Digital Camera

Hiked at the wonderful Peters Canyon Regional Park recently. Cloudy day, but it was still a pleasant hike overall. I was most interested in the Peters Canyon Reservoir. I have heard many stories of fishermen a long time ago catching largemouth bass and catfish out of it, but now there is no public access. This seems to be the case for many reservoirs and lakes in Orange County, a disappointing change from other parts of the country I have lived in.  Of note, the recent drought seems to have hit the reservoir particularly hard. It appears to be very shallow, and looked no more than a few feet deep from the shore. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fish in Peters Canyon Reservoir have been eaten by herons or raccoon's. 

Flows were low but still consistent on this wild stream deep in the Southern California mountains. We landed several beautiful brown trout from crystal-clear pools    Photos and video with BlackVue Sport Action Camera All trout were released safely.  Until next time! Video:

Next up in our review series on affordable action cameras and GoPro alternatives is the Krazilla Sports action camera . I was fortunate enough to take it on several fishing and outdoor trips recently and wanted to share my thoughts on this compact action camera. (More after the jump + videos) The Krazilla action camera features 1080p and 720p HD video recording at 140 degrees wide angle lens, with a waterproof case and nice 1.8" LCD display viewfinder on the back. There is also Mini HDMI output and cycle recording support available. Once you dive into the built-in menu, you'll find the ability to adjust a variety of the stock settings without ever even having to connect your computer! Be sure to turn off the Date/Time stamp on first use though, unless you in the minority that likes such a thing in your fishing videos (you'll notice I forgot to take it off at first, whoops!) Krazilla is compatible with GoPro accessories. Thus, the affordable OEM chest mounts, headstraps, se...

Some of my readers may recall the very popular Top Micro Ultralite Fishing Lures post a few years back. I still eagerly collect micro hardbaits and have continued to add to my collection.  Recently, I came across a number of Polish custom micro lure designs, including Woblerypn AKA Lures-PN. You can see some of his fascinating creations here . Woblerypn's lures feature beautiful handpainted wood designs, ranging from insects and small baitfish. I picked up several, as you can see above. They are also remarkable tiny-on par with the tiny Snap Beans from Yo-Zuri. I was very impressed with the details of these little lures; it's been too cold to fish with them lately but I'll hopefully have a written report from an Urban Creek, Trout Stream, or Pond in the future. You can purchase directly from him through his website , or through eBay here . 

Recently, a friend and I hiked into yet another hidden stream in Southern California. The hike was arduous but definitely worth it, as the multitude of colorful rainbow trout we caught evidenced.  I hope you enjoy the photos and the video, filmed with SJ4000 Action Camera and a few shots with GoPro Hero.

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...

I love action cameras, especially affordable ones. While GoPro often comes to mind when action cameras are discussed, there is actually a huge number of options available for anglers on the market today. One of the most exciting and affordable action cameras today is the SJ4000. It has been extremely well-received online, with multiple reviewers praising it . So, it's only fitting I feature this intriguing GoPro-alternative in our continuing review series on affordable action cameras.  (Read on after the jump!) First Impressions: After unboxing the SJ4000, you'll notice a nice, rubberized grip surface. It comes in a variety of colors; but the black version (shown above) seems to be the most common. Camera is light but doesn't feel cheap. Buttons are fairly simple, a good thing for easy recording, with a power/menu button on the front, record on top, and up/down/wifi selector on the side. Camera boots up quickly, with a nice SJ4000 splash screen, and audible on/off sounds...