I know lots of people who film their days on the water.

To those who record their fishing trips: Besides being able to watch back your catches and easily bet able to remember the bait, location, time of day, weather etc. what have you learned from running a camera on the water? Subtle things that you are were missing or doing wrong? Things that you were doing right and now are able to replicate? 
Personally, do you think the hassle/expense of buying a camera and filming yourself while fishing is worth it and makes you a better angler?

I learned I breath kinda loud.  

I learned that I have a lot of down time on the water!

 

Actually, I haven’t done much filming but I plan to make it a routine this year.

I learned that I am terrible at taking pics

I learned why I never made the cover GQ

I learned watching fishing isn’t that exciting 😂

4 hours ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

I know lots of people who film their days on the water.

To those who record their fishing trips: Besides being able to watch back your catches and easily bet able to remember the bait, location, time of day, weather etc. what have you learned from running a camera on the water? Subtle things that you are were missing or doing wrong? Things that you were doing right and now are able to replicate? 
Personally, do you think the hassle/expense of buying a camera and filming yourself while fishing is worth it and makes you a better angler?

 

Improving ourselves takes a commitment to self-awareness, setting clear goals, building supportive habits, stepping out of your comfort zone, and consistently learning from both successes and failures. Focusing on consistent small actions rather than perfection to foster lifelong growth in knowledge, character, and well-being.

 

I film my fishing.

I have mentioned many times here that I believe it has helped me become a much better bass fisherman.

It has made me safer on the water.

It has shown me the importance of keeping the deck of my rig clean & well organized.

Having my net & fish handling tools ready and available.

Video replay has made me better at hooksets, fighting, and landing fish.

I actually developed a repeatable fish landing and handling process that is both effective and helpful when it comes to safe fish release. 

It has helped me streamline and make my boat launching and recovering procedures safer. 

 

Bottom line - I get out of it exactly what I'm willing to put into it.

And the word "hassle" doesn't come into play here for me.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

 

 

Video footage has definitely helped me improve my technique and it also helps me notice what I did differently to get a bite.
 

As an example, something I noticed from last years footage is that my longer than average pauses earned me some bigger fish. I thought I was fishing slow enough but there were times I’d set my rod on the deck to drink water, grab a snack or grab a tool on the deck that earned me an extra big bite. 

 

I recently picked up a new GoPro and the plan is to power from my boats usb charger and limit the need for frequent battery changes. I previously used my GoPro hero 3 for several seasons and the constant battery changes either resulted in lost fishing time or not filming when the battery died during a tournament. 

 

Lastly, the ability to save videos of memorable catches makes it all worth it to me. I’ve never video taped a PB, so I’m hoping I can change that in 2026. 

I will film more 2026.  freshwater for sure.   filming saltwater is extra boring.   it's like filming a floating bobber waiting for it to tick.  

Filming is something I've thought of doing, but I barely have time to DO the fishing, much less review hours if footage!  

27 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

Filming is something I've thought of doing, but I barely have time to DO the fishing, much less review hours if footage!  

Looping mode is your friend and would significantly reduce the need to review large amounts of footage. 

I learned changing batteries sucks.  I got a power bank now so hopefully I can film all day with out changing batteries.

9 minutes ago, BassinBrett said:

I learned changing batteries sucks.  I got a power bank now so hopefully I can film all day with out changing batteries.

Gopros running for hours have been known to overheat and shut down.

When using external power, removing the battery from the camera can help delay the problem.  But when it is way hot and in the sun, say over 85 degrees F, shutting down at the most inopputune time is a real reality.  Might even lose previously save content. Hope the new 3.0 processor addresses this. Other wise keeping video brief is really the only way to manage it effectively.

Good luck

A-Jay

I've been fortunate that I haven't experienced heat related shutdowns in my Hero 8's. I'll video all day at 1080 (about 8 hours). Now that I've said that, I know what will happen next time out......

I have not experienced this either, but I have been using a GoPro hero 3 silver. I always keep it in the waterproof case which you figure would retain heat.  
 

I will say that the hero 13 that I just picked up heats up quick when filming even for 20 minutes, so it could be related to better video quality. 

I haven't gone down the GoPro road yet but have been thinking about it for a while.  I noticed that the Hero13 Black Ultra has a maximum operating temperature of 104F where all of the other models have a 95F max.  I often fish in 90F + temps so it's a concern.

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I haven't gone down the GoPro road yet but have been thinking about it for a while.  I noticed that the Hero13 Black Ultra has a maximum operating temperature of 104F where all of the other models have a 95F max.  I often fish in 90F + temps so it's a concern.

I just checked the specs to see for myself and I’m a little confused on this. I have the GoPro Hero 13 black ultra wide edition. I was under the impression it’s the same camera and specs just with/without the ultra wide lens? The difference between 95 and 104 might not be a huge deal in PA, but the would be crucial the further south you live. 

11 hours ago, stk44 said:

I just checked the specs to see for myself and I’m a little confused on this. I have the GoPro Hero 13 black ultra wide edition. I was under the impression it’s the same camera and specs just with/without the ultra wide lens? 

Yeah,  makes me wonder if it's a typo.

16 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Gopros running for hours have been known to overheat and shut down.

When using external power, removing the battery from the camera can help delay the problem.  But when it is way hot and in the sun, say over 85 degrees F, shutting down at the most inopputune time is a real reality.  Might even lose previously save content. Hope the new 3.0 processor addresses this. Other wise keeping video brief is really the only way to manage it effectively.

Good luck

A-Jay

 

DJI Osmo are said to not have such issues, have a few Friends that film a lot and they all got rid of their Go Pro's and went with DJI. 

 

YMMV

It definitely helps to have a video of the retrieve and the cadence and all that produced the bite!  It also records the time of day and sky conditions and the amount of ripple on the water and lots of other things we easily forget.

14 minutes ago, Goby said:

 

DJI Osmo are said to not have such issues, have a few Friends that film a lot and they all got rid of their Go Pro's and went with DJI. 

 

YMMV

Google DJI Osmo overheating and see if you still feel the same way.

My results seem to indicate that DJI Osmo models, especially when recording in high resolutions (like 4K or 8K) and high frame rates (like 60fps), are prone to overheating and shutting down, though performance varies by model, firmware, temperature, and settings. Issues are common in warm conditions or direct sun, with solutions involving lowering settings, taking breaks, ensuring good airflow, and sometimes using external cooling or power handles differently. 

A-Jay

@A-JayHow often do your GoPros shut down in the summer months from overheating? Do you always film in 4k? I might need to come up with a backup plan for hot summer days with little to no wind. 

2 minutes ago, stk44 said:

@A-JayHow often do your GoPros shut down in the summer months from overheating? Do you always film in 4k? I might need to come up with a backup plan for hot summer days with little to no wind. 

I always capture my adventures with the highest quality video the recording circumstance will allow.

 GoPro advertises that they have such high-quality video, 

I pay for it, then I can't use it ?

Makes no sense. 

Here in Michigan it only happens on the hottest days.

Think sunny and usually over 80 degrees with no wind.

I do most of my fishing early & late season so it's not a huge problem.

In the summer when I'm in the canoe with my wife, it happens a few times a year. 

But in Mexico I think you can see where it's a problem.

We work around it as best we can, but it gets old.

I use an external battery pack in lieu of batteries for juice.

I NEVER LOOP my recording because the process makes it way too easy to forget to hit save and record right over something you want to keep - forever.

Bottom line, I like my Gopros and have been able to successfully load over a thousand videos using them.  Just think that this overheating deal could be overcome if they wanted to

and I'm even willing to pay for the upgrade.

Just make it happen.

The newest model, the 14, expected next year, is reported to be coming with an

updated 3.0 processor.  Hope that works.

Either way, I'll keep filming (and cursing as needed).

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

I record all my trips and share them on Youtube, as much for me to review as for others to watch. It really can help a lot to be able to go back through and see what I did right/wrong on each trip. It's always surprising when I think I was doing the same thing as I was to catch my smaller fish when I catch a bigger fish, but then I watch and find out that I was doing something a little different without even realizing it. It's also nice to be able to go back and review past trips to lakes to gather information for future trips to help speed up my fish finding if it's a place I don't fish often. 

34 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I always capture my adventures with the highest quality video the recording circumstance will allow.

 GoPro advertises that they have such high-quality video, 

I pay for it, then I can't use it ?

Makes no sense. 

Here in Michigan it only happens on the hottest days.

Think sunny and usually over 80 degrees with no wind.

I do most of my fishing early & late season so it's not a huge problem.

In the summer when I'm in the canoe with my wife, it happens a few times a year. 

But in Mexico I think you can see where it's a problem.

We work around it as best we can, but it gets old.

I use an external battery pack in lieu of batteries for juice.

I NEVER LOOP my recording because the process makes it way too easy to forget to hit save and record right over something you want to keep - forever.

Bottom line, I like my Gopros and have been able to successfully load over a thousand videos using them.  Just think that this overheating deal could be overcome if they wanted to

and I'm even willing to pay for the upgrade.

Just make it happen.

The newest model, the 14, expected next year, is reported to be coming with an

updated 3.0 processor.  Hope that works.

Either way, I'll keep filming (and cursing as needed).

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

I hear you on the video quality. I didn’t buy a hero 13 just to continue using 1080. 
 

Even though the overheating you describe is relatively infrequent, that is frequent enough to risk losing the highlight video of a trip. 
 

I know this would be a pain, but do you think using batteries and replacing when the GoPro shuts down is enough time for the unit to cool off? I have only used the hero 13 indoors and the longest I recorded was for 30 minutes. It did get suprisely hot, something I’ve never experienced with the hero 3.

 

Looping mode is definitely a trade off. I like that it only records what I want it to, but at the same time I have forgot to start/stop recording. I’d like to think now that I have voice controls, that will help but only time will tell for me. 
 

There’s also something called hindsight (not sure if that’s a new feature) that can be used, but it really is not a solution. It records for a set interval before you hit the record button and then continues until you hit the stop button. I’m going to try that but I can see me yelling to my GoPro in high winds and it not recording. 

I guess I’ll test run this year and see if I encounter any issues and adjust from there.

Thanks for the input and hopefully I don’t have to trade this in for a newer model!