Best lens for taking fish pictures - trout fishing

I am going on a fly fishing trip next week to North Georgia. Wanted to know what a good lens for up close fish pictures. Catch and release of course.
Thank you

Tom

I’ve done a lot of fishing photography through the years Tom, and of course one of the important questions is fish size and shooting distance.

Frankly the outcome of my shooting and fishing has turned into shooting OR fishing when encumbered with full size camera gear. Not only is a DSLR bulky, but it’s also at serious risk of ruination in such close association with water.

Sum total of all my experience, for years I’ve relied on a waterproof point-and-shoot. And over the years they’ve just gotten better and better. My current pick of the litter is the Nikon Coolpix W300, but I’m just fixated on Nikon. There are waterproof options from other companies, too.

A polarizer filter can be very helpful in reducing glare that may obscure wonderful color and detail while fish are in the water. Since it is catch and release, there will probably be more images involving fish in water than otherwise.

The most important feature is that it be waterproof. Last year my son ruined his iPhone 6 when he took a dunking wading the McKenzie River in pursuit of trout. He also likes to record his catch with one hand in the water while holding the camera with the other when I’m not around. Invariably, the phone slips and falls in. Three years ago I nearly ruined my iPhone by dropping it out of a boat in Mexico.

The newest smart phones are waterproof down to 30 feet. Any point and shoot pocket hung with a lanyard from around your neck will work as well. Even if you have a waterproof camera a lanyard is a good idea because those things are slippery and you can lose them overboard.

Most catch and release images of trout are taken at the bank with the angler cradling the fish over the water.

iPhone shot: