Gear Guide: Tech & Accessories Part 1

By Perry Mack

Aqua-Vu HD7i High-Definition Underwater Viewing System

In many ways, underwater sight fishing or video fishing as it’s being called, has morphed into a sport all its own. Anglers in Canada and beyond increasingly realize that watching fish react underwater isn’t just a ton of fun, it’s also incredibly instructive in terms of making fish bite.

The Aqua-Vu HD7i camera system displays rich, colourful underwater video in 720p on a dynamic, waterproof IP67 seven-inch LCD. The system includes 23 m (75 ft) of rugged cable and adjustable IR Lighting. Aqua-Vu’s modular XD Camera Housing with Quick Attachment System™ features exclusive compatibility with Aqua-Vu XD accessories.

MSRP: $600 USD - Aquavu.com

Garmin quatix 5 Smartwatch

Built on their fenix platform, this multisport marine smartwatch gets you connected to your boat via compatible Garmin chartplotters and other devices which stream data to your quatix 5 Sapphire watch, including speed, depth, temperature and wind.

Advanced autopilot control and remote waypoint marking features allow you to access a GHC™ 20  autopilot control unit to change heading, turn and steer the boat. You can also control your on-board entertainment system with the built-in FUSION-Link Lite app to control connected StereoActive products as well as other ANT-enabled stereo models.

It has built-in Wifi, GPS and a wrist-based heart rate monitor, will collect data on many different water sports activities like paddleboarding and canoeing, and has fitness training features that include training statistics and activity profiles for multiple sports/activities such as running, biking, swimming, hiking and golfing.

MSRP: $850 USD - Garmin.com

Garmin VIRB 360 Action Camera

This is a rugged, waterproof 360-degree camera with up to 5.7k/30fps resolution and 4K spherical stabilization so you get smooth video. It can get up to 15-megapixel resolution images and captures audio with four built-in microphones. The built-in sensors provide G-Metrix data so you can overlay the video with GPS, barometer, accelerometer and other data, and the camera can connect to a Garmin chartplotter to stream the video — where anglers can start and stop recording from the chartplotter or take photo screenshots, plus view battery life or change video settings. The camera can also be operated by voice command to start and stop recordings and take photos. Editing is also a breeze with the free, easy-to-use VIRB Mobile app and VIRB Edit desktop software. You can edit, stabilize, share and add data overlays to videos.

MSRP: $1100 CAD - Garmin.com

The Sport Fishing Gear Guide is available on newsstands from coast to coast, including Walmart, Chapters and Shopper's Drug Mart, or get a digital copy by clicking right here.

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