Underwater Cameras spooking fish?

[Crappiechopper]

New to the underwater camera deal. Yesteday I was fishing a lake with dark(ish) more like stained water. Showed fish on the flasher before putting the camera (and subsequent light) down, but with the camera down they split. Is this a normal reactiom from dark water fish or what?

[Crm7290]

DId they come back after a while or what happened?

We have used a camera on the stained backwaters of the Mississippi River and had plenty of fish come in for a look.

[Crappiechopper]

Pretty much stayed gone as long as the light was on.

[Crm7290]

Maybe it was the light?

I dont think people use them as much on really dark water because they are hard to see with, but I could be wrong

[DaRangeFinder]

in my experience they can spook walleyes, never seen a panfish mind them though

[LMITOUT]

Does this guy look spooked?

[BronzeBrother]

Does this guy look spooked?

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[Zelmsdawg]

I've never had problems with fish spooking from the camera, but I'm only fishing pike and panfish.

Could it just have been you dropping it down on top of them maybe? I always put my camera down right away and then finish setting stuff up. Feel it gives fish a chance to get used to it.

I also never use the light.

Zelmsdwag

[Ed Carlson]

It's like anything else in there environment. As long as it does not appear an immediate threat, they will accept it tell it proves itself otherwise.

Sudden movements of the camera may spook jittery fish, occasionally the lighting appears to back them of a bit.

Overall I have found most freshwater fish in the my region more curious about the cameras, than afraid of them.

[MichaelSwan]

We find that it attracts northers, and sunfish. Crappies tend to spook with it though.

[half-dutch]

Too little slush in a hole can spook panfish.

Too much light through can attract the big toothies which can spook panfish.

Some of those uninvited spectators will also follow you from hole to hole as you drop your transducer down, and one tried to swipe my whole flasher last week, when it missed on the bluegill I had just landed and grabbed my transducer instead.

It wouldn't have fit down the 6" hole anyway, but when I dived for the unit, I found myself staring down at a musky head big enough to fill the entire hole with my transducer in its mouth right at the bottom of the ice hole. That kind of eyeball to eyeball was a bit spooky for both of us. IIRC we both dropped the transducer and the ski took off like it had seen a ghost. I aint exactly Mr America and never was all that good looking, but I don't break any mirrors either...

Of course, your camera can spook panfish. Most likely it was really the light, though, that was the final straw. Light can definitely spook em. I have seen panfish spooked by size 10 and 12 ice jigs at times.

[TruthWalleyes]

Yesterday I put the camera down to see what was below the ice...I figured they were small since they were agressive, but not hitting my bigger jig - Just small sunfish, and they couldn't care less. 7fow and i dropped the camera right on them.

Earlier this year i was fishing crappies suspended over 40fow, when i wasn't many bites I wanted to see what was going on down there...Each time i dropped the camera down they ditched. I never left it down there long enough for them to get comfortable with it, and just kept fishing.

Fish can be as moody as women some days, and we (as men) just don't have an explanation for this

[WallyGader]

There are alot of different lights on cameras now, but the lights on mine make the camera look like a ufo and fish are terrified. One of the few times my camera gets used is fishing bluegills in weed cover, and I also wrap some of the reel weeds on the camera cord which I think camos the camera from spooky gills (usually the bigger ones). Had my camera on a lake this year sitting in about 18 fow trying to fish bluegill but the pike would keep coming after my camera, they had to hit the camera at least 8 times within the 2 hours I had it down.

[rodmoen]

Just a curiosity, i had a CO in SE MN tell me that this line from page 9 of the regs "• Using an artificial light to lure or attract fish is unlawful. Exception: While angling, a person may affix to the end of a fishing line a lighted artificial bait with hooks attached. Any battery that is used in lighted fishing lures must not contain mercury" meant that it is illegal to use any of the "visible" lights on a camera while fishing. He said the infrared lights are ok since its not light but I'm curious if anyone can confirm this or not.

[FYGR8]

I find the fish to be very curious and unafraid. Last night the crappies were coming in like they were on a string.......this being on the front edge of a real strong coldfront!

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[Ed Carlson]

Just a curiosity, i had a CO in SE MN tell me that this line from page 9 of the regs "• Using an artificial light to lure or attract fish is unlawful. Exception: While angling, a person may affix to the end of a fishing line a lighted artificial bait with hooks attached. Any battery that is used in lighted fishing lures must not contain mercury" meant that it is illegal to use any of the "visible" lights on a camera while fishing. He said the infrared lights are ok since its not light but I'm curious if anyone can confirm this or not.

That is indeed the way it read...they were trying to amend it and settle the UW Camera lighting issue. One can get written up for having the light on if it is a White Light in MN.

Yah...preaty silly.

I do not think they are enforcing it to aggressively.