Ice anglers are limited to dropping lines through a number of drilled holes. That’s unlike fishing on open waters, where anglers can cast to
many different spots.

So ice hounds sometimes use more technology than other anglers for advantage. Underwater cameras became part of the arsenal.

MarCum Technologies has created two underwater cameras
— the color VS825C
and the black-and-white VS820BW — that feature an all-new monitor that’s “sunlight readable,” the company says.

The flat-panel LCD screen eliminates the need for a sun shade
or shroud required on
other monitors.

Underwater cameras
can help ice anglers find places that are likely to hold fish, like areas with vegetation. Or they can be used to watch a fish’s reaction to lures or baits, so tactics can be adjusted. And so on.

The 600 by 800 resolution screen — super-high resolution, the company says — includes a thermostatically controlled heater to enhance viewing in the cold.

On the camera itself, lighting is placed above the lens, instead of around the lens, to reduce reflection in the dark.

A simple keyboard control allows keys to be pressed to choose on/off for the under- water lighting, the dimness of the lighting and screen contrast and brightness.

The monitor includes
a video jack for recording.

The cameras can also be used in open waters.

The engineers
at MarCum Technologies, a Minnesota company founded in 1991, are military trained in sonar,  and they’re anglers, MarCum says. The company also makes ice-fishing sonars or flashers, battery chargers and more.

For more info, visit the MarCum Technologies web site.