Where has this year gone already?... the forthcoming annual event and its interruption between one fishing day and the next... you can tell I've no kids.
Like me you'll no doubt have two Santa lists in mind. The first being a wish list, gear you'd really like to greet you come Christmas morn', stuff that you'll use and be eternally grateful for. Then there is list two, what you're probably likely to actually receive... more top quality vanadium tool kits, shirts that don't fit and socks as thin as tissue paper... oh joy!
With more rods, reels, lines and paraphernalia than you know what to do with we're gonna touch briefly on some hi-tech stuff instead.
The world has gone viral mad, for those managing to keep themselves up to speed with all the social network stuff you'll notice it's full of pictures and videos of fishing adventures others would wish to share... 'Look where I've been and you haven't' type thing.
If you're into that kind of stuff then here's some worth looking at:
The Olympus TG-1. This is a camera I swear by and use regularly, I'm a big fan of these tough outdoor type cameras having owned 3 previously. I update them for no more important a reason than the latest version has yet more gizmos, I like gizmos... a lot.
It's unique from all others in that you can attach an adapter for polarising filters and additional lenses that all go to enhance its use in any weather you're likely to experience when out fishing or otherwise. With the all important super quick start up you can rely on the auto setting for pretty much everything you'll need. If you're the creative type there's some superb preset shooting options... tilt shift being a personal favourite. Here's some promo video. No self promotion intended but this blog is full of TG-1 pictures.
An alternative is the Panasonic Lumix FT4. Another great outdoor tough type camera. There is little difference between this and the TG-1 for picture or video quality but the Olympus TG-1 F2.0 stop lens just does it for low light stuff. Some Lumix FT4 video.
For those days when you're out fishing by yourself as many of us tend to be, a great feature on the cameras is the portrait scene setting, especially on the Olympus... just getting yourself in front of the camera is all that's needed to capture that trophy no one else would believe you caught, even when using it one handed.
There are many more similar to the above that make capturing your day a cinch, these options are at the moment certainly top of the tree. Tech moves on so quick however it's likely these will have been superseded by the time you've finished reading this article
Staying on the Tech theme, we turn to High Definition POV (Point Of View) cameras. These are definitely all the rage for capturing those memorable action shots. Some are cumbersome whereas others are well thought out, the downside is editing the video footage itself... I say that assuming you edit it rather than put it straight out for the world to see, warts and all.
First and foremost is probably the most popular, the GoPro. A truly stunning bit of kit that at present sets the standard for POVs, especially the GP3. Here's some video. The downside to using this when fishing is its placement, on your head/cap and you look like a dalek (I did nearly put an expletive here), there is a chest harness attachment which is fine unless you prefer chest type packs, you'd also need to ensure your upper trunk is always facing the action so no trophy shots are missed. My preferred option are bullet style POVs which can be attached comfortably to heads straps, where your head turns is what you film... the latest versions of which can be streamed by WiFi to your mobile phone enabling you to see in real time what you're actually recording.
The three I currently have in use are the now outdated Drift HD170 which has since been replaced with the Stealth, a smaller version but still with video screen, The ION Air Pro which can stream a live feed to your mobile, and the Replay XD1080 which is the smallest and lightest of the three. They all record in a variety of formats from VGA to full 1080HD as well as take stills with various time delays.
The selection above I know to be good and represent only but a mere smidgen of the vast amount of cheap or expensive kit out there. I certainly don't find it a hindrance as was once the case, decent cameras and alike came in the form of DSLRs which were heavy and certainly not conducive to taking out on a day's fishing. Nowadays these popular compacts compete and exceed the use of a DSLR for the every day unless you're a professional. Have a browse, you might just find something to make your ever growing wish list longer.