Underwater cameras

[Cooter]

I've never used one and would appreciate some opinions. Are they worth the money if you mainly fish stained water such as flowages or rivers where visibility is around 3 ft?

[brian6715]

To me they are totally useless, I live in an area with water clarity at best 2-3 feet. They just do not pay, not even close, and I am really disappointed I wasted all the money. The one time that they are fun is when you are ice fishing on a relativly clear lake (+5'). They do work good on a clear lake in the soft water season if you are in some shallower water, I would say 15 feet or under. But for your situation I would say that it would be almost totally useless. Thats just my opinion, I hate to sound so negative, haha. Sorry I hope this helps, Brian-

[gunflint]

I don't see where depth has anything to do with it. I fish mostly clear water lakes and my camera works great. I use it to determine what type of structure my depth finder is showning me. And to check on weed lines etc. I also like to know water temps at different depths. My only regret is that I bought the model with 60 feet of cable instead of 120.

That said, I don't think I would buy one if I were fishing in areas with 3 feet of water clarity. If your interested in a camera to find fish I think your better off investing in a good depth finder.

[luckyc]

Just a note, here in the twin cities there is at least one place you can rent a camera for a day. Rent one, try it out and judge for yourself if it is worth your money to buy one. I do know we used it on Lake Mille Lacs and had a blast watching the perch react to our jig in the winter. This was a rental unit.

[Jim Hudson]

Yup, with the water clarity your working with, an underwater camera will not work very well. Still not a reason to get one, as there will be times you will fish water that has good clarity.

I see an underwater camera as a tool, just like lures. Some lures wont work in this water or that water, etc. But they do have their purpose, just as a camera does. And too me, an underwater camera has helped me learn to use my sonar unit that much better. By seeing structure in real life with my camera and then seeing how it looks on my graph. This information can be used in any water your fishing, and is very valuable. Especially searching out soft to hard bottom transitions, etc.

Another thing my camera has helped me do, especially here in Lake Superior, is show me what type of fish I am seeing on my graph. Suckers are every where out here, and when I am walleye fishing, a lot of times I will plunge down the camera to make sure what I am seeing is actually walleyes.

My suggestion is, if you can afford one, get one. Sooner or later you will use it and hopefully then you can learn from what you see and apply it to your fishing strategies.

[Jex]

I found my AquaView camera to be really handy when icefishing for panfish. I would rig the camera to point straight down and suspend it about 5-6 feet above my bait. I could watch the sunnies come in and suck in the bait. I could then set the hook before there was any other indication of a bite. I could also pull the bait away from any undesirable fish that might come sniffing around. Also a lot of fun to watch a northern come in and grab a little jig.

[TSCTSC]

I had the aquaview with the fish camera. It looks forwards. I used it for a while but did not find that it made me fish better. After a while the hassle of putting the camera into use just got to me so I returned the unit. It just did not appear to work for me. Also, more than 80% of the time, I could only see 2-3 feet ahead of me so the limited range was quite a problem. Also, I was never able to find my jig.

[Guest]

I love my Aqua-View for hard water fishing.On most lakes I can drop the camera and watch the lure and fish come in to the bait and see how they react to the jigging.It will tell me what kind of fish are present and how much to jig.At night I loose some of the distance seeing.The first few times I used it I would have fish biting on my hook,but I was so glued to the camera I missed the fish.Great for little kids also,and looking at the structure of the bottom and seeing little weeds on the botttom.I feel if the money isnt a real concern,buy the camera and at times it will help you out.Minnows dont always catch you fish or crawlers either,but when the fish want that bait you better have it with.I dont leave home without my Vexilar and now I wont go without my camera either.Also,IMO I would buy the best model that you can afford,as they will tell you more and work better,like the panning option on them.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I dont find water clarity a big factor. Water clarity increases dramaticly during ice season. Two and three feet in summer can be easily 5+ feet in the winter. Also Ive used my camera to scout structure in the summer on a lake with about two foot visibility at max. I was scouting around in 12' of water and with the camera could see fish and objects within four feet easily.