Underwater Cameras

[scotta]

I am going to purchase a underwater camera for ice fishing and wanted some tips as there are so many on the market. I do not want a hand held. Do they work at night? Black and White vs Color? Please help so I don't make a expensive mistake.

[Tod Todd]

Scotta,

One of the most important things to me is having direction on the camera if you see structure or fish you want to know what direction to start drilling.

[Garett Svir1582813971]

I recently purchased the Vexilar Fish Scout 800 and really like it. Haven't taken it out of the boat since I got it. Plan to pair it with the new DVR-100 so I can capture underwater footage of all those huge bluegills I hope to find this winter. The DVR has a small remote that allows you to capture both underwater stills and video. Plan to keep using it in the boat until ice up so I can monitor which weeds are dying off and which ones will be nice and green come first ice. Tight Lines

[PurpleFloyd1529315463]

Look at the Cfish threads in the ice fishing forum

[BradHawthorne]

You have the luxury of online research, It's the single best best tool.

[Jim Kusuda]

My experience is that underwater camera viewing is very limited at night. There is generally a huge amount of organisms and particles that show up when the camera light is turned on. It is like a blizzard that reduces the distance and clarity of what can be seen. I use the Vexilar FS2000DT and turn on the LED lighting to the level that works best. Because the camera automatically switches to black and white in low light, I sometimes will drill over a weed bed, drop the camera in and crank up the LED’s. Now I can see what color the weeds are (hopefully green!).

When I am fishing with the camera, I sometimes use the down viewing hook on the cable to view my presentation, similar to sight fishing. I appreciate controlling the brightness, contrast and color, to fine tune the monitor display. This really helps me see the fish coming in, highlighting it against the background.

Run time is stated at 15 hours, I have used it quite a bit and haven’t had to change batteries. I really like that it is designed for cold temperature use and is very reliable. The more that you use an underwater camera, the more you will be amazed at what is going on under the ice.

[scotta]

Am thinking about that vexilar 800. When aqua view first came out I bought one of those models, where you looked thru the hood, It didn't last 2 seasons. i know technology has improved, but wasn't impressed. By comparison, i have been using the same vexilar fl 8 for 15 yrs. will upgrade when this one goes, but it just keeps on working. Now that is quality.

[muskie hunter]

I have the fish scout 2000 love it great resolution and I can see a lot.

[eagle_3464]

I am using the Vex Fish Scout 1000 and the resolution is very good. I do wish it had a rotating camera with direction on the display. It is a bit of a pain twisting the cable to rotate the camera.

[harvey lee]

I have used and owned numerous models from black and white to the color. Color is nice if looking for green weeds. Using them at night as far less in the viewing versus the daytime viewing and the deeper the snow is on the ice, seems far less in viewing.

Water clarity plays a huge role is camera usage, some lakes are so stained, they simply work poor at best and some lakes it's like looking at gin clear water. At least this has been my experience.

If you do not look at a camera with the option to pan the camera head, Marcum has a disk that you put on top of the hole and the viewing head cable hooks into that and you can rotate with this disk, works pretty good if you don't have the pan option. Much better than trying to do it with your hand, that is a real pain.

Of the 5 cameras I have owned, I mainly use a Marcum VS360, a black and white model that has worked great for years now. I had the newer Marcum models that are color and all the other options but for my usage, this less expensive Marcum model fits the bill for me. You can also put it in down view mode besides the side view.

If I have a school of panfish below, then I like to use the downview and I can watch the fish take the bait into their mouth and then set the hook, that's if I have some better water clarity.

I do not believe Marcum makes this camera any more but one can still find them used on the big online e store. I purchased another last winter for $100 and it was like new, the battery was even in great shape. They are for sale there now and then and are a great buy for this price.

[Northlander]

I would get a Marcum. The best cameras on the market. I like the new VS385c. You can use it in color or black and white mode. Great value. If you dont need color look into the VS385 if you can get a hold of one still. If it was me I would get the VS385c because at times the color is very nice to have.

[scotta]

Thanks for the information. Am looking fwd to ice.