Aqua-Vu's
Quad 4x4

AKA the Quad Pod

Ice fishing is one of the most
get-back-to-nature forms of angling.

The sub-freezing temps can cause the failure of any gear
as high-tech as a flashlight.

So, on one hand, an ice angler can be limited to gear no more complicated than a wool coat, a gas-engine auger or a graphite jigging rod.

But, on the other hand, ice fishers sometimes use technology more often than many anglers do.

Underwater cameras, for example, are no uncommon gear in the ice shanty.

Underwater cameras have been made specifically for ice fishing for years, but Aqua-Vu, from Nature Vision, has kicked them up a notch.

The Aqua-Vu Quad 4x4, or the Quad Pod, as it’s called, is really four underwater cameras in one, providing a split, four-directional view to show full-circle, 360-degree coverage.

That’s not only technology.

That’s a technological edge, the company says.

Anglers can now see underwater in every direction at once, watching every fish that surrounds the area, even keeping an eye on multiple lines.

One reason ice anglers use cameras is simple: because they can. A camera is easy to use from the ice. The ice provides a non-moving platform, with no waves, unlike a boat.

 A camera can also help ice anglers find the best places to drill holes to fish. Drop the camera down, look around, see the edge of vegetation you were searching for, and drill a hole there.

Drilling holes limits an ice fisher’s mobility, unlike fishing on open water, where an angler can conveniently cast to many different spots. So any advantage for ice fishing in the right place can help.

Cameras are also used to watch a fish’s reaction to a presentation. Maybe a fast jigging motion is key, or maybe a slower one is, or maybe a stationary bait is the trick. Or maybe one color works better than another. And so on.

A camera can also help ice anglers better interpret what’s seen on sonar, another common piece of equipment for them.

Some have also said that observing fish with a camera can be more entertaining than waiting for the next flag to tip up.

But whatever the reasons, underwater cameras are part of the ice-fishing arsenal.

Standard features on the Quod Pod include:

• Simultaneous, 4-way, split-screen, black-and-white viewing
• Or single-camera mode with the touch of a button
• A 7-inch viewing screen with adjustable brightness and contrast
• 60 feet of 200-pound test cable
• Built-in 12-volt, 7.2-amp battery and charger
• Maximum nighttime visibility, the company says, because of Spectral Response Lights
• A jack for video recording or outputting to an auxiliary TV
• And an integrated soft case with a zip-out sunshield

Do you get the feeling that the time that anglers spend on the ice—just them alone with nature—has allowed them to think of such inventions?

But if it works, go with it.

For more info, visit the Aqua-Vu Quod Pod web page.