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Aqua-vu Scout Reviews


Hoytmystic

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The lights on the Scout are the IR (Infra Red)... water is a filter of IR so the IR lights are not the best option on the market.. However they are much cheeper. I have used mine on Lake Vermillion which is a stained lake during the open water. It worked great during the day. Not at night.. then again , idont think any camera on the market today would work well in a stained water lake at night!

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Scum-any and all of them will work well during the day. The Scout, the marcum units.. all will be pretty good on stained water DURING THE DAY... there is not a camera on the market that will work well in stained water at night. Just a fact! once you turn the LED lights on, it looks like your driving a Porche at 200 MPH down the freeway with your highbeams on during a blizzard... just too many particles in the water. If your lake is stained, just expect to only get good use out of it during the day!

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I have the mc2x and that isn't any good in stained water either. The problem with stained water is that you reflect off all the particles in the water, making it very difficult to see.

What lake are you talking about? Maybe I can help you out. Most lakes are clear enough in the winter from what I've found.. URL is not clear enough, either are many parts of LOW. They work well on the majority of metro lakes in the winter.

If your looking for a first camera to use and see if you like it, etc. I'd save the money on fancy lights. In my opinion, the mc2x lights are next to useless. I'd have purchased the standard camera if I did it again (I use this camera only in the daytime and not in real stained water).

If you want something that may help the problem with particles and have the money to spend, I'd look at the new MarCum line of cameras. This is the most innovative lighting system I've seen on the market to help with this problem. This is on the MarCum 460 and 560. The lights are up above the camera lense so that particles will not be directly in line of the camera. I haven't tested this out yet, but hear does a pretty good job.

[Dietz - was typing the same time as you apparently laugh.gif]

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I've never used a camera on Big Sandy, but from what I remember of the lake you would be fine. If you can see down a couple feet in the water by eye, you'll be able to see a couple feet with the camera (during daylight). Everything is much clearer in the winter too without the waves stirring the water up.

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Your right, the 360 aqua vu lights are basically a copy of the MarCum. I haven't heard any reports on how this works, but similar concept.

The problem isn't really dirty water (dirty that you can't see through it), it is particles in the water. You can see fine during the day through the same particles, just not at night because of the reflection from the camera lights on the particles.

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I bought a scout shortly after they came out, and I have had a lot of success with it. It's nice, albeit frustrating, to see a bunch of panfish, then see a pike stroll through and scare them all off. It gives you a good idea of when to stay and when to go. Unfortunately, when you are just starting to ice fish like me, you tend to rely on the camera too much. This makes for some very frustrating times when visibility is low with it, although I guess it's better for the fisherman in the long run.

The new aqua-vu camera coming out this month, the sc-100, is going to be something to look forward to, with it's spool for the cable, and color LCD screen. It will make it a lot easier to differentiate the fish from the weeds I'd imagine.

Good Luck

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That looks like a pretty slick deal, but alitte to pricey for me. I've got to many other "toys" to get. I think I'll be starting with the "scout" as my first camera, and eventually work my way up.

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John,

The Scout is a great entry level camera........and even good just as a standard camera. The Spool-Color will be nice as it has a 4" Daylight viewable LCD screen. Meaning you have your Spool sitting on the rodrack of your boat and you can be fishing and look down and see the screen fine without the Sunshield.

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That's what I figured after reading everyones posts. I like that I would be able to use it on the boat, as well as through the ice. Here in Colorado, most of our warm water lakes are loaded with carp and suckers, which obviously look the same as walleyes on the sonar. It'll be great to that a quick peek at whats actually down there.

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Congrats on the purchase. I am sure you'll like it, it adds a new dimension to fishing for sure. Although as you've heard, don't expect much in poor water clarity, or at night, but that's when a flasher pays for itself.

Also, make sure to disconnect the input for the camera from the monitor every time you transport it. I found out the hard way that the pins can easily bend and render the camera nearly useless, not to mention the stores generally won't return it, unless you get someone who doesn't know much about the cameras. Good luck, and have fun with it!

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Everyone should look at buying a 12v battery w/higher amps for their camera and fishfinder like the LX3 or FL18. All you have to do is make sure the measurements are the same for both batteries so it will fit in the same storage area. Example: I bought two 12v 9amp battery that was the same size as my 12v 7amp batteries that came w/my Vexilar FL18 and OVS 500 camera. Well, I get 4-6 hours more use out of the camera, and generally don't have to recharge the Vex until after two to three outings instead of one time. Helios lead sealed batteries are one example. Just do a search on the internet to find the best deals.

Hope this helps,

Goin Fishin

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well i thought the camera worked great we didnt get many fish but we had a blast watching them the crappies werent interested in anything just looked t the bait the camera is just fine for me thanks for the tips and the battery is almost the same as those in the breakaway kits for trailors with electric brakes but those have more amps too thanks

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