If I am going screw with a fish’s day by dragging it out of its environment, I hold the immense responsibility to return it to the water in the best possible condition. (Marty Grabijas photo)
July 28, 2024
By Marty Grabijas
Want more info on the science of best practices in releasing fish? Check out this article published in the journal Fisheries Research titled "Best practices for catch-and-release recreational fisheries – angling tools and tactics," or check out Keep Fish Wet . They have many resources for anglers, from a library of peer-reviewed scientific journals to stickers that help build awareness.
Does the world really need another grip and grin social media post? You know those photos–fish being held up to the camera, grinning angler in the background. Those images are ubiquitous to the point where most of us likely scroll to the next, more interesting post.
I propose that there is a better way. Apple iPhones and other smartphones, with their underwater capabilities, are as ubiquitous as grip-and-grin photos are and may be the answer to boring images that needlessly stress trout.
My journey with this started with the strong belief that if I am going screw with a fish’s day by dragging it out of its environment, I hold the immense responsibility to return it to the water in the best possible condition. Those grip-and-grin photos are roughly the equivalent of someone slapping you around for some period of time until you are totally worked, and then suffocating you with a plastic bag. Water-resistant smartphones like current iPhones help to return fish to the water in the best possible condition, while you are still able to capture the moment.
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An example of what an iPhone will allow you to capture. Capturing images of fish in the water, where they have a better opportunity to recover, is easier on the resource that we covet and creates compelling imagery.
Note that for the sake of brevity, I am focusing on the iPhone in this article. With over 60 percent of market share, chances are you own one. However, the information that I present probably applies to other platforms as well. Consult your brand’s customer service before dunking your phone.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: As of the posting date, most modern smartphones have "IP67" or "IP68" ratings, which means that they are dust, splash, and water resistant up to certain depths and for certain lengths of time. For more details on your specific model, check out this link for iPhones and this link for Androids .)
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Prepping Your Phone Prepping my iPhone’s camera translates into one less thing to do when you have a fish in the net. It also means that the fish gets on with its recovery much quicker.
Select the "Slo-Mo” function when you open your camera. Aesthetically, I find that shooting in Slo-Mo accentuates a fish’s grace in the water and often captures drama that we can’t appreciate in real time.
Select the 0.5 focal length. This “fisheye” focal length buys you room to error on where you point the lens.
Finally, I survey my environment. First and foremost, I want to release the fish into water that is more calm than turbulent. Doing so insures the fish has the opportunity to recover and less current adds to the stability of the underwater set.
If your fish is the fish of the day, week, or year, it will likely be landed downstream from your starting position. Be sure to take the fish’s size and strength into account. Also take into account the sediment that you and your videographer will be kicking up.
Also consider the sun’s position and how it will affect the lighting on the fish. Ideally you want the fish to be in the most brilliant light.
A fish like this will likely take you into your backing–several times. Planning where it may end up and communicating with your videographer is key to landing the fish and releasing it, while capturing images of it as quickly as possible.
Prepping Your Videographer (or Fishing Buddy) If your fishing buddy has mastery of basic motor skills they should be capable of shooting video with an iPhone. Once they experience the great imagery of underwater iPhone video releases, they are likely to become advocates for these videos and better practices in handling fish.
I actively communicate with them:
Where to stand How far I want them from the fish What is the opening shot What is the closing shot If it is necessary to expose the fish to our atmosphere–and remember you are suffocating that fish when you lift it into the air–it is lifted only enough to clear the net. While that transition maybe but a second, Slo-Mo allows that second to be a compelling viewing opportunity.
One of the beauties of Slo-Mo is that a fish exposed to our atmosphere for a few seconds provides riveting video.
With the amazing benefit of being able to review footage in real time, both of you can review the footage and improve your approach as fish are caught and released.
Oftentimes, however, I am fishing alone. If that is the case, I never lift the fish out of the water, but let it swim out of my net as shown below. Again, it is my responsibility to return the fish to the water in the best possible condition. Eliminating or reducing handling accomplishes that.
The downside is that, in my experience, a video of a fish without the juxtaposition of a human in the frame is missing important aspects. The imagery can be captivating, but without the human scale, size and context of what happened are absent.
This, for example, was a 20-plus-inch rainbow from an Argentine spring creek.
Action! Through the situational awareness in the "Prepping Your Phone" section, I have a solid idea of exactly where I want to land the fish.
It's not all going to be Oscar-worthy. Oftentimes my videographer captures stunning video of my thumb, back of my hand, blurred shots of the water, and other useless flotsam. But that's all good. Having your phone set up and recording early is better than hustling to get it set up when your fish says that it is “go time.”
Speaking of “going,” this is all on the fish’s schedule. Don’t delay or manipulate releasing the fish to “get the shot.”
Tips for Great Videos Turn your camera on early. You can edit out unwanted footage of your thumb, foot, blurred images of the gravel bottom later. Insure that your phone is set up to “Slo-Mo” video, and 0.5 focal length before the fish is landed. Keep your phone within a few inches of the water’s surface. That is where the action is. Always strive to have your phone upside down when filming. By doing this you submerge your lens, and leave most of your screen above water so that the footage can be monitored and the phone positioned accordingly. It may feel like you totally botched a moment. Don’t be too hasty. The clip below felt like it would experience the “Delete” function. The fish was out of the water for a few seconds. However, Slo-Mo created drama that we could not appreciate in real time. Does it feel like your video clip is going to be worthless? Don’t rush to conclusions. The Slo-Mo function, selected before you start shooting, captures drama that you often cannot appreciate in real time.
An exception to the above was shown to me by guide Agustin Clea of Patagonia River Guides . Start with your phone right side up, focused on the angler. Slowly rotate the phone upside down, keeping the angler and fish centered in the frame. Square up the shot and submerge the phone. See the result below. Rotating the phone from upright to upside down (and then reversing in “Edit”) creates dynamic movement of a stationary angler.
iPhone’s editing capabilities are amazing. Look for the “Edit” function, likely in the upper righthand corner. When you open this the first thing that you will see is a scroll bar featuring the frames of your video. I typically save a 20- to 30-second version that tells the entire story, and a 5- to 8-second clip that focus on the “wow” moment. The video above edited down to the most compelling footage.
Shoot with an upside-down phone so that the lens is in the water and you are monitoring the shot in the screen. This will require that you rotate the video in the edit function. Some of my most used are the functions for “Saturation” and “Vibrance”. You can adjust both to how you remember the moment, which will probably be more brilliant than what it really was. If sharing on social, brevity is the key. Focus in on a clip’s most amazing seconds. For many, fly fishing borders on, or fully is, art. The moments on the water and the nuanced experiences that we are exposed to can be so difficult to capture. But with the aid of an iPhone, we can share these amazing moments in a bit more realistic way.
Keep Fish Wet has every resource that you could want, from a library of peer-reviewed scientific journals to stickers that help build awareness. (Marty Grabijas photo) Marty Grabijas is a retired product developer from the outdoor industry whose work has touched many major brands. He has also guided domestically and internationally on rivers for nearly 40 years. These days he lives the dream in Durango, Colorado, continues to take select guiding gigs, and is a service animal to his canine.
