How Fast Can You Troll with an Underwater Camera?

[TroutYammer]

I just purchased a Cabelas underwater camera and I am wondering once the open water season begins...How fast can you troll one of these cameras behind the boat? 1.5MPH - 2.0MPH or much slower?

Like to hear from others how fast they co ver water with the underwater cameras?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Its going to depend on a couple of things... HOw deep is the main one.. and how clear the water is.. The clearer it is, the further you can see and it seems like you can go a little faster. And of coarse the deeper you are the more resistance on the cord..

I've never actually looked at how fast I was going when I had my camera down.. Ive never fished and looked at my camera, just looking at structure.

[stick]

Deitz is right on with this one. I find myself needing to go real slow in order to not have a 45+ degree cable angle. Don't underestimate the drag of the camera and mainly cable. If I were to guess, I'd guess somewhere around 1 mph.

[Scott K]

I am always afraid the camera will get caught on a log or rock and yank my camera and monitor in the lake. So for me no faster then drift speed.

[solbes]

I've tried with my main outboard idled all the way down, maybe 2.5 mph. It's generally too fast for that unless you are shallow (less than 10-12 feet). But it's always worked great with my electric trolling motor which I usually run 1-2 mph. Make sure you have the lead ballast and plastic fin attached to keep it running as true as possilbe.

Finding and identifying structure pays big dividends with these. If you also have a GPS you are set for good. I used mine maybe 4 or 5 times last year and found some great spots. I am going to use it more this year in deeper areas and see what's out there. Only problem is that managing that cable can be kind of cumbersome.

[TroutYammer]

Thanks for the input. I can't wait for open water to see what's on the bottom of the lakes I have been fishing since the 1960s.