For those who have been reading this blog for a while, you will remember the sad, sad tale of how I destroyed my first digital camera with an untimely dunk in the Yawk at Ohiopyle.  As much as I tried to dry it out, it never worked correctly again.

My reaction was to find a digital camera that could deal with fishing.  That means waterproof and shockproof.  If you search on Amazon, you basically find only one brand that does both without the requirement for a special waterproof housing.  In other words, there are a number of models who come with an accessory that allows you to use them in wet environments.

I blew that off and got a camera that was out of the box waterproof - the Olympus Stylus.  This thing has been awesome.  I strap it on my belt and then don't worry about it.  It has been dunked any number of times as I have waded or tripped in several different streams.  In addiiton, on my last two trips, I've actually tried out the underwater mode.

The camera has a setting if you are going to take a picture underwater.  While I was too close to the two fish shown here for the picture to be in focus, it actually captured the image.  Pretty cool.

If you do not already have a digital camera, then it's a no brainer - get this one as it is perfect for both on and off stream use.

If you already have a camera, you should do a risk assessment before you plop done another $300 to get a waterproof camera.

Based on about 9 months of use,
I recommend this model. 

Questions you should ask:

• Have you already ruined a camera on a fishing trip?
• Do you fish in areas with an unstable bottom and tough walking like the North Branch?
• Do you wade in water that comes up to your waist?

If you answer any of these "yes", you are just waiting to ruin your camera and should consider getting one like this - or - at the minimum, a waterproof enclosure for your current camera.

Taken on Morgan Run.  Note the Patuxent Special fly in the mouth.

Taken on Big Hunting Creek.  You can see the grasshopper pattern in the mouth of the trout.

I've been screwing around with underwater pictures to see if I can take a picture of the fish without stressing it by removing it from the water.

All of the pictures on this blog since August were taken with this camera.  You can look at them and make an assessment with the understanding that I shrink every picture to 400 x 300 to keep the size down.  This camera will take highly detailed pictures - it's a 7.1 mega pixel.

You might be able to find this cheaper on ebay.  It's worth a look.