Updated: 06/12/2014 12:10 AM
Created: 06/12/2014 11:59 PM WDIO.com
By: Maarja Anderson
Duluth, Minn. - The fish are biting on the big lake and one charter company is taking angling to a whole new, high tech level.
Aboard a boat is where Captain Peter Dahl spends most of his time.
"Pretty much everyday sometimes the last three days I've been out twice a day," says Dahl.
For 27 years, he has brought folks out fishing through Happy Hooker Charters.
"We're going out to 150 feet."
Like most charter boats, he has the usual gadgets, like GPS, auto-pilot and depth finders, but also, small portable cameras.
"I'm going to set the depth for 50-feet down."
He attaches the cameras to his down riggers and hits record. The cameras go down as far as 160-feet, down in the dark depths of Lake Superior and Dahl captures what most anglers never see, fish approaching the lure.
"I know that there are more fish down there then we realize."
Dahl says the underwater footage has improved their angling strategies.
"Up here, we learn above the water what we can learn. But, we're limited so if we take a look down underwater, we can find out new things."
He used to only watch the video when he had a bite, but now he looks at all of the video. Dahl says just because they don't bite, doesn't mean they're not there.
"I have had a fish approach the lure as many as 21 times."
He says the video helps them strategize to reel 'em in. Soon, Dahl says he'll add another angle. He has built a floatable drone, bringing his view up from the depths to the sky.
"We'll be able to put it up and look around and see mud lines and bug slicks that are off in the distance that you can't see from down here."
In all Dahl's years on the lake, fishing has changed quite a bit, but have the new gadgets made for better fishing?
"More fish and bigger fish, you bet they have."
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