Underwater Camera feedback

Kicking around getting an underwater camera.
Anyone use them….if so what brand and how well do they work in a variety of conditions??
Is 60′ of camera cable enough or should a guy go with the longer option the different brands offer??
I would be using it primarily for open water applications and possibly some ice fishing.
Thanks
Buckshot

John,
I have the aqua-veiw camara. Use it alot during the winter, only a couple times this summer. I’ll bring it along this weekend if you want to try it. Let me know.

…Well I don’t have one, but I fished this winter with my brother who has one. I’d say I won’t ice fish without one ever again. Never seen it used in open water applications, but I would imagine you’d need some sort of pole to point the camera to the direction you want. He has an aqua vu, one with LED’s on it. I think that it’s the Z series, but I am not sure. Only thing it would be nice to have the temp. reading for summer fishing. They have that in their ZT series, and maybe others as well.

I have used most of the models available from the $200 Atlantis B/W, up to the $600 High End Color w/ Full Spectrum White Lights. And I have concluded that it is not neccesarily what you buy, but how you plan to use it.

Almost every black and white out there has the exact same camera inside (Sony). So the picture quality is all about the same. The housings very from brand to brand. I prefer a 5″ picture tube to an LCD, it works better in cold conditions and the screen is larger.

Lights are great if you are fishing after dark or in deeper water. All models now have infrared lights, full spectrum white light is better than the red/green combinations.

Keep in mind that the camera will only see as well as the human eye if you were down there with a scuba mask. So is clarity is 1′, that’s how far you will see.

On open water, keeping the camera steady using just the cable is near impossible. It’s just like trying to use a Camcorder while you are walking. I have reverted to using a 16′ telescoping pole, which is also great for looking under docks from a distance.

Winter is really when cameras shine. In combination with a flasher, icefishing becomes a whole new ball game. You can set it up to look at your bait from the top, or drill another hole off to the side and look at all your lines at once. Last year in Isle Bay out of Scenic we were on a hot gil’ bite, but they crafty devils wouldn’t hold your tear drop for more than a second and then spit it out. Without a camera we would have been blanked. We also saw some large Pike, Muskie and Bass, a great bonus.

So, which one to buy? I depends entirely on how you want to use it.

A lot was summed up in the previous 2 posts, but I thought I would just get my 2 cents in while I could.

Like mentioned before, are you a lake fisherman or river fisherman? I have fished both and in the lake setting you can see up to 6 feet with clear water no problem. I have ice fished with 3 buddies (2 poles apiece) and been able to watch all the jigs without a problem. Now on the other hand I fished this past winter on the river and could only see a max. of a foot in a half. You will not find a camera that is going to make much of a difference in this catagory, unless you find one that has a water purifier on it and cleans the water.

Decisions: to go with 60′ or 120′ is clearly up to you. You going to be heading to Devils Lake, ND looking for some 70 foot perch or are you going to be staying in the shallow waters? Myself I only have the 60′ cable and haven’t come close to using it all yet, but there might be that day and I just hope I didn’t short change myself.

For what to get I would definatally go with the multi-color light, which comes with the infared light as well. You would be supprizes how much better you can see with it on.(Expecially early morning or evening) Do the fish see this bright light then?? I tend to think it makes them a little skidish at times, but for the most part I have never had a problem catching fish with either of the lights on.

I do own the Cabela’s CB-60, which is made by Aqua-View and like Duckilr said I will not ice fish without that ever again. I have taken a lot of young kids and if you have that camera, it is a whole different ball game for the kids. Sure does keep there minds off of getting cold or them getting bored.

Good luck and I wouldn’t be thinking to much longer cause that is wasted time.

Buckmaster

P.S. gives a guy something to do when the bite is slow as well.

Call me John. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about under water cams.

I heard the ovs 460 from Marcum is now available, only a short 8 months after it was suppose to be out, but it still looks IMO to be the best idea made for a camera, haven’t basically anything about them yet, but thier idea is many times above the others IMO. Search google for marcum… It’ new, but if all goes well this is the unit I’m buying.