Using an under water camera

[GrumpyOldCrappie]

I've never used an underwater camera and I was wondering for those of you that do, how do they help your fishing experiences?

[Bottle Fish]

They don't.

They are only used for your kids to stare at like it is just another video game.

[highlife4me]

I would tend to disagree. I have a camera but do not use it very often. It lets you know what species of fish are on your vexilar and shows you how fish react to different lure presentations. I would not have bought one myself but my wife gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago. A camera is not a must have item like an auger or flasher but if you fish alot on a lake with clear water you could justify having a camera.

Plus it keeps the kids entertained LOL!

[tyeeme]

I agree with high life I think it puts perspective on how close to the bottom you are because your vexi doesnt show your lure as close to the bottom as you think. plus it is alot of fish to watch.

[DTro]

Take a look

[Esox_Magnum]

I agree with it helps you understand what your baits doing in relation to your flasher, it's also usefull in seeing first hand how fish react to your presentation or whats really there. 1 lake here a camera will outfish a flasher hands down any day for perch. It's fun to sit back and watch the fish take your bait, like playing a video game.

[GrumpyOldCrappie]

Interesting thoughts, thanks guys!

[gonecribbin]

I always use one on millelacs, sure beats the flasher when you have 50 little perch staring at your bait all day. Also cool to see the occassional muskie or giant pike come up and take a peek at your bait

[jwmiller33]

nice video dtro! i really enjoyed it

[harvey lee]

Great tool for viewing how fish are reacting to your bait. Also good for locating the weedlines in the lake.

Numerous times I have been out fishing and used the camera instead of the flasher in very clear water. I can put it in downview mode and watch the fish inhale the jig and then blow it back out.

Great for kids also.

[minnbowhunter]

If you ever drop your keys down the hole, the camera will become the most important piece of gear in the house. Don't Ask.

[eurolarva]

If you fish shallow especially in a weedy area the camera is much better to use then a flasher. I fish the lindstrom area and I rarely use the flasher. Up at Lake of the Woods the camera stays home and the LX5 is on the entire time. Summer fishing with a camera is tough because you loose a lot of the screen resolution in the sun. In portable or regular fish house you can limit or eliminate the suns exposure. As the video says forget it at night. Micro organisms start moving around and it looks like a blizzard down there.

[hoggs222]

Minnbowhunter, Yes, we have dropped keys down the hole in 22' of water. Got em out!

I usually use the camera to find bottom structure. Nothing like dropping the cam down the hole to see that you are on some boulders instead of some muck.

[The Slabnator]

I love my Aqua-Vu and I have learned tons about fish behavior and structure. That said if you are a hole hopper and need to drill a 100 holes when you are out you will not like a camera and a flasher is a better choice for you. Also as stated earlier, shallow water and decent or better water clarity are where cameras perform the best.

[Tom7227]

I was wondering if anyone has had the camera get hung up on some junk and if so how did you get it out. Retrieving the keys is sort of an offshoot of this. Really suck if you got stuck and didn't have anything to get it out with.

[wplatehunter]

I only use mine when the kids are with.

[RonWBasser]

They are neat to use, like everyone else has said... it's a way to see how fish react to your presentation. I use mine most while fishing bluegills and crappie. It lets you see what is what, I'm surprised by the schools of crappie that will come roaming through right along with bluegills.

I use a vexilar all the time too but when you get locked on the depth they are using it is almost unfair that you can sort of pick and choose your fish. I've pulled my lure away from smaller ones so I can catch a bigger one. The vex can also help you dial in your depth of the camera pretty fast.

If you see fish on the vex, I lower the camera to that level using the vexilar to guide me, then I lower my lure down to the same depth. Lastly I rotate the camera until it lines up with the lure. Bingo, you are done.

And yes, keeps kids entertained. I actually have 2 of them so my son can do his own thing.

[eurolarva]

I used my camera to fix my dishwasher. Top dishes were not getting clean. Put the camera in with the IR lights on and ran a cycle and say the upper spray bar was not spinning. Put a new one in and it worked great. Also used it to snake a cable in a room in the basement. Dropped the camera down and ran the cable in the wall used the camera to find the loop and snagged it with another wire and pulled it up and out.

[FYGR8]

I totally agree with time and place. When you are on fish, there is no better way to be entertained....child or adult!

[Dothedew]

Just bought the marcum vs380... tried it out for the first time this morning. All i have to say is AWESOME!!!

Was able to see it at night time fishing in 20ft of water.

[Catchem'Kay]

I have a underwater camera that won't turn on , I checked the fuse , it's ok. .I live in New Hope. Does anyone know of anyone in the area that can take a look at it?

[Fuzzbient]

I love the camera in the winter to get a real good understanding of the bottom conditions and to see what kind of fish are actually showing up on the flasher. It's a blast to see those big fish come through and I actually even saw a huge sturgeon on my Aqua-Vu this winter. I guess I'm still a kid at heart and just find it fun to watch the critters down there.

In the summer I've used the Aqua-Vu to find schools of big crappies by trolling and watching to see what's down there. It's put me right on fish so tight I've limited out when no one else around was catching a thing.

[mr_jman]

a camera is a lot of fun to use during the slower hours of the day when you still see fish but the bite slows. Mine doesn't work the best in low light or dirty water, but its A LOT of fun to use on clear lakes or early in the season!

I have an Aqua vu scout.... Anyone else think they wrapped more than enough cable on it? I don't think i'll ever even use half of what is there!