Amazing Underwater Pictures of Invasive Carp!

Bighead Carp (c)Viktor Vrbovsky/Engbretson Underwater Photography

I'd like to welcome the newest talent to our "Dream Team" of the world's best freshwater fish photographers!  Viktor Vrbovsky is an award-winning underwater photographer who travels the world shooting the most amazing fish in both freshwater and marine environments.  His collection of Bighead Carp images are likely the best ever taken of this species in the wild. There's been enormous interest in invasive Asian Carp species in recent years and now we're pleased to have some incredible underwater images of this enigmatic fish.  Viktor's images are now available for commercial, editorial and educational licensing from Engbretson Underwater Photography. 

Legendary Fish Photographer Joins Our Team!

Bluegills under dock (c)Doug Stamm

Engbretson Underwater Photography is honored to now be representing the work of Award-winning photographer Doug Stamm.  Best known for his action close-ups of fighting game fish and attractive scenes of people fishing lakes, streams and rivers, it’s Doug’s amazing underwater images that have mesmerized me for over 30 years. 

Doug’s underwater pictures were the first I’d ever seen of native freshwater fish in their natural habitat.  Watching Jacques Cousteau on TV was one thing, but here were pictures of bass and sunfish…. the fish I knew and fished for all my life.  To see them for the first time in their spectacular underwater world was captivating.  Doug was an instant hero to me. 

As a former aquatic biologist, Doug became the most published photographer in the country of fish and sport fishing images.  Many of his pictures of jumping bass are iconic.  You may not recognize his name but you’ve certainly seen his photos many times in magazines, books, encyclopedias, calendars, and field guides. 

Doug has traveled with the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History to the headwaters of the Amazon River in eastern Peru in search of fishes unknown to science. He’s joined Jacques Cousteau’s diving team to photograph fishes beneath winter ice in the northern Mississippi River.

Doug is the author and photographer of two books of underwater natural history which were the first of their kind.  His first book, “Underwater-The Northern Lakes”, (University of Wisconsin Press 1977) revealed and explained the clear lake environments in the northern United States. His second book, “The Spring of Florida, (Pineapple Press, Sarasota, 1994) photographs the underwater inhabitants and terrain of the clearest fresh water environments in the world.

It’s truly an honor to welcome the legendary Doug Stamm to this agency.  Doug joins Patrick Clayton, Bryce Gibson, Todd Pearsons, Christopher Morey, Isaac Szabo, Paul Vecsei and Roger Peterson on our “dream team “of the USA’s best freshwater fish photographers.  His work can be licensed for commercial and editorial purposes by contacting us here at Engbretson Underwater Photography.

(Update Jan 17, 2020-Doug has announced his retirement and he's no longer represented by this agency. I wish him all the best and thank him for a lifetime of truly unforgettable images. He remains a source of great inspiration and admiration.)

Underwater Photography is Window into Fish Habitat

 From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Lookout below: Underwater photography is window into fish habitat

Fish photos are arresting – and are windows into habitat. 

By C.B. Bylander

           

                                                                                                   

A depth to his work Eric Engbretson and his photographers make stunning underwater photos. Top, a northern pike moves amid pondweed and pencil reeds. (Paul Vecsei/Engbretson Underwater Photo)                                                         

 

Eric Engbretson clearly remembers the day he first donned mask, snorkel and fins to view fish underwater.

It was 1993. He was standing beside the 40-acre lake that ran into the woods behind his newly bought home. On this day, unlike all others, he decided to look into the lake rather than across it.

“So on a whim I went to town and purchased the best snorkeling equipment Kmart had to offer,” Engbretson recalled. “I got home. Geared up. Put my head under water and was astounded. I knew my next purchase would be an underwater camera.”

Today, Engbretson Underwater Photography of Florence, Wis., is the nation’s top supplier of photos of fish taken in their natural habitats. His photos appear in national fishing magazines, many government websites and publications and at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.

During the past 22 years, Engbretson also has evolved into an articulate spokesman and blogger for fish habitat conservation. He has shared his photos and underwater observations with stakeholders attending the annual Minnesota Department of Natural Resources roundtable. He has done the same with biologists attending the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Association annual conference.

            

“Most of my images are taken in water 15 feet deep or less,” said Engbretson. “Coincidentally, natural resource managers are intensely interested in this same depth because virtually every species of fish uses near shore areas during some portion of their life cycle.”

Paul Radomski, a DNR fisheries and aquatic vegetation biologist, focuses on Minnesota’s shorelines. His research from a decade ago suggests that between 1939 and 2003 about 25 percent of the lily pads, bulrush and other emergent plants disappeared from the state’s north-central lakes.

“No one was intentionally trying to destroy fish habitat,” Radomski said. “It simply became open space for boat channels, swimming areas and other recreational activities.” He said Engbretson’s images illustrate how fish use vegetation and other natural features for spawning sites, nursery areas, protective cover and more.

Engbretson sees the correlation of natural habitat and fish. In fact, when he arrives at a lake he has never photographed he looks for trees that have fallen in the water. “I can’t think of a fish that doesn’t like wood,” he said. “Unfortunately, all too often when a tree lands in a lake it soon becomes chain saw dust.”

 

What can anglers and others learn from Engbretson’s underwater photography? Said he:

Bulrush beds: They are buffet lines for fish. Insects inhabit the stems. Small fish feed on the emerging insects. Big fish feed on the small fish. Frogs are thickest in the near shore areas, where bass often lurk in exceptionally shallow water. “What’s cool about bulrush is that underwater insects use the stems as a ladder to climb up to the surface, and as they climb they get picked off.”

Lily pad beds: They provide shade and cover for bluegills, bass and other species. However, they often do not hold as many fish as many anglers imagine. That’s because lily pads have thin, stringy stems that don’t provide a lot of protective cover between the surface and bottom of the lake. Bulrush beds look like underwater forests; pure lily pad beds don’t. “However, bass do zero in on lily pad beds before the pads grow to the surface. These are good areas to target during the early season.”

Woody cover: The gnarly, old pine that tips into a lake is colonized immediately. The space between the branches provides excellent cover for fish. Wood that rises up to the surface is best because it provides a vertical element. “The neat thing about vertical wood is that you see fish stage at various heights based on water temperature. The difference may be only a degree or two but it makes a difference as to where the fish suspend in the water column.”

Aquatic plants in general: Fish relate to vegetation. Few are in the barrens, and those that are tend to be on the move because they know they are vulnerable to aerial predators. “Plants hold fish, keep soil in place, absorb the nutrients that would otherwise turn water green and they provide habitat for ducks and many other species. That’s why they are so valuable.”

Despite Engbretson’s advocacy for habitat, he chooses his words carefully. He is not a biologist. He knows his subjective observations are limited to the small number of lakes clear enough for his photography. “I am hesitant to make sweeping statements that are better left for biologists,” he said.

 

Martin Jennings, DNR aquatic habitat manager, is such a biologist. He concurred with Engbretson that habitat conservation in the littoral zone — water 15 feet deep or less — is important but stresses that conservation efforts above the water line are critical, too.

“Good fishing starts with good water quality,” said Jennings. “And good water quality starts with keeping soils and nutrients on the land rather than entering our lakes and flowing waters.” In central and northern Minnesota, he said sound forest management “at a scale that is meaningful” will be increasingly important for providing fish with the clear, well-oxygenated water they need.

“It would be a mistake to believe that simply dropping trees in a lake will sustain or improve fish numbers and quality,” he said. “However, combined shoreline and watershed conservation will get us a long way down that road.”

 

C.B. Bylander is a freelance writer from Baxter, Minn.

Ode to a Forbidden Lake

(Today's post comes courtesy of contributing photographer Christopher Morey. All photos (c)Chris Morey)

In 2013 a young man, tragically, drowned in North Twin Lake (near Traverse City, MI.).  Naturally, there were very strong reactions.  I heard and read a lot of sensible talk about respecting the water, and making swim lessons available for children.  Really important things in an area with many lakes, and many drownings each year.  But, after this drowning in that particular lake, there was an immediate and concerted effort on the part of the Parks and Recreation Commission  to assign blame. A lot of the discourse appeared to go beyond the desire to improve things.  There were allegations of inadequate warnings and facilities. (Which consist of a lovely park,  a defined swim area,  and very clear warning signs – which have been there for years) 
The warning signs have been there for a long time because the lake, being sheltered and surrounded by woods, and with a nice park, is a springtime gathering place for high-school seniors, and there had been other accidents. There were assertions, some of which bordered on superstition, that the lake was intrinsically dangerous. That it was brutally cold; had currents and undertows; abrupt drop-offs and ‘false bottoms’. County commissioners interviewed local divers. I was invited to come to the lake and help determine what the problem was.

While I understood the urgency, I was not comfortable with the publicity and tone of the proceedings so soon after such a sad thing had happened.  It felt disrespectful.  Even so, the initial steps taken by the Parks and Rec Department were prudent and practical.  They beefed up the warning signs.   They put in throw rings.   They put in an emergency phone.   Good ideas. Especially with kids hanging out there a lot.  After all of the publicity and discussion I was curious.  So, the following summer, my daughter, a dive buddy, and I thoroughly investigated North Twin Lake.  We went literally everywhere – repeatedly – throughout spring, summer and fall.   Top to bottom, side to side.
Here is what we found:  In the heat of summer – when the bay, and virtually every inland lake in the area, is full of boats – North Twin is blissfully quiet, and clear, and – no matter the wind; calm.  It gets warm enough to swim in a full month before West Bay.  There are no waves.  There are no rip-tides, undertows, or significant currents of any kind.

My daughter, enjoying the balmy depths about 20 feet down in North Twin.

 
Throughout late spring and summer of 2014 the surface temperature – out from the shallows, which are much warmer – ranged from 66-74f, down to a very consistent depth of around 23 feet.  Not paralyzingly cold.   Not unpredictable.  The shoreline of North Twin varies.   The defined wading area has a sand/silt bottom typical of inland lakes. It gradually and predictably drops off as you get further from shore. The angle at which it drops off is governed by something called ‘the angle of repose’. Generally speaking, water-permeated sand has an angle of repose between 10-30 degrees. The fine sand in North Twin is mixed with silt from decaying vegetable matter and tends to the low end of that range.

The ‘drop off’ in the swim area at North Twin Lake. Image taken at about 8 feet of depth – this is the steepest part of the angle – it is less to the right, in the critical 5-foot range.  The soft, silt and sand, bottom does not support steep angles.

In other words – it drops off at about the same rate as every other inland lake around here. There is not a lot of shallow water, but you do not just suddenly step off some kind of ledge.  In every way North Twin is pretty much like other small lakes in our area, except for some factors that make it much safer than most for moderately skilled swimmers.  No boats, No waves, No currents, and a very consistent and relatively deep thermocline (ie – it stays warm above 23 feet). West Bay, for example, can have rip-tides, undertows and, in the summer, is very busy with fast moving boats. The thermoclines in West Bay are all over the map depending on the day.  One day my daughter and I went freediving in West Bay and the water temperature was 73 degrees.   The next morning, at the very same location, it was 48. That’s approaching 30 degrees overnight just because the wind changed.  Not possible in North Twin.  Because the lake is spring fed it has a couple of other big plusses. Other than the sandy shoreline, it does not get super-warm; hovering in the upper-sixties to low-seventies throughout late spring, summer, and much of fall. This keeps the bacteria count down compared with other small lakes. It can also be stunningly clear, which makes for beautiful diving – particularly along the West Shore (far from the swimming area) where there are some fallen trees.
I fell in love with that lake. Here was a quiet, beautiful, meditative, freediving spot not five minutes from my house. The facilities there are great.  The underwater habitat, while limited in terms of species, is lovely and vibrant. On the far side I found fallen trees playing host to a curious audience of sunfish and largemouth bass. The surface was so still, the water so clear, that I could look up through fallen branches and see fish seemingly suspended in clear, blue sky.

‘Flying fish’ against a glassy surface

I thought it was an undiscovered wonder and made plans to do an article on the lake with Traverse Magazine.  I started contacting other freediving instructors about doing beginners residential clinics using the facilities there. It’s a tailor made safe environment for basic freediving classes.  I’d planned to bring my adult son, who has autism, with me on freediving expeditions.  At long last I’d found a place where he could safely kayak nearby and I wouldn’t have to worry about boats, waves, winds or currents.  The peace and quiet would be relaxing for him and, If he jumped in and paddled around, I knew he’d be fine. Despite his severe learning disability he has been able to tread water and breast-stroke for long periods of time since he was 7 – thanks to his teachers and to the wonderful staff and facilities at our community pool.  Now none of that can happen.  Putting in additional safety equipment wasn’t enough for the Parks and Rec Commission.  They went further.  A warning and rings and a phone were good ideas.  Making swimming outside the line a civil infraction?  A $100 fine? Not so much.  I asked if there were exceptions for scuba and free diving.  No exceptions.  The lake is effectively locked out of the very activities to which it is most suited – recreational/work-out surface swimming and free diving/snorkeling.  I’m feeling pretty ripped-off. 

North Twin lake does contain water.  Water can, under certain circumstances, be dangerous.
Thats about it.

Incontrovertible Evidence of Actual Water in North Twin

Starting Our 23rd Year...

Engbretson Underwater Photography is about to begin our 23rd year of capturing stunning images of freshwater game fish in their natural habitat. If your agency or company uses stock photography, we invite you to have a look at our online library of fish images.

 

 

Twenty Years of Underwater Observations: What's Changed?



2015 will mark my agency’s 23^rd year of photographing freshwater fish, underwater in the wild.  As I thought about that, I began to reflect on two trends I’ve noticed over the past two decades, especially in lakes in Wisconsin and Northern Michigan where I live.  A few things stand out regarding fish sizes and abundance and general lake quality. 

Water Clarity:

As an underwater photographer, water clarity is critically important for getting good images.  Because of that, we make it our business to know where the clearest waters are.  One disturbing trend over the past 20 years is that we seem to be losing many of our historically clear lakes in Wisconsin.  More than a dozen lakes that were once very clear are no longer suitable for underwater photography because they simply are no longer clear enough.  Whether it’s because of run off, phosphorus overload or natural eutrophication is unknown.  But since these dramatic changes have occurred over such a short period of time, it suggests that the causes are not natural and are probably indications of damage we as lake users are facilitating.  On the other hand, there are also lakes that were once turbid or had poor water clarity that are now excellent.  The bad news is that virtually every lake that has significantly improved water clarity, it’s because of the presence of zebra mussels.  That may be a nice byproduct for snorkelers and divers, but the expansion of invasive species may also cause long-term negative consequences that aren’t as desirable as clearer water.

Changes in Fish Size and Abundance:

In Wisconsin’s inland lakes I’ve noticed some real changes in the last twenty years in fish abundance and sizes. In the interest of brevity, rather than detail and discuss each one at length here, I’ve decided to instead post a chart of what my personal observations have been over the past two decades. 

Table 1 Change in abundance and average size of Wisconsin fish species I've observed: 1993-2014

SPECIES	ABUNDANCE	AVERAGE SIZE
Muskie	Unchanged	Unchanged
Northern Pike	Decreased	Decreased
Walleye	Increased	Increased
Largemouth Bass	Increased	Decreased
Smallmouth Bass	Increased	Increased
Yellow Perch	Decreased	Decreased
Bluegill	Unchanged	Decreased
Black Crappie	Unchanged	Decreased
Rock Bass	Decreased	Decreased

It’s interesting to note that many of my personal and subjective observations regarding fish abundance and size structure mirrors what Wisconsin DNR fish biologists have also found over this same time period.  Walleyes and Smallmouth Bass are doing better these days but panfish in general are probably being overexploited in many areas, especially what fish managers consider to be quality fish.  (The Wisconsin DNR is in the early stages now of implementing new panfish regulations that hopefully will reverse a 70 year long trend of ever- increasingly smaller fish.)

 

The Future:

 

So what does these mean for us?  For someone like me who’s trying to photograph large gamefish underwater or fisherman who like to catch them, it means that in many cases, there are fewer trophy fish swimming in Wisconsin waters than there used to be.  Today, for me, it’s easier than ever to encounter and photograph nice-sized smallmouth and walleyes, but it’s getting harder and harder to find larger pike and quality sized panfish.  The future isn’t necessarily a bleak one however.  It’s my hope that we can turn this around.  Today, with camera phones being ubiquitous and replica mounts being both stunning and affordable, there’s little reason not to release not just the trophies but ALL the larger fish we catch.  If these same trends continue for the next twenty years, as fishermen, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.