expiriences with underwater cam?

[redneck_delux]

just wondering what you guys think about underwater cameras... ive seen some pretty awsome vids on youtube of people using them. but are they practical?

[HATH]

My experience has been it's only useful for ice fishing, and even then it's kind of a novelty. I don't think it replaces a fish finder, but it is pretty exciting to see the fish looking at your lure. I haven't heard of anyone using them during the summer months. Plus the one we used was the lower end one from Cabelas and it's hard to keep the camera steady, especially if there is any type of current. I think they sell one with lens control capabilities.
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[r2u2]

I have one, it can be a lot of fun. There are times I have hooked fish that I am sure would never have been hooked with out it. It will definitely show you how the fish respond to your bait or lure as well as the composition of the lake bottom. When it comes down to who catches more fish, the guy with the camera or the one with the flasher,I say the flasher hands down. I use my camera maybe 1/2% of time I am on the ice. I am usually too busy to be messing with it. If you are on fish and they are holding or if you are the type satisfied to sit and wait for the fish to come by they are fine, you would do well with one. They are also good entertainment for the kids. The kids get pretty excited when they see the fish below them. I don't mind drilling holes so I am on the move when I don't see fish for a while.The camera is not the tool for me.
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[chugg]

Had one, sold it. Ice fishing only. Cant see the screen unless its shaded or in a shanty. Too much fiddlen when I shoulda been fishing. Not worth it in my opinion. Flashers and finders are more cost efective.
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[GEEZER]

I've got a Fish Cam I bought used & I just love it for Ice fishing. If the water isn't pretty clear though, they are useless. It's a gas to watch a fish come up, look at your offering and decide to hit or flip you off & swim away.
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[bmitchell]

They are pretty fun to dink around with and check out what is going on down there, but I wouldn't want to rely on it as my sole way to find and catch fish. It does provide a little rush the first time it helps you catch one though. Plus they are great to keep kids entertained for a bit.
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[redneck_delux]

i really appreciate the input. i would love to get a flasher but they are a bit out of my price range. so i think i will go with the camera just for kicks. the water is always pretty clear when i ice fish. one more question.. does anyone ever catch anything through the ice up at pineview? i do great during the summer but everytime i put a hole in the ice i get skunked! hope to see you guys out on the ice soon!
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[FishKillr]

does anyone ever catch anything through the ice up at pineview?

TONS of Perch!!! The majority of them are dinks, but if you get to know what the fish are doing and find some areas where larger ones are holding and use larger baits, you can come home with quite a few eatier sized ones. Crappie fishing can also be good for some, location is key.
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[redneck_delux]

you must be right. i usually go around the dam or marina area. you think i should head more to the east side of the res?

[chickendude1234]

you must be right. i usually go around the dam or marina area. you think i should head more to the east side of the res?

The hot spots at the View are usually in the Narrows and off of browning and cemetary points. Winter perch and crappie are usually found in DEEP water. Usually somewhere between 40 and 50 feet of water. Perch are usually on the bottom, the Crappie are usually either with the perch or suspended in the water column somewhere but usually fairly deep still.

Once the ice season gets fully underway there is almost always a couple good current reports for Pineview listed here. Most members are fairly eager to give up their secret spots for dink perch as the only way get them bigger is to weed out some of the tiny ones by harvesting them.
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[Coldfooter]

An interest thing to watch using a under water cam is how much fish can mess with your offering yet you fishing line barely moves. So without the cam your not even aware the fish are messing with ya. On the flip side using the cam for hook set often creates the "jerked to soon" effect..
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[MisterCompletely]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#000000][size 4]I have one that I haven't even gotten wet yet, but I imagine it'll be nice to see what species of fish are showing on the sonar, and the depth, but only for ice fishing. When I get on a lake like Yuba that has a ton of carp, I have to wonder sometimes if I'm just seeing a bunch of carp on the finder, or at Pineview I sometimes want to know if I'm marking perch or crappie, and how deep the crappie are, etc. I can't imagine wanting to hang it over the side of the boat and getting the fishing lines all wrapped up in it. It'll definitely be fun for the kids.[/size][/#000000][/font]
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[steve_o]

if your going to get a camera i got mine at harbor frieght i love it and they only $100 so its pretty cheap they are alot of fun!
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[shakyHead]

I set up with my vexilar in the hole I'm fishing out of and the camera in another hole a few feet away. Speaking of that, are there regulations in Utah on how far away the holes have to be? I've been fishing out of state for a long time.

I took my dad ice fishing last winter and the hole time while walking out he was complaining about the amount of work ice fishing is, how cold it was......I set him up in the heated shanty with the underwater camera and once he saw the 32" pike show up on camera he turned into a giddy school girl. That pike looked like a alligator in that aqua view screen. He wound up landing it after a half hour battle on a tiny ice jig and three pound test line.

You should buy a camera and give nintendo fishing a try, you'll have a blast.
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[redneck_delux]

well i bought the cabelas brand underwater cam. it has infra red on it too. im pretty excited to go drop it in the hole. and it was only 100.00 and i read some good reviews by people who bought it too. so im hoping i will enjoy it. its pretty cool hearing your guys expirience with them. if anyone wants to chime in with a story id be glad to hear it. thanks guys for all the input!

[RyanCreek]

I have the Cabela's model with infrared as well. A few years old now, still holding up excellent. Cams have some benefits. Good for checking some lure action under the ice, as well as gauging fish behavior (are they really active and biting aggressively, etc). Once I thought I was in a school of chubs based on the sonar, so dropped the cam down and was surprised to see it was lots of tiny planter bows being nippy.

They are more for fun than anything, as they really don't do much to improve your catch rates. They can also be an unnecessary distraction and cost you missed opportunities to actually catch fish. If anything, having something down there scares some fish away. Also, if you get a feisty fish it will just wrap your line around your camera wire and you risk losing the fish. So, I use it very rarely.... only if I'm bored and have already caught the fish I want, or in the rare event I need to see something sonar isn't telling me.

Now using sonar under the ice. That is EXTREMELY useful.
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[walleyebob]

A couple years ago at Yuba, two weeks before Cliff fell through the ice with his four wheeler, we were fishing for Perch across the bay from the Oasis marina. We kept seeing fish on sonar, but few bites. I dropped the aqua vu down and started watching. The eight to ten inch Perch were swimming around and nibbling our jigs about six inches off bottom. The porker twelve inch Perch would swim up, belly to bottom, and just sit there. If the jig was on bottom, they would open their little mouths and taste it. But never move the rod. I caught a limit that day I think. While my buddy caught a couple smaller ones. Without the camera, we would have only got small ones. Those big fat porker Perch would not chase or lift their fat butts off bottom. And even my Vex didnt show they were there.
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[PACKFAN]

+1 on catching the delicate biters with the camera, some hit so lite they don't move a springy bobber but you can watch them suck your bait in and set the hook. I bought a camera for the wife a couple years ago and she just loves it, especially when we make our annual Pelican trip. I only get to use it when she doesn't go with me [:/]
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