Going all out this year on my electronics for ice fishing.
Would like a good underwater camera.
Have no idea what to buy, have never used one.
From the homework I have done it does not make it very easy to really decide on what will work for me.
Any ideas? What to stay away from...what to look for...etc.
Thanks!
[signature]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 4]I’ll be looking for one of these as well this year. It will be on the Christmas wish list I will give to my bride this year. I’ve been looking at the Cabelas offerings so far but am open to other suggestions. I’ll be following this thread every day from now on.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[signature]
i got 3 cramer's.. 1 cheep one and 2 aqua-vu's.. they all work good.. you will find tho there are not that many lakes you can use them in tho..
i like my Aqua-Vu spool series the best tho.. it is color LED. and easy to see. the scout XL is big bulky black and white and very hard to see in bright sun light.. you need a ice hut to block the sun light..
i'll still be useing the scout this year tho.. i have not found a DVR or anything to record with on the color one... i got some cool footage on huntington and yuba last year.. check it out here
[url "http://www.youtube.com/user/fuzzyron"]http://www.youtube.com/user/fuzzyron[/url]
[signature]
Got the the big 7" screen Cabelas brand camera last year when they went on sale. Paid I think it was $60` something. They work fine... Oddly I've used it more after I've dropped a bolt or something down into an engine compartment and need to fish it out LOL. Works GREAT for that.
In water a problem you will have is when down deep enough, you dont know which direction the camera is facing. For ice fishing I orient my camera straight down and lower it down the same hole as my line, stopping 10ft or so above it when the bait is visible. Its alot of fun to watch the fish swim by.
More money gets you a few more bells and whistles but the cheaper cams work just as good in most waters as the more expensive mid-range stuff.
-DallanC
[signature]
I've used mine thru the ice at: Rockport - couldn;t see anything, probably cuz of the heavy snow on the ice, Pineview, worked great at real close range but past 10 feet was more trouble than it was worth ( I could see the crawdads there, Strawberry - excellent. I could see 60 feet out. East canyon-useless (at least where I was at), Lake Powell, water was too rough. Jordanelle - useless.
I have an aquaview from Cabelas - real hard to see when the sun is out, even if you cover the light from coming in. Maybe the color one would be better. Its entertaining if you find fish.
[signature]
My kids bought me a MarCum underwater camera a couple of years ago. It is hard to see the screen in the daylight. That was solved last Christmas when I got a Eskimo Quick Fish 3 ice tent. The screen visibility is good inside the ice shelter. One thing to remember is the underwater visibility is a function of how clear the water is. I found that at the inlet end of the lakes the visibility is limited. By the dams the visibility was very good. Fishing by the third outhouse at Rockport the visibility was about 5 to 6 feet. That was still good enough to watch and catch fish. At Causey by the dam the visibility was very good. I could see my ice flies about 20 feet away. There is a little tripod for sale that you can attach the camera cable to and control which direction the camera is pointed. My grandchild really like watching the fish.
[signature]