GoPro recommendations?

I've been using an ancient Garmin Virb for a few seasons, and it worked surprisingly well. Unfortunately, it has become flakey as of late. So, I think I'll upgrade to a GoPro, and was wondering if anybody has any recommendations.

Best Buy has the Hero 7 silver for $199, and that looks like a great price. But, the battery is not replaceable on that one, which seems like a big negative to me...

I have been using the Hero 7 Black for a number of years and can vouch for those. I think they are about $250 (cheaper when on sale) from amazon, but are likely to be phased out soon methinks.

The 7 Black takes a 128GB memory chip which can store about 6 hours of movie footage at the highest setting (4K). It takes about 6 batteries to film a day of fishing so make sure you have extras.

I have seen little in the way of awesome new features in the 8 and 9, so I have resisted upgrading until they introduce something more than "anti-jiggle" or a "fuschia" colored housing. The 8 and above use a new battery that isn't interchangeable with the 7 ... so you'll need to make sure you have the proper type for the model you purchase.

I really like my Hero 7 black. Like DWH I use multiple batteries through the day so I wouldn't get a camera with a fixed battery. As an aside, the GoPro brand batteries last quite a bit longer than the off brand batteries I have tried, even though the GoPro batteries had a lower capacity rating, so they are worth the extra cost.

It takes about 6 batteries to film a day of fishing so make sure you have extras.

Thanks for the suggestions. It definitely looks like it's worth upgrading to the Hero 7 black, although it is kinda disappointing that the battery life isn't a little better--estimates online seem to range wildly, from 30 minutes to 2 hours per battery...

I lost 2 GoPros to the surf (or more accurately to RAM mounts, which aren’t suitable for that). I think at some point GoPro introduced much better image stabilization, and it could be useful for us kayakers, but I’m not sure. I hate fiddling with the battery, so I just turn the damn thing off. I’m using voice commands to tell it to start or stop recording. Very useful. I think I have the 8.
I recommend using the gooseneck (2 of them, chained) and a quick release base mounted to a rail.
Let me know if you want more details, I’d be happy to help.

.... it is kinda disappointing that the battery life isn't a little better--estimates online seem to range wildly, from 30 minutes to 2 hours per battery...

I measured this a few times and the GoPro brand batteries last for 90 minutes and Mibote brand last for 75 minutes of continuous recording.

The "Hypersmooth 2.0" image stabilization added to the Hero 8 and Hero 9 is worth the added cost.  I have a Hero 7 Black and a Hero 8 Black and the difference is significant.  The Hero 9 claims to have better battery life but I haven't seen hard data on that.  The Hero 9 also has directionally better image stabilization - just a pinch better but not a quantum leap like the Hero 8 introduced.

The Hero 9 added a front-facing LCD screen, 5K video resolution, and a 20MP sensor.  I'd think the front-facing screen would make it easier to know if the camera is pointed where I want it on the kayak and to make sure it's back in position if I moved it for a special shot, but other than that, eh.

A downside the 8 and the 9 present for kayakers is they don't require a frame, like the 7 and earlier models, and that makes it tricky to figure out how to tether the camera.  The upside to the lack of frame is it makes it much easier to change batteries or SDHC cards on the water or in the field.

There were a large number of videography features added to the Hero 8 Black that make it superior to the Hero 7 Black.

The Hero 7 Black is still a great action camera; the Hero 8 is just better.  Occasionally GoPro offers a great sale.  I got my Hero 8 Black for cheap when they accepted any old digital camera in a "trade-up" program.  Watch their website.  Right now you can buy the Hero 8 Black for $279