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Two friends from outside the tackle industry say they have developed a world first – a commercially available rod with a camera that delivers actual real-time underwater video.
Unlike fishing cameras on the market that rely on wifi and which only record video for playback on dry land, the rod combo created by GSValue delivers footage from beneath the surface at the same time you are fishing.
The rod is the brainchild of Maris Strazdins (above), an architect by profession, and his engineer friend Girts Sparnins (below), both based in Latvia. The rod’s secret lies in the special cable they have sourced which behaves like a standard braided line but which works to send electronic signals in real time from the underwater camera to the angler’s device at the surface.
For Strazdins and Sparnins, it feels like a game changer, and it has already swept the two friends from fun TikTok videos of their early experiments to a business with pre-orders from anglers all across Europe and the States.
Backed by those orders and their tens of millions of views on socials, the founders of GSValue are now seeking investors from either inside or outside the tackle trade to ramp up production of their rods for predator and carp fishing.
So, real-time underwater video?
MS: Yes, we have developed the only classic-style rod that has real-time underwater livestream capabilities. It shows real time video with no delay. You can see every movement underwater as it happens while also recording videos for future playback.
And the difference is you don’t rely on wifi, which doesn’t work in water?
MS: That’s right. Any signals like wifi or Bluetooth are fully absorbed by water, but we have solved this issue with an electronic fishing line cable that is capable of sending video data to a wifi router attached to the rod above the water and which sends a signal to your device.
But the cable still acts like a standard fishing line?
MS: Yes, it is a braided electronic fishing line that is super thin and really strong, up to 20-25kg. Its protective braided outer layer resists wear and tear easily including abrasion from rocks or any other underwater objects. It is 0.6mm thick and casts like classic thicker braided lines.
But any breakage could be catastrophic for the camera?
MS: We have thought of that. We advise anglers to always add a weaker leader of 18kg test behind the camera, where we have engineered a special mount. If you snag your rig, you can easily snap the leader. The camera with the mainline will be released and safe.
The cable is the key. Tell us how you eventually found what you were looking for.
MS: It took a really long time with multiple failed tests which made quitting feel easier than pressing on, but we kept going forward. Lines were too weak, some were too stiff, some were too thick, some could not maintain a stable connection from underwater. It took us a few years before we found a supplier from outside Latvia that had a perfect solution and was also willing to do business.
It is the essential part of the product, but only in combination with the reel, yes? Can you explain that?
MS: Yes, the camera with the cable is only part of the system. We have also created a custom electronic reel ourselves, which has special inbuilt connectors to maintain the video connection to your device with a wifi router. Without such a reel, just like all other camera and cable options, you would have to throw camera in the water by hand, which completely detracts from the actual fishing experience. But we combine filming with the actual fishing experience. You can see how fish feed on your bait, what a fish is doing once it takes your bait, how it is running and what it takes to successfully land a fish in your net. It brings a whole new level of excitement. We have had people watching for hours when we’ve been using it, even passers-by.
And you protect the device with replacement and warranty support?
MS: We offer a two-year warranty for our rods and we have replacement kits available for our customers if needed. Our mission is to give the best customer support out there.
How do you know you can create a business out of your product?
MS: Because they are already selling in our official store, both our carp and predator models. We have a great social media following and we have reached tens of millions of views across all platforms. Every time we livestream we have viewers asking us how much our rod costs, where can they buy them, do we ship to their countries? We have sold rods to the USA, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Serbia, Austria and more.
And the next step is to find an investor, ideally from inside the tackle trade?
MS: Yes, we would be happy for any investor that has a passion for our product and the vision to increase production and open up global markets. A ‘silent investor’ is also an option. We want to keep our control of GSValue after coming so far together.
