Underwater Camera

[coreyhkh]

Hey guys I know its early but I cant wait for spring, I am already sick of winter lol Anyway I have kept seeing ads for those underwater cams like fish tv. Does anyone have experience with one, is it worth the price.

[DRIFTER_016]

I have one of the Cabelas cameras.

Got it 3 years ago and have used it twice.

More trouble than it's worth IMO.

[BillM]

Dave, how's it work in gin clear water?

[DRIFTER_016]

Dave, how's it work in gin clear water?

 

I have no idea.

As I said I have only used it twice (both times without a hut) and the glare on the screen was so bad I couldn't see a thing. Might have to try it again this year in the hut and see what happens.

[mike rousseau]

I have a cabelas camera I got on sale for 89.99...

 

Fun toy... Found a stump I didn't know was under my shack

 

Used it 2-3 times... Pretty hard to spin the camera in 20 FOW to show you lures...

 

The days I used it it took a long time to set up... I could see really far in clear water... But the camera spooks fish... I had a couple perch around... Pulled the camera out of the water... Then the vexilar lit up with fish... Started pounding perch... Dropped the camera back down... Vex went blank...

 

 

In the end it's a fun toy if you get a deal... But in retrospect I'd spent the $$$ on other gear...

[BillM]

I want it for something other then ice fishing, lol... I might have to keep my eye open for one.

[Gerritt]

I want it for something other then ice fishing, lol... I might have to keep my eye open for one.

 

mermaids? Ohhh that's still "fiching"

 

G.

[DRIFTER_016]

I want it for something other then ice fishing, lol... I might have to keep my eye open for one.

 

It works mint for looking behind my washing machine.

[BillM]

mermaids? Ohhh that's still "fiching"

 

G.

 

Mermaids, lol!!!

[Garnet]

I looked at the Fish TV. Looks very light/junkie.

 

My Accu View 7-8 years old now, would'nt sell it.

 

Use it for ice perch, usually put camera on bottom facing my bait. You will quickly realize our rods are not that good. Perch after perch will be chewing on your bait and feel nothing.

 

You can get the camera set up side by side with your electronics in your boat and very quickly master your electronics.

[squiggy]

what friends of mine did with their camera was to rig it so the camera pointed down and lowered it to about 5-6ft above the bait as the camera was also spooking fish when it was pointing horizontaly

[MCTFisher9120]

I picked up a Marcum VS380 and can't wait to use it

[Fisherman]

There's another one out now, the Aqua Vu Micro, the camera is about the diameter of a .25c piece, the monitor about the size of a pack of cigarettes and the 50' cable winds up on the back of the pack. No more having to drag something around the size of a milk crate.

[Lunkerhunter]

picked up the vexilar underwater camera this year. pretty pumped to try it out.

[bottombouncer]

ive used one on everything from canoe trips on rivers,out on a boat in big water or on the ice.water clarity can be somewhat of an issue at times but a good one is definitely worth its weight in gold and will show you just that after the first time you use it..

[bassnass]

I LOVE the camera - but if you don't have a flasher/show-down or other sonar - spend your money there. A sonar is a far more useful tool.

 

You can learn a lot with a camera (it's not just a toy), but it def. can spook fish - esp. in clear water (but not always). It seems to me that fish will be shy of the camera or not, in the same way that sometimes you can catch them easily, and sometimes they're tight-lipped.

 

I owned a FishTV and returned it quick. I'm not familiar with Vexilar cams, but they're probably good. AquaVu and Marcum are the other two brands you'll want to look at. I'd recommend something that displays direction, depth and temp. Consider cord length for the depth where you'll be fishing. Especially, I prefer IR to white LED's. I'm more concerned about white visible light spooking fishing (but I've had glowing eyes swim right in on my presentations illuminated by this light).

 

Experiment. Enjoy!

[smally21]

i have little experience with them - but i always enjoy the vids others have posted....

[johnl]

From my experience the fish actually like the camera and are intrested in it and augering doesnt seem to bother them either.

[coreyhkh]

thanks some good info here, I would be using it in a boat and if small enough I would also try it in my sea eagle.

[OutdoorDan]

How's the battery life on those things? Seems like it would eat battery at 2-3x the rate of a flasher, anyone have trouble having one last a whole day?

[bassnass]

Yeah - my AquaVu burns the juice - I'd say I get about 6hrs out of a charge. I bring a spare battery.

[wallyboss]

It works mint for looking behind my washing machine.

 

haha I used mine to find that weeds had growned around the intake of my waterpump in my shallow well. Then used my anchor to yank the weeds out.

 

But for fishing I used it a couple of times. It's too much of a hassle.

[DOS]

Batteries seem to last quite a bit, in my hut the fishtv will go a solid 7hrs, outside about 5. No good if there is a current if ya want to watch your lures, dang thing keeps turning, great for keeping the kids entertained fishing for perch...

 

 

 

RED