Right, let’s address the elephant in the room straight away. Ice fishing in the UK is about as common as catching a permit on the Test. Our winters simply don’t freeze our rivers and lakes solid enough for safe ice fishing, and honestly, that’s probably for the best given our tendency to have a mild snap followed by torrential rain that would turn any ice into a death trap.
Gear Used in This Article
But here’s the interesting bit. While we might not be drilling holes through two feet of ice like our Scandinavian or North American cousins, the technology that ice fishermen use, particularly underwater cameras, has some genuinely useful applications for us UK fly anglers. I’ve been experimenting with this tech over the past couple of seasons, and it’s changed how I approach certain fishing situations entirely.
The primary use for these cameras in ice fishing is obvious. You drop them down your hole, watch what’s happening below, and adjust your presentation accordingly. For us, the application is a bit different but potentially more valuable. Think about all those times you’ve wondered what’s actually happening beneath the surface when your nymph rig drifts through a run, or why fish are rising in one spot but completely ignoring your dry fly.
I started using an underwater camera during the closed season to scout out some of my local beats on the Derbyshire Wye. The insights were remarkable. That deep pool I’d always assumed held fish? Mostly silt and weed. Meanwhile, a relatively shallow glide I’d walked past hundreds of times was absolutely stacked with good trout holding tight to the gravel. Come opening day, I knew exactly where to start.
The cameras designed for ice fishing are particularly well suited to our purposes because they’re built to handle cold water and low light conditions. They’re also typically compact and fairly robust, which matters when you’re scrambling along overgrown banks or crossing dodgy stiles with a bag full of kit. I’ve been using something similar to https://amzn.to/4dbkzUH and it’s proven surprisingly durable despite my best efforts to destroy it.
Beyond scouting, these cameras can help you understand how your flies actually behave in the current. I thought I had a good grasp of how my weighted nymphs were drifting until I saw the footage. Turns out, in anything beyond a gentle flow, they were bouncing along like demented ping pong balls rather than drifting naturally. That single observation led me to completely rethink my split shot placement and leader setup.
There’s also something to be said for using them to understand fish behaviour when they’re not feeding. We’ve all experienced those frustrating days when you can see fish but they won’t look at anything you offer. Dropping a camera nearby (without spooking them, which takes practice) can show you exactly what they’re doing. Are they focused on nymphs in the substrate? Are they tracking fry? This information is gold dust for future sessions.
The legal side needs mentioning. Always check with your fishery or river keeper before using cameras. Some beats consider it an unfair advantage or worry about disturbance during spawning season. Most are fine with it during the closed season for reconnaissance, but always ask first. The last thing you want is to lose access to good water over a misunderstanding.
Battery life can be an issue in cold weather, so keep spare batteries in an inner pocket where your body heat keeps them warm. Also, the footage is usually pretty murky in our tea-coloured rivers compared to the crystal clear lakes you see in ice fishing videos from Canada. But even limited visibility can tell you plenty about depth, structure, and whether fish are present.
Here’s something practical for your next outing. If you’re struggling to read the riverbed structure in a new stretch, especially in deeper pools, spend ten minutes with an underwater camera at the tail of the pool during low flow conditions. You’ll quickly identify the channels, drop offs, and holding spots that remain hidden from the surface. Map these mentally or on your phone, and you’ll fish that water more effectively for years to come.
