Steve K.
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Billy,
I fish with a guide in King Salmon, AK named Mark Emery. He is pretty well established as an underwater videographer….specializing in salmon in AK. He lives and guides in Ocala, FL in the winter and KS in the summer. If you book him for a trip….you can also spend the day picking his brain about UW videography/photography. Here’s his website:
http://www.markemeryfilms.com/
Matt….Thanks for your insight. As soon as I take the cover off the swimming pool, I begin playing with the housing in earnest.
Here’s one of my first feeble attempts and I quickly see what you mean about light and water clarity:
Everyone is concerned with the LA coast but I heard a dude on the Weather Channel stating that the Gulf Stream could likely carry the oil as far south as the Florida Keys and Tortugas. :-[
From CNN.com[Posted at 1:29 p.m.]
Nicely done Eric.
Re: Off camera flash….I like the Cigar Dude shots…..especially the first one.
Now for the important stuff!
Dusty….I decided to post my findings on this thread.
Pros:
The boat handles easily on the flats and shallow water mangrove areas….tailor-made for the Everglades. We accessed areas the high-dollar flats boats could only think about. We were also able to hit the no-motor areas as well.
Lightweight…I can load and unload by myself with no problems….cartops easily with minimal wind noise. I carry both of
Great job as always Matt!
Number 3 is my favorite…..great composition, great color, and the bubbles show the movement of the fish. That picture really tells a story! I can almost feel the tug of the rod!
Thanks for posting.
These guys know what they speak! Good info.
Something else comes to mind……
When you get home from your next backpacking trip……dump the contents of your pack on the floor. Look through each item and ask yourself:
Did I use this?
Was it worth taking?
Can anything do double duty? (sleeping bag nylon stuff sack used as a pillow when stuffed with fleece jacket, garbage bag as a pack cover, foam pad as a seat by the fire, etc)
Chances are you’ll find at least 2 or 3 items that can be left behind on the next trip.
Have fun.
I think there is one on the http://www.nativewatercraft.com site but is pricey. It’s a break down model that has a spike on the top end for poling around coral and rocks.
Dusty,
I bought two U-12s recently and will splash them in the Everglades this weekend. I opted for the mid-priced paddle ($129). It has a carbon fiber shaft but the blades are plastic. The selling point was the ferrule design…it’s a two-piece breakdown paddle. It is tight and their is no wobble. The ferrule can be rotated for different blade angles. The top-o-the-line was about $250 if I remember right. The blades were CF on those as opposed to plastic. I havn’t tried the paddle yet but will report back on my findings if you are interested.
I’m excited about our Glades trip….I understand the Ultimate was designed for that environment. We (my son and I) plan to fish the canoe trails and camp in the backcountry chickees. If the fish don’t cooperate, we’ll head down to the Middle Keys and see what’s up.
I built a pushpole out of 8 foot 3/4″ aluminum tubing that will also be used as a stake out pole in conjunction with the anchor trolley. We’ll see how that works out.
So hopefully the boats should get a workout.
Rich,
As I get older….my pack gets lighter out of necessity. I just don’t enjoy the trip if I’m zapped when I reach the campsite. For a 4 day trip (3 nights) I’m at 40 lbs tops. That includes fishing gear and a small P&S camera. Everything has been pared and whacked to save grams. Grams equal ounces and ounces equals pounds. Most minimalist backpackers begin by shaving ounces off the following:
Tent…..look at the solo models that are well under 3 pounds….closer to two. Some simply use a sil nylon tarp at about 8 ounces.
Sleeping bag….no need for a 4-pound 20 degree bag for summertime camping. Even at altitude, you can get by with a lightweight bag (1.5 lbs) rated for 40 degrees. Sleep in a set of polypro with a knit skull cap. Most of your body heat will be lost through your head anyway. The skull cap is the key here.
Kitchen….here’s mine at 6 ounces.
Titanium pot to boil water for coffee and Mountain House meals, titanium “pop can” stove that burns denatured alcohol. I use two ounces of fuel a day. So for a 4 day trip I’d carry 8 ounces plus two extra for a total of ten ounces of fuel.Drinking water is filtered on site. I only carry enough to get me to the next cold stream. I use a Therma Rest pad under my bag. I usually take one extra pair of clothes and rinse the dirty ones in the stream. Of course all clothes and jacket are synthetic (polypro, fleece). Carry a lightweight quality Gore Tex jacket as well.
If it’s warm enough I wet wade. Waders and boots weigh a bunch, especially on the way out…when they are wet.
Mountain House meals for dinner. Breakfast is instant oatmeal, coffee, maybe some crackers and honey and a piece of jerky. I snack all day long with trail mix, Clif Bars, and plenty of fluids. Try the small Crystal Light packets poured in your water bottle. They add some flavor and don’t contain sugar crystals which are heavy.
My pack is a Granite Gear model that weighs under 3 pounds. My old Kelty internal frame pack weighed close to 6 pounds with all the extra zippers and pockets.
As you can see….it becomes an obsession. One word of note….quality lightweight backpacking gear is expensive.
So…save two pounds on your sleeping bag, two pounds on your tent, two on your kitchen, 3 on your pack, ditch the waders and boots….and now you’ve trimmed over 10 pounds.
Oh yeah….I hike in New Balance Trail Runners. Since I’ve lightened my load….I’ve parked my heavy Vasque boots which have made a world of difference. It should be noted that I hike relatively tame trails as opposed to boulder hopping stuff.
Good luck….Steve
Rich…I’ve been doing it for years.
Nutshell version….weight is your enemy. Go here for good info:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/index.html
I’ve always subscribed to the theory that the quality of the fishing is directly proportional to the distance from the parking lot.
Adam….I’m no expert but my take is…..to geet mor3e color, you need more light.
Check out the latest http://www.catchmagazine.net .
Tim Pask talks a little about his technique. Basically….bright sunlight and crystal clear water.
Also looking at a new lens for fishing related shots…..sub $500
Nate….look out for a lightly used Tokina 12-24. They can be had in nearly new condition for $375 to $400. I got mine off craigslist. This lens gets good reviews and some say it’s as good as it’s Nikon counterpart.
You guys have the “bag” housings (for the lack of a better term) down. Corey…I’m digging #1 and Doug….that permit shot is outstanding. I’m headed to the Keys next week and hope to have something to critique soon.
Is the in-camera flash firing on the Ewa and Digipak bags?
Those oversized housings are not very conducive to an itinerant angler 😉
Thanks for the input.
Regarding the half and half shots….the strobe won’t do you any good on the underwater portion of the photograph….am I on the right track?
I’m reading that UW photos (shallow water and over and unders) are best taken at mid-day in gin clear water….typically at a time when the lighting is harsh for above surface photography.
I’m also thinking for our use (flyfishing)….the camera must have an extremely wide angle lens which calls for a domed port…..which means a huge housing if using a DSLR…..and huge cost.
