It’s a world not everybody gets to experience. Many wonder, a lot watch and a few actually do. Scuba Diving is a popular sport, there is no doubt about it, and many people spend countless hours underwater every year.
However, I’m not just talking about being underwater and scuba diving. I’m a fisherman, always have, always will. I didn’t go through the hassle of getting certified and buying all the equipment to take pictures of coral reefs and some old ship named after some pretty Spanish number with a rich husband.
I’m looking for fish and what fishermen want to see. Not only that, I want to capture as much of it as possible with a camera in my hands. What spurred this idea?
Countless hours spent in the boat pondering life’s mysteries, love and philosophy….wait actually not quite, that’s a little rich for my blood. Let’s try this again…Countless hours pondering, Hey dude, what it would look like if we drained the lake? Where would all the fish be, the amazing rock piles and transitions that would bring a walleye to its knees….yeah there’s a little logic issue, but you get my point. Needless to say, it got pretty deep!
I decided I did indeed, need to “get deep.” After going through the process of becoming certified, I finally decided the need to take the plunge and buy the gear necessary to pursue my quarry.
It didn’t come without a heavy price tag but it was worth every penny. Two layers of 7mm neoprene, gloves, a mask, boots and fins, a buoyancy control device, regulator, a dive computer and of course a tank would be the main components which would allow me to carry on far under the safe harbor of the air infested atmosphere.
The results of my first dive, documenting what I found, set the stage of what should be an illustrious series of underwater adventures. Lake Minnetonka would be a logical choice as I consider it one of my home bodies of water. Wayzata bay in specific, would be the target due to the ultra clear water, and see for yourself, I think a few of you bass gurus should hook up the boat!
This will be the inaugural piece in a series of articles featured in the In Depth Outdoors Online Magazine aptly named – Getting Deep.
Follow along as I dive many of the popular lakes around the Midwest, becoming your eyes under the water. You know what a good gravel mud transition looks like on your Lowrance but have you ever actually seen what goes on down there? Or how a bass creates its bed? We’re going to try and de-mystify what happens down under….under the water that is. The goal is to make you a better fisherman, not an expert on Galapagos Sea Turtles! The good, the bad and the ugly, from gear, tips, interesting experiences, underwater problems (fingers crossed), and of course fish!
