing camera from Moocor.
It features a 1000 TVL high definition underwater camera, which is connected by a good quality 15 meter cable to a 4.3 inch color LCD monitor. You get real crisp, clear images.
The camera has a waterproof rating of IP68 (we explain IP ratings in our buying guide) and can provide a wide camera angle of 120 degrees. You can choose to have the camera horizontal or vertical. Furthermore, the camera also sports an LED light, to bring that much needed light into the picture. Handy when it gets dark.
You can view the monitor in any lighting conditions, thanks to its sun visor, and LED backlight.
The monitor is really easy to use and comes equipped with some great features, like a low battery power reminder, some high fidelity video output functions, and a super handy power saving mode.
It comes with a powerful 3.7 volt rechargeable battery, which will run for up to 8 hours on a full charge.
- Camera is a big hit with customers
- 1000 TVL high definition camera
- Good quality 15 meter cable
- 4.3 inch color LCD monitor
- Waterproof rating of IP68
- Wide camera angle of 120 degrees
- Have the camera horizontal or vertical
- Camera has an LED light
- Sun visor for monitor
- Monitor has an LED backlight
- Low battery reminder
- High fidelity video output functions
- Handy power saving mode
- 3.7 volt rechargeable battery
- Battery run time of up to 8 hours
- Doesn’t come with a memory card for recording video
This underwater camera from Eyoyo has proved to be a big hit with customers.
It has a nice big color LCD monitor, coming in at 7 inches, and the screen resolution is good too, coming in at 800*400 pixels. We love that it also has a removable sun visor, to keep the glare off when the sun’s out.
You get a high definition 1000 TVL camera, and that combined with your high resolution screen, means you get crisp clear images.
The camera has a waterproof rating of IP68 (more on IP ratings in our buying guide, to follow).
The connecting cable is really long, coming in at 15 meters altogether, which works out as just over 49 feet.
In darker environments, you can make use of the camera’s 12pcs Infrared LED lights, a great feature, which will give you very clear images, albeit in black and white.
After a full charge the lithium battery will give you up to 8 hours of fishing viewing, plenty of time for most fishing outings.
It’s super portable too, with it’s own little waterproof briefcase.
- Big hit with customers
- Big 7 inch color LCD monitor
- Good screen resolution of 800*400 pixels
- Removable sun visor
- High definition 1000 TVL camera
- Waterproof rating of IP68
- 15 meter long connecting cable
- 12pcs Infrared LED lights
- Rechargeable battery included in price
- Battery lasts up to 8 hours on a full charge
- Super small and portable
- Cable can get twisted
Best Underwater Camera for Fishing – Buyers Guide
Ever wondered how an underwater camera works? A camera is placed inside a watertight, waterproof housing with a transparent window. This is then dropped into water via a cable, and then you can view the underwater scene, in all it’s crisp HD glory on the attached screen.
There are a few things to think about before buying your underwater camera, and we’ll just run through them here for you now.
Waterproofing & Durability
Obviously, the waterproofing of your underwater camera should be your first concern. Waterproofing is best judged by the IP rating. IP stands for Ingress Protection. An IP rating consists of two numbers, the first number representing resistance to dust and the second number representing resistance to water.
Higher numbers correspond to greater resistance. For an underwater camera, you need an IP rating of at least IP67 or IP68. Anything below an IP65 is probably not good enough
You also need good housing for the camera. When you’re dropping the cable into the water you don’t know if it’s going to get hit or scratched by rocks, or stuck in weeds. So you need good quality casing for the camera in order to get any longevity out of it.
For going down into deeper depths, the camera and it’s casing will also need to be durable enough to withstand any additional water pressure it may face. This becomes more important still for ice fishing.
The most easily damaged part of an underwater camera is it’s connecting cable. We would recommend that you go for an underwater camera with a thick cable, and that take care to store the cable correctly when not in use.
Screen size and resolution
A larger screen size can be nice on an underwater camera, but there’s a trade off between screen size and portability. The bigger the screen is, the heavier it is to carry.
More important than screen size is screen resolution. Screen resolution is measured in pixels, and the more pixels, the more crisp and clear the picture, and the more detail can be made out. Some of the best underwater cameras shoot high-definition 1080 pixels, and this will be more than sufficient for seeing fish in murkier water.
If you expect your waters to be particularly murky, a camera that’s fitted with LED lights is ideal.
If you plan on fishing in bright, sunny weather, you may be interested in getting an underwater camera with a sun visor to keep the glare off the screen.
Camera resolution
Of course, it doesn’t matter how good the monitor resolution is, if you don’t have a high resolution camera feeding into it. An analogue video camera resolution is measured in TVLs, which stands for television lines. TVL refers to the horizontal pixels. The higher the number of TVL, the better the quality of the image being transmitted.
Cable Length / View Depth
The longer the cable, the deeper into the water you can see. Many underwater camera cables can be anything from about 25 feet long to 50 feet long, and this is usually sufficient for most fishers. The drawback to using a longer cable is that it becomes more cumbersome to carry, so again there’s a trade off against portability.
Battery Life
For many fishers, fishing is a hobby that lasts all day, or occasionally a whole weekend. Most underwater cameras on the market feature rechargeable batteries, and these will typically last at least 6 hours after a full charge.
If you choose to buy an underwater camera that doesn’t have rechargeable batteries, we would strongly recommend that you invest in an underwater camera with batteries that you can replace. Lithium or SLA batteries make good choices.
Easy to Use
If you’re out fishing and you’re struggling to work the underwater water, it can take all the fun out of the trip, so before you buy, take a look at the user interface, and if it looks sufficiently straight forward, it usually is. It only really gets complicated when you go all out trying to use all of the fancy features.
Portability
When you go fishing, there can sometimes be a lot of kit to take with you, and if you’re on a small boat or kayak, there’s only so much you can fit in it. So that’s where the portability of your machine comes in handy.
We've touched upon portability briefly previously, so you already have an idea of what factors affect it. Other than those, you’re simply looking for it to be lightweight, and easy to carry, perhaps in a custom made bag or carry case.