Fishing purists aren't so sure. Infact, Zernov's Aqua-Vu—a tiny underwater camera connected to the monitor by a fiber-optic cable—-has ignited a controversy as nasty as a week-old walleye. This spring the Minnesota state senate voted to ban the Aqua-Vu's use by fishermen—-although the legislation died in the house of representatives. "I think it will destroy what fishing is all about," says State Sen. Bob Lessard, a fishing guide who introduced the bill. "How far do we want to utilize technology before something ceases to be a sport?"
A resident of Brainerd, Minn., Zernov, 45, whose family business, which he sold in 1990, made sonar devices, combined his electronics expertise with his love of fishing when he designed Aqua-Vu last summer. So far he has sold 900 at $1,495 each—with a $700 version coming out this month.
Zernov, who fishes nearly every summer day with his son J.P., 19, denies his camera gives an unfair advantage. "Fishing is my life," he says. "I'd never do anything to harm my life." Besides, sonar-based fish finders have been used for decades and, as every fisherman knows, finding a fish is only half the battle. "Seeing," says Zernov, "is not catching."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
