For the best underwater photography, finding clear water with high transparency is essential. So what are the clearest lakes in Wisconsin?  Every year, I consult with Wisconsin's state-wide citizen's lake monitoring group. They're a network of individuals, usually lake-front property owners who monitor and regularly take a variety of water samples from lakes all across Wisconsin.  The data they compile helps to give us a look at how our lakes are doing.  One of the many tasks lake monitors perform is to take regular secchi disc readings. This is a universal way of assessi ..read more

  For the best underwater photography, finding clear water with high transparency is essential. So what are the clearest lakes in Wisconsin?  Every year, I consult with Wisconsin's state-wide citizen's lake monitoring group. They're a network of individuals, usually lake-front property owners who monitor and regularly take a variety of water samples from lakes all across Wisconsin.  The data they compile helps to give us a look at how our lakes are doing.  One of the many tasks lake monitors perform is to take regular Secchi disc readings. This is a universal way of assessi ..read more

Fishiding Artificial Fish Habitat is unique because of its size, complexity, and the protection it provides juvenile fish. Constructing a conglomeration of rubber tubing, plastic barrels, and old hose, throwing it into the lake and calling it fish habitat because we saw a bass next to it, is like putting a cardboard box on the street corner and calling it “housing” when a homeless person takes refuge in it. Most DIY fish habitat is as much fish habitat as a plastic tarp strung between two shopping carts is “a house” to a homeless person. Look around at your own home. Why is it co ..read more

I’m very lucky that I just happen to live in an area that’s home to some of the most legendary muskie lakes in the country.  Over the years, I’ve had a chance to swim in some of these famed waters and encounter muskies up close in their own environment.  There’s nothing quite like seeing a large muskie underwater.  They glide effortlessly through the water with the supreme confidence reserved for members at the top of their food chain.  Because of this, they’re not afraid of divers and I’m able to approach them usually fairly easily.  They are surely aware of all the ..read more

  Imagine you’ve invited some friends over for dinner. You spend all afternoon preparing and cooking a well-planned meal. After your guests finish eating, they enthusiastically proclaim it be one of the best meals they’ve ever eaten. Then they ask “What kind of stove did you use?”  In this context, it would be a nonsensical question that no one would ever ask.  But as a photographer, I’m very frequently asked what kind of camera I use when well-meaning admirers view my underwater images. The implication is that all the magic happens inside the camera, and the photographer is m ..read more

Looking for a cool wall calendar for 2022?  Check out the 2022 Fishing Calendar from the Koozie Group featuring 13 underwater images from the Engbretson Underwater Photography team. Bass, salmon, walleye, trout, panfish, and others are all represented in vibrant color expertly photographed underwater in their natural habitats.  Click here to order from Amazon.com  Only $7.98 ..read more

At Engbretson Underwater Photography we're best known for our exceptional underwater images of freshwater fishes of North America. But because our photographers spend so much time under the surface of lakes and rivers, they also often observe and photograph a variety of aquatic non-fish species. Over the years, we've accumulated many underwater images of turtles, snakes, and salamanders. We've added them to our online galleries because they represent a segment of the underwater ecosystem that helps make these freshwater environments both interesting and diverse.   Today we've added ..read more

  One of the best parts of operating a stock photo agency is acquiring exciting, new photographers to represent. Our newest contributor is Fernando Lessa, one of the country's most talented Salmon photographers.  Fernando's amazing images of salmon, taken underwater in the iconic streams of the American Pacific Northwest and Canada are among the most stunning ever made.  Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Lessa has both a biology degree and a master’s degree in photography and specializes in documenting the relationship between humans and mother nature.  He's spent a gre ..read more

I’m often asked what my favorite fish is. That’s an impossible question because I love them all. While they’re all so wonderful in their own special ways, I do enjoy spending time with my Smallmouth Bass friends. They’re always friendly and curious and will eagerly pose for my cameras. They wait patiently while I fumble with the camera and strobe settings all while demonstrating my lack of swimming skills. To the fish, I’m a tourist visiting their world-largely ignorant and out of place despite my best efforts to fit in. Smallmouth Bass always make me feel welcome. Because they’re tirelessly ..read more

My underwater images and my article about Lake Metonga's walleye recovery is the cover story of the July/August issue of Badger Sportsman Magazine. I was in contact with Mike Pruel today to see how things are going this year on Lake Metonga. "Unfortunately, the bullheads have risen again, so we will do our best to knock them back in next few years", reports Pruel. Mike's crew has removed an additional 12,000 bullheads in the spring of 2021. "We're working closely with the Lake Metonga Association to organize and support efforts to remove baby bullheads this year and beyond. This is their pa ..read more