It is so worth it to make a little effort for good pics. You only catch a fish once, but a great picture will be enjoyed hundreds, sometimes thousands of times.
If you want really good pictures but do not have an unlimited budget, you will get the most bang for your buck by getting a used, previous version of a semi-professional camera. I use a Canon 5D mk I, while the current version is the mk III. You can get one of those for like between a third and a fifth of the price of one of the new ones. You will have to do without the video option of the new versions, but the quality of the pictures is just incredible. I know several guys who own the new models, and they still talk about the quality of the mk I.
For the trophy pics, you should get a wide angle like a 17-40L. Most guys do not use polaroid filters anymore as you can add color saturation in your editing program. But of course you need a UV filter for lens protection.
A semi-pro camera gives you a picture quality you cannot get with a consumer model, but note that a camera like that does not have an inbuilt flash. So you need an external flash. In popping trophy pics, usually you will need fill-in flash to avoid loud shadows.
All in all, this means you will be carrying around a relatively large camera. I carry mine in a waterproof hardcase, a Nanuk 915 - it is like a Peli Case. This has made a world of difference, because no matter the elements, I can keep my camera close at all times, armed and ready. Airline companies usually routinely accepts a hardcase like that as an extra piece of hand luggage, so you get a little bit more space in your usual bag where you would normally keep your camera.
