Camera Distance

[M1Tanker]

I got a cabelas 5.5" for Christmas and would like to know how far to drill the hole for the camera from the one I am fishing from.

I tried it this weekend and set the camera about 6-7 feet from my jigging hole and it seemed to be too far.

Soo...how close is the normal set-up from the jig hole?

[Big Buck Buster]

How was the clarity of the water? I usually set mine not any closer than that. If you get any closer, you will have more problems with lines tangling with the camera cord. I had a 12' house and set the camera in one of the far holes away from where I was fishing, and could see all the lines. The water clarity was more than 10' in that lake. If you do choose to get any closer than what you had it at, be prepared for a mess.

[skolfoppa]

I use an AV scout II and set the camera up 4-5' from my lines. I haven't had any tangles yet. It is cool to see the closeup interaction when fish come in. If you are worried about tangles use a zip tie and angle your camera lens downward toward your bait. This will keep the camera and cables out of the way.

[hondarider550]

I have an older AV Z model and I usually drill the hole for the camera about 4 - 5' away from the lure hole. I have never had a tangle either. Water clarity will also dictate how far away you can be from your lure. If you are fishing very clear water then you may want to move it somewhat further...

Also I have never had any problem of fish being scared by the camera. Usually the fish will even bump right into the camera head on... LOL

[Deitz Dittrich]

Its really going to depend on water clarity. I would say 5-6 feet would be normal though..

[Whisker Trout Slayer]

The times I use a camera I have put it in a hole 2 feet away and it doesn't have any affect on the fish and it is the old camera style that doesn't look like a fish.

[opsirc]

depending on water clarity, I have had mind from 2 - 5 ft away.

[Big Buck Buster]

I did have problems in deeper water when fishing for crappies. As soon as I set the hook, the fish took off and rapped around the camera cord(with the camera only 2' away). I just pulled it up with the cord on it, got the fish, and had to untangle the line from it. It's not that big of a deal, but when the fish are really biting, I don't like messing with that. I did angle the camera down after that, and it seems to help, and gives a cool looking angle of view.