Digital Camera

It's become something of a tradition - an annual pilgrimage of sorts to a favorite fishing hole in Riverside County, Southern California, for largemouth bass each year, with float tubes. A good friend and I finally got out onto the water a little while back. The conditions were much tougher this year than other years, but we still managed to land several chunky largemouth, including one pushing 18-20". I'll let the pictures and video do the talking. 

Haiwee Reservoir ( Summitpost ) Have you ever spotted an awesome body of water from the road and wondered if you could fish it? On a recent road trip to Bishop, I encountered Haiwee Reservoir and could not help but think about just that. After considerable research, emails, and phone interviews, I have a tale for you! North and South Haiwee Reservoirs may be seen just to the east of 395, before Olancha and after Fossil Falls. Two picturesque bodies of water, they represent a tantalizing target for anglers and a symbol of the historic conflict over water that has haunted this region for years.  Do they have fish? Absolutely, according to the LA Times, the lakes hold rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brown trout, Sacramento perch, bluegill, carp, and more. The lakes were even stocked by DFG for several years ( Daily News Outdoor ). Sadly, while once open to anglers, these lakes remain closed for the last 10 years. Fortunately, concerned locals are pressing fo...

Fished Puddingstone Reservoir (Frank Bonelli Park) this week.  Fishing was very slow, only landed one small largemouth bass. The water was very stained. Did find an old fishing lure, no idea on the identify.  Check out the video of fishing at Puddingstone!

Old report but still a goodie! Fished at a new spot for a couple of tiny bites. Frustrated, I drove home, but not before stopping to fish an old reliable urban creek in the Inland Empire. Success! Missed two and landed two more, including a nice one (by urban creek standards) in 30 minutes. Hard to beat that!

Midland offers a wide variety of action cameras, geared towards the outdoors aficionado. In the past, I have reviewed their excellent XTC 300 and am thrilled to try out their new XTC 450 Action Camera.  Features The Midland XTC 450 offers a considerable upgrade from the XTC 300, now offering 1080p recording at 16:9 aspect ratio with a rotatable, 7 element lenses. Sadly, the viewing angle is limited at 1080p (30fps) to 105 degrees. At 720p (60fps), it jumps up to 142 degrees. A 1700mAH battery, with life up to 4 hours (very reliable for me during testing) will keep users recording at length during trips. Focal length 5 inch to infinity and MP4 video at H.264 compression round out the specs on this action camera. Settings are adjustable via the back panel (video quality, WiFi, etc) or through the smartphone app, Action Connect. (More after the jump) The XTC is a decidedly different design of action camera, more similar to the Contour line than the GoPro models, thanks to the oblong...

Just returned from a fantastic trip to the Pacific Northwest. Managed to get in some excellent smallmouth bass fishing on the Columbia River in Washington State. To make things even better, I also caught a summer steelhead while fishing for the smallies!  Check the video out below, filmed with the BlackVue Sport Action Camera.  Also, check out these underwater photos I took of steelhead smolts as well!

Recently, I fished Lost Lake in the Cajon Pass, near Highway 215 in California. This little sag lake, in a fault line, is very, very deep. It is spring fed and has crystal clear water.   Video The fish were very wary and shoreline access was limited. However, between my friend and I, we managed to land 3 largemouth and one bluegill. It's a very odd lake that feels out of place amidst the dry scrub brush and nettles.

Sometimes, your photo captures the perfect moment. This is one of them. Success. Huddleston Shad lure was the ticket. 

Prado Reservoir County Park, near Chino Hills, offers a lot of shoreline for anglers. I recently got to fish this lake and found the myriad of reeds, trees and other structure very fun to fish. The bass weren't huge but we managed to land a few chunky ones throughout the day.

Intro While names like GoPro and Contour have dominated the action camera market, many companies have started offering much more affordable alternatives. Amongst these is the interesting Midland XTC series . Now, while Midland is often well-known for its line of radios, they also have released a solid line of action cameras aimed at fans of the great outdoors. I took the XTC300VP4 HD Wearable Action Camera out on a several fishing trips and really enjoyed it. Interested in a affordable action camera with a wide range of accessories and high quality video? Read on! Features The Midland XTC300 will film in three modes: 480 (low), 720 (med, 60FPS), 1080 (high, 30FPS), with wide angle lenses (127 in 1080p, 147 in 720p), and fits up to a 32gb micro SD card. Other features include: Single Slide Switch for easy operation - On/Off Includes Submersible Case (up to 100 ft) (More after the jump) Also Includes 4 mounts - Helmet, Helmet Strap, Handlebar and Goggle Can Switch between 1080p, 720p...

Ever spot a tiny drainage channel and wonder if there could be fish in it? Wonder no more! Watch the below video for more, green sunfish action and bass!

 Hooked up with a couple of chunky largemouth bass. One of my best spring SoCal fishing outings yet. The bite has turned on and I'll be on the water!

Slow day for fishing in southern California. Cold snap overnight after a rainstorm. Fog rolling out at day break. Water was running high and fast. Fish didn't cooperate. However, the scenery was quite memorable. Enjoy!

Went hiking and exploring the San Gabriel River for new spots. The weather was a little chilly, by California standards, but the clear skies made up for the cold. We found plenty of interesting water, including deep pools and bends, but no fish. Perhaps in the coming months these spots will be worth returning to. Still, it wasn't a bad trip, as the fantastic scenery is a testament to! Check the video below as well for a better idea of the variety of locations we scouted.