I took mine out to give it a try. I went out to mctucker ponds. I couldn't see jack with it. I'm wondering if it was just the pond or if this camera is not too good. I know some here have one, Any ideas about this camera or helpful hints? I thought about taking a bucket lid with a hole cut in it for the cable to run through and a foam piece to try it at different depths and to keep it pointing in the right direction. All I know is that at mctucker I couldn't see my lures and jigs 2 feet from the camera. If you have one of these cams what bodies of water are clear enough for them to work?
[signature]
prvrt has one and he loves it. he says it works great!
[signature]
First question is which one did you buy? 5" or 7"?
[signature]
Bought one several years ago. The thing worked great in the clear waters of Central Oregon but here in western Idaho the waters weren't clear enough for good performance. That tells me there was nothing wrong with the camera but it loses it's value unless you use it in reasonably clear water. Good luck. Mike
[signature]
I got the 7 inch model. I will try it again mabey it was just stained water. I did adjust the brightness on the back of the monitor, so that now it has more contrast to start out with. I can adjust the fine tune contrast on the front of the monitor on site. I hope to get to glendale tommarrow hopefully it is fairly clear water. Or mabey I'll just head to ririe and try for some perch.
[signature]
The 7" is the same as I have. I used mine at McTucker on pond #8 and it worked fine. It does work best about 6" off the bottom as then you have something for a back ground. When you have it up in the water column, there is really no background and you can not see to far, couple feet like you said. The farthest I have been able to see with mine is about 10-12' which was at Ririe. Even when I dropped the camera about 10-20' down at Ririe I could see the Kokes as they came buy. Use it in a shelter if you can. That will make a huge difference. The sun really messes with the screen. American Falls probably has been the worst on water clarity with McTuckers ponds next. McTucker will get worse now until spring since they are ponds and there is no filtration or fresh water coming in at the moment. Once the snow melts, they will look like brown tea.
You will find that using the camera on the bottom 2' of water works best. Only place I can think of that would have super clear water would be like Fishing Bridge in IP. Springs will be the best for the camera, but then again, if the water is that clear, you do not need the cam. One rule I seen on the internet is if you can see 10' down into the water with your eyes, then the camera will be able to see 5'. Also the deeper you go the less light and that will cut the distance down even more. The lights on the camera work, but they also intensify all the particles in the water. This is where that clear water comes into play again. I use mine mainly for Perch fishing right now. I have not used it for much else. I do want to try it on the boat this summer on the down rigger. That should be interesting.
You have a good idea on the bucket lid. I used a piece of 3/4" plywood about 10.5" in dia.. I cut a slot from the outside to the center for the cable to slide through, and then put 3 screws in a staggered pattern to weave the cable through. I then used a 4" u-bolt for a handle. I drop the camera down to where I want it, then weave the cable between the screws to hold it at that depth. I then use the handle to spin the camera so I can see my bait.
I have seen things I never expected like suckers swimming up after my bait 4-5' off the bottom. I seen Kokes swimming right on the bottom feeding. I have seen a few nice Bass in Ririe and watched them for a while. I have also learned what Perch like as far as the jigging action. My Perch catch rate has doubled since I bought the camera. Blue gills catch rate would increase also if I could find some. I did use it on Lamont about a month ago and could see around 5'. I think the cam works best for locating an area you want to fish like a muddy bottom or rocky drop off. The second best thing it is for is fishing for bottom fish. It is also great entertainment while the catching is slow. Hope this helps.
[signature]
Do the camera lights scare the fish ?
[signature]
Nope. I do not think they can see the lights since the are infrared.
[signature]
I have only used mine once at American Falls Res. I have a color camera and 10" screen with 9 LED lights on my camera . When it goes down through the ice it sees that and then everything goes white until I get close to the bottom and then the picture is clear . All I saw was a muddy bottom and my jig , no fish ? I will try again tuesday at Sportsmens park . Curt G.
[signature]
You should see fish on the bottom. I have seen Perch, Suckers, Chubs and a trout or two on the bottom at Sportman's Park.
[signature]