russej02 ReviewsFilming magnet fishing is a little different from just carrying a camera around. I want good footage for YouTube, but I also want vertical video for shorts and social media without having to choose one or the other while I'm out fishing.
My current magnet fishing camera setup uses two GoPro HERO13 Black cameras mounted together on one rig. One records landscape footage and the other records vertically. I also added lights, aluminum cages, multiple mounting points, floats and tethers to make the setup more useful around the water.
The video below shows the complete rig and how I have everything put together.
Two GoPro HERO13 Black Cameras
The heart of the setup is a pair of GoPro HERO13 Black cameras.
I run one GoPro in the normal landscape position for YouTube and long-form footage. The second camera is mounted vertically so I can capture footage for Shorts, Reels and TikTok at the same time.
That means I don't have to turn one camera sideways, reframe everything or decide before each shot which format I want.
The Rail, Cages and GoPro Mounts
The two cameras are attached to a 13-inch camera flash/light rail. The rail gives me enough room to position both GoPros and the lights without everything being stacked on top of each other.
I use separate aluminum cages for the portrait and landscape cameras. The cages give me solid mounting points and add some protection around the cameras.
The cameras and accessories are attached with aluminum GoPro mounts rather than relying entirely on plastic mounts.
13-Inch Camera Flash/Light Rail
Aluminum GoPro Cage — Portrait
Aluminum GoPro Cage — Landscape
Lighting the Rig
Magnet fishing often means filming under bridges, around docks or later in the day where available light isn't always great.
I mounted Suptig underwater lights on the rig so I have my own lighting when I need it. Since they're made for use around water, they also make more sense for this setup than regular camera lights.
The Handheld Stabilizer
The complete rig is mounted on a handheld video stabilizer.
It gives me one place to hold the entire setup instead of trying to manage two separate cameras, lights and mounts individually. It also makes it easier to pick the rig up and start recording when I find something interesting.
Video Action Handheld Stabilizer
Floats and Tethers
Anything I use while magnet fishing has a pretty good chance of eventually getting wet, so I wanted some backup protection for the camera rig.
I added crab trap floats along with steel tether lanyards and a coil tether. The goal is simple: if the rig gets dropped near or into the water, I have more than one way to keep it attached or make it easier to recover.
Why I Built It This Way
This definitely isn't the smallest camera setup I could carry.
But for the way I make magnet fishing videos, having both horizontal and vertical footage at the same time is worth the extra hardware. I can concentrate on actually magnet fishing instead of constantly changing camera orientation or trying to recreate a shot afterward.
The lights, aluminum mounting hardware, floats and tethers are there because the rig is being used outdoors and around water rather than in a controlled studio.
The Magnet Fishing Gear I Use With It
This article is focused on the filming setup, but I also have a separate article covering the magnet fishing equipment I actually use: My Magnet Fishing Gear: My Actual Beginner Setup.
That setup includes the Magnet Boss 360, a grappling hook, and a dedicated grappling-hook rope.
Final Thoughts
This setup has evolved as I've filmed more magnet fishing trips and figured out what actually works for me.
The biggest advantage is being able to record landscape and vertical footage at the same time while keeping the cameras, lights and safety gear together on one rig.
It isn't the lightest possible setup, but it gives me the footage I want without having to stop and rebuild the camera setup every time I change platforms.
If I change the rig again in the future, I'll update this article with what I'm actually using.