Merry Christmas! Just received these sweet custom-painted lures, plus a new GoPro!
Expect plenty of HD fishing footage soon!
Fall Fishing at Silverwood for Trout Video
Hiked the shoreline of Silverwood during a trip this November. The striper action wasn't happening from the shore, but I did tie into this nice rainbow trout. Scenery was fantastic and weather just right for a decent hike.
BlurFix HD Budget Action Camera Review
[Update: 7/4/2013: I've been using this camera off and on since the review and it finally died on me. Couldn't get it to boot up or reset. I've noticed a lot of different companies carrying this camera, from Polaroid to Vivitar and several others. Prices range from $40 to $100. Great set of accessories, some decent underwater footage, but poor battery life and reliability make this not the best choice for action cameras].
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Are you looking for an alternative to GoPro, Contour, Sony, and other incredibly expensive action cameras? The BlurFix HD camera may be one such option. Selling for only $149 and coming with a load of accessories, BlurFix is definitely opening new territory in the budget action camera market. I’ve just finished taking my BlurFix on a load of fishing trips, putting its waterproof housing to good use in a variety of situations and I have a full review of this little camera. Sit back, check out the BlurFix fishing video footage, and read on!
(Videos and review after the jump)
(Videos and review after the jump)
Wild Trout Fishing with BlurFix
Features
So why the name BlurFix? Many other cameras use a very wide-angle lenses that results in some blurring around the outside periphery of the video. The BlurFix HD features a fixed-focus, wide-angle lenses, but with a smaller field of view and none of the “fish-eye” and blurring that occurs with larger angles of view. Here’s the rundown on the stats of this budget sports camera:
So why the name BlurFix? Many other cameras use a very wide-angle lenses that results in some blurring around the outside periphery of the video. The BlurFix HD features a fixed-focus, wide-angle lenses, but with a smaller field of view and none of the “fish-eye” and blurring that occurs with larger angles of view. Here’s the rundown on the stats of this budget sports camera:
LCD Display: 2" Touch Panel
Image Sensor: 1.3MP CMOS
Internal Memory: 128Mb SDRAM
External Memory: Supports up to a 32 Gb MicroSD Card
Still Image Resolution: 5MP(2592x1944)
3MP(2048x1536)
1.3MP(1280x960)
Image File Format: JPEG
Video Resolution: 720P(1280x720)Pixels @ 23-31fps
VGA(640x480)Pixels @ 49-63fps
Video Fil Format: AVI
PC Interface: MiniUSB 2.0
Battery: Lithium 300mAh
Battery Life: > 1 Hour
Dimensions: 66*43*27mm
Battery Life: > 1 Hour
Dimensions: 66*43*27mm
Aperture: F/3.1 f=9.3mm
Focus: Fixed: wide-angle lens
Weight 46g (w/o batteries)
Digital/Optical Zoom : No
Aperture: F/3.1 f=9.3mm
White Balance: Auto
EV Compensation: Auto
Sensitivity: Auto
OSD Language: English
Supported O/S: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7
Digital/Optical Zoom : No
Aperture: F/3.1 f=9.3mm
White Balance: Auto
EV Compensation: Auto
Sensitivity: Auto
OSD Language: English
Supported O/S: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7
You’ll notice the video quality is up to 720p. That’s a minimum for YouTube to tag your videos as “HD.” While it’s not the 1080p shot by higher-end action cameras, 720p is plenty quality to catch the action on most fishing trips from what I’ve found. The BlurFix camera has a built-in lithium battery, rechargeable through an included car adapter or USB 2.0 port. Of special note is the 2.0’’ touch screen on the back of the camera. There’s no viewfinder, as the screen acts as such and also allows you to review your footage while out on the water. This is a really neat feature, definitely an advantage over more expensive action cameras that require a separate unit for such “in the field” reviewing. After all, who wants to wait until they get home to see what their video looks like?
The camera size is also pretty impressive. It’s incredibly tiny, easily fitting in the palm of my hand.
The camera size is also pretty impressive. It’s incredibly tiny, easily fitting in the palm of my hand.
Underwater Lure Shots with BlurFix
Design
The BlurFix camera comes packaged with an impressive array of attachments to better capture action in different environments. These include a waterproof case, suction-cup mount, protective shield, handlebar/pole grip, helmet mount and strap. There’s also a USB charging cable and a helpful car charging cable. All the attachments and accessories worked great for me. The helmet clip is designed for use with bikers in mind; however, I was able to easily use the clip on a couple of straps as a chest mount for fishing. Furthermore, the handlebar attachment easily attaches to poles and I mounted it on a PVC pipe for better underwater shots. The suction cup mount is perfectly designed for use in vehicles on the dashboard, allowing for a very stable platform for footage from the driver’s perspective. Finally, the underwater camera housing is excellent! I can’t rave enough about this casing-it’s perfectly watertight, yet still allows for incredibly easy shooting under the surface of a lake, stream, or river. It’s very similar to the GoPro casing and is quite durable. There’s two buttons on the top of the case, one to power on/off and one for recording, allowing for easy shooting when a fish was on (not too many buttons to fiddle around with). I was incredibly impressed with the quality of the underwater shots I got with the BlurFix HD camera, allowing me to record my fishing trips from a totally different perspective. It’s also nice that BlurFix includes all these attachments with the main product, not forcing you to purchase other accessory kits to get the full experience. Also, the actual packaging of the BlurFix camera is pretty solid as well-looks like it would be right at home next to other action cameras at electronic stores!
Lake Skinner Bass Fishing with BlurFix Camera
Performance
The BlurFix really shines at capturing underwater shots. I used mine in a variety of situations and really enjoyed how the water footage turned out the best. It’s certainly not GoPro-level of quality, but it’s being sold at well less than ½ price of that brand’s camera so it’s rather hard to compare the two. Make no mistakes about it, this is a budget action camera and you won’t see the 1080p images found from more expensive cameras. The dynamic range of colors does appear to be somewhat limited, making it at times difficult to work in very bright or low-light conditions. Once inside the underwater camera housing, audio is nonexistent (as expected), but when used on its own, the quality is alright. There is a very low background “whirring” but it’s not immediately noticeable. On the flipside, the camera housing doesn’t appear to negatively affect the image quality, from what I could tell. It’s also really easy to shoot with the BlurFix camera. The button locations on the top of the camera housing allowed me to quickly turn on the camera and start shooting video, even with a fish hooked up. I really like how simple the BlurFix is to operate!
Puddingstone Lake BlurFix Camera
Summary
Action cameras, from Sony to Contour and more are the hottest tech toys of this holiday season. However, HD action cameras aimed at the more price-conscious audience are considerably more limited in selection. The BlurFix HD camera is one of the few sport cameras on the market today. While it has a few shortfalls in terms of overall image crispness and dynamic range of colors, the BlurFix HD is still a very solid option for a cheap action camera. Its $149 price is incredibly more affordable than most other sport cameras, although still fairly high for what it offers. Definitely consider the BlurFix HDif you are on a tight budget and looking for an affordable action camera with an array of housing. Hopefully, we’ll see even more budget action cameras in the near future, allowing more people to get in on recording their favorite outdoor activities, from skateboarding to surfing, and, of course, fishing.
Silverwood Rainbow Trout with BlurFix Camera
Bottom line:
If you don’t want to spend $300+ on an action camera, aren’t looking for GoPro 1080p quality footage, but still want a solid sports camera with underwater housing and plenty of other accessories, than the BlurFix may be just right for you.
If you don’t want to spend $300+ on an action camera, aren’t looking for GoPro 1080p quality footage, but still want a solid sports camera with underwater housing and plenty of other accessories, than the BlurFix may be just right for you.
Fall Trout Fishing with BlurFix Camera
Chinese Clone Lures Twitter
Ever wondered if those cheap eBay lures from China are worth it? Check out my newly-launched Twitter page for HuntingTheRiverKing. I'll be posting the latest random Chinese lures that I've tried out. Expect everything from the best to the worst, clones and uniques. Today's lure: Megabass Ito Vision 110 clone. Tight lines!
SoCal Trout Fishing Photo Box
Fishing for wild rainbow trout in the many mountain streams of Southern California has become one of my favorite pastimes.
While I love hunting largemouth bass and other warmwater species, wild trout in crystal clear, ice-cold streams are a treat to catch like no other.
Recently, I took a new approach to photographing these fragile wild fish.
Keeping them out of water too long for a picture unduly stresses them, making it difficult to get a nice shot. Instead, I brought along a small "trout box", a clear plastic container, filled with (on occasion) stream water, to allow the trout to calm down and get a nice photo.
(Click below for more photos after the jump)
(Click below for more photos after the jump)
On my trial run with this box, at an unnamed stream, the trout box was perfect.
The fish all appeared considerably more relaxed than they normally would be in the grasp of a human and were all returned to this secret mountain stream quickly, without noticeable harm. I hope you enjoy these photos of these beautiful wild rainbow trout!
Fall Fishing: Silverwood Stripers Video
I fished the dusk bite at Silverwood Reservoir on an evening in October and had a blast. The boils were not as numerous as I had hoped, however, the topwater bite was still on. A cold wind made the water surface somewhat choppy, probably hurting action. Even still, I landed three healthy striped bass, two 18''s and one smaller striper. Absolutely amazing to watch them explore on the surface, engulfing my Kinami Shad topwater lure. The trick was to fish it "Walk the Dog" style, just like you would fish a Lucky Craft Sammy. Cast, splash, twitch, pause, twitch, pause...BOOM! I can't wait to go back!
Drag-Pulling.
Drag-Pulling.
Urban Creek Bass Blast Video!
Earlier this year, during my urban creek rush, I re-visited a small Inland Empire creek. I had initially avoided even dropping a line in it as it didn't appeal to me.
However, I'm glad I returned. Despite the brief torrential downpour and suspicious fish, I managed to land several bass and a few green sunfish, all within a couple of hours.
While the creek wasn't very impressive in length, it made up for it in width with several spots allowing full-range of overhead casting.
Check out the photos and video, notice the two fish I scored towards the end on the dropshot + purple worm!
Ford Park Fishin'
Nothing crazy. Just a quick late afternoon fishing trip at Ford Park. Love this little place, even if the fish are hard to catch and usually small. Topwater action on my favorite ultralite lure, the Yo-Zuri Kilifish (the best!) and a solid largemouth on a soft plastic as well. Tight lines!
Bass and Trout Fishing in Vancouver Washington
This summer, I spent a few weeks in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The fishing conditions were considerably different from my usual spots in SoCal. I could fish for rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and cutthroat trout all within a 10-15 minute drive. None of the fish I landed were huge, although I got my best cutthroat trout (14'') and a solid largemouth (2-3 pounds?) during the trip. Most of the fish were caught on soft plastics (Senkos, Yum Dingers and topwater frogs (Seizmic Toad)). It was a wonderful trip and I even landed a few odd species, like the ubiquitous freshwater sculpin, on a Yum Dinger.
Check out the following photos and watch the video for a better idea of the fishing trips I took during this time. Watch for the topwater frog strikes in broad daylight in the video! I also took a trip up to Seattle and visited the famous Pike's fish market, shown at the end of the video.
Reins High Quality Tungsten Sinkers
About ReinsJapan's top tungsten sinker company is now in the USA. Reins tungsten sinkers give you the ultimate performance with a specific gravity of 18.2, each sinker is 40% smaller than its lead counterpart. Reins tungsten sinkers are made of 95% tungsten and 5% nickel alloy making them 1.8 times as dense as lead and environmentally safe. Reins premium tungsten sinkers cover all your soft plastic rigging needs. Pitching, flipping, punching sinkers with line-protecting inserts. Texas or Carolina rigging. Dropshot sinkers in teardrop and slim shapes with line-clip swivels. Tungsten nail weights too. |
Reins Tungsten TG Slip Sinkers ~ for Texas Rigs, Flipping, Pitching, Punching
Reins offers you the widest range of sizes in slip sinkers from small to massive. Nobody delivers as many different options in slip sinkers.
The unique shapes provide less hang-ups on bottom structures with increased sensitivity which equals less drag on your line. If you have trouble feeling a bite, then you need to switch to Reins tungsten sinkers. The most important feature however is that Reins utilizes a inner core system to keep your line from being abraded, nobody wants to lose a big fish because their line was worn from the sinker as can happen with competitor's tungsten sinkers.
1/8 oz (3.5g) ~ 4 per pack $6.99
3/16 oz (5.3g) ~ 4 per pack $6.99
1/4 oz (7g) ~ 3 per pack $6.99
5/16 oz (8.8g) ~ 3 per pack $7.99
3/8 oz (10.5g) ~ 2 per pack $7.99
1/2 oz (14g) ~ 2 per pack $8.99
1 oz (28g) ~ 1 per pack $8.99
1.2 oz (33.6g) ~ 1 per pack $9.99
1.5 oz (42g) ~ 1 per pack $11.99
Reins Tungsten TG Drop Shot Sinkers
The unique Reins tungsten Drop Shot sinker design makes it easier to pull thru rocks, weeds or brush with fewer hang ups. The dense tungsten material allows you to feel every pebble along the bottom making it easier to tell a strike from a nibble.
1/8 oz (3.5g) ~ 4 per pack $7.49
3/16 oz (5.3g) ~ 3 per pack $7.49
3/8 oz (10.5g) ~ 2 per pack $7.49
Reins Tungsten TG SLIM Drop Shot Sinkers
Reins SLIM Drop Shot Sinker offers you the ultimate when fishing in heavy cover. The unique SLIM Drop Shot Sinker design makes it easier to pull thru rocks weeds or brush with even fewer hang ups. The dense tungsten material allows you to feel every pebble along the bottom making it easier to tell a strike from a nibble.
Note: Sizes below 1/4 oz have a knotless clip-on type line attachment. Sizes 1/4 oz and above have a standard swivel eye attachment which makes them useful not only for dropshot rigs but also as SLIM sliding sinkers on Carolina and Texas rigs too.
1/8 oz (3.5g) ~ 3 per pack $6.99
3/16 oz (5.3g) ~ 2 per pack $6.99
1/4 oz (7g) ~ 2 per pack $6.99
3/8 oz (10.5g) ~ 2 per pack $7.99
Reins Tungsten TG Nail Sinkers
The Reins Tungsten Nail Sinker is used to fine-tune your presentation. Need to add a little weight to the right side? No problem, just press the Nail Sinker where you want it. Don’t want a slip sinker, but need to add weight to the tip of your worm? Push in a nail sinker. Whether soft baits, wacky-rigging or for fine-tuning the dangle of large swimbaits, there is always a perfect Reins Tungsten Nail Sinker to do the job.
3/32 oz (2.6g) ~ 4 per pack $4.99
1/8 oz (3.5g) ~ 2 per pack $4.99
5/32 oz (4.4g) ~ 2 per pack $5.99
3/16 oz (5.3g) ~ 2 per pack $6.99
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