La Crosse Area Crappies 1/30/08

By bret_clark 0

A trip was made to the ice around 2pm in search of Crappies but better yet, it was going to be the first good opportunity for me to play with the new MarCum VS825c camera, what a treat it was
The strike Master was set on fire and a series of holes drilled in search of a shelf. After the holes were drilled the LX-5 was turned looking for a step in 10fow between a flat that runs 4 foot deep and a basin that drops into 18fow. After the right spot was found things were buttoned up and it was time to play

I started with the LX-5 to find out were the crappies would be cruising at in the water column. It didn’t take long and the specks revealed themselves 5 feet below the ice. The camera was then placed at 5 feet and I was enjoying a look at the under water world, this was a first for me and it was mesmerizing. Watching schools of gills and crappies cruising around and an occasional bass made it so I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. It was more fun than the catching itself.

After watching a few fish come in to the offering of a mini mert with a minnow head only to hold the head itself without inhaling the bait a change was made to plastic. The Pink and White Shrimpo from CJS pulled in Crappies from everywhere. The camera made it easy to tell when it was time to set the hook. These fish would slowly cruise in and grab the tail of the plastic, with a little patience they would swim up with the bait before engulfing it completely. What a blast to watch the way these fish were feeding through the lens of the camera.

Not that these fish could not have been taken with a flasher but, the camera took all the guess work out of what was going on making it possible to catch and release a good number of 10 inch crappies in a short time. After playing for a few hours this evening the weekend is just not going to get here fast enough so I can get out and play again
The next toy has got to be a video camera so I can shoot some footage using the jack in the underwater camera. The MarCum camera has opened a whole new world to fishing for me
I hope you enjoy the pics I did take but, they do not do justice to what the actual view really was.

Good Luck Fishing People
Bret

0 Comments

  6. Great Pics….Way COOL Any way to judge distance from the camera to the fish? Or judge size? Can`t wait to see some night time pics on that new camera.

  7. It was not hard to tell when the fish were in close at all. There were fish off in the distance but I really could not tell you how far they were out there, I would think that will come to me with some time using the camera. As far as size, when they were in close it was not hard to tell the watch fobs from the nicer fish at all.

  8. That’s awesome Bret! also the camera helps take the guesswork out of finding structure too. Those fish better be in hiding, you’ll be finding everything you ever wanted to find out there! Wait ’til you see a 9″ gill come in at your bait, you’d swear it was a 10-11″er At least when my camera was working, it always seemed to make fish look a little bigger.

  9. Quote:

    That color camera has got to be sweet.

    There’s a down side to that color marcum camera. I guarantee you the first couple times you use it you’ll sit there staring at it in awe for hours as you watch all the fish do their thing. You literally have to force yourself to break free from the spell and get back to fishing with it. The colors and picture quality are amazing… I’ve told friends the only way it is going to get any better involves drilling a bigger hole and getting your head wet.


  11. Quote:

    Wait ’til you see a 9″ gill come in at your bait, you’d swear it was a 10-11″er

    I had a nice Bass come in and push the lens around with his face, that was way cool. I thought it was the great White Whale Moby Dick

    Quote:

    I’ve told friends the only way it is going to get any better involves drilling a bigger hole and getting your head wet.

    Now that’s going to be cold

    Like I mentioned “I was mesmerized” Darn best TV I watched EVER!!!

    Quote:

    Whats the price on one of those?

    They sell for just under $600 bucks. The unit is well worth the money considering everything else I have spent money on for the sport.

    Start saving today, you will not be sorry if you make the purchase

  12. Quote:

    Good job young grasshopper!

    Young Grasshopper???????

    Have you never seen this guy?

    It’s more like Good Job Old Donkey

    I suppose this just ruined my chances of trying it out this weekend old buddy old pal Bret.

  13. We will see Bret sitting in a chair with a beer and a bag of popcorn. Fishing pole for what?? nice pics tho–John

  15. Great report Bret, that pictures are really nice. I know what you mean about the color camera making the time fly. I find myself sitting for hours watching a camera, when in the past I hated taking the time to put the camera down. The new design really makes it easy

  17. It’s amazing you guys can even catch fish will all of the toys that you have to manage

    I am still catching them using a 202 zebco, an old spark plug for a weight, and some worms I dug up in the back yard. Just think of the damage I could do will all of those gadgets

  18. Quote:

    It’s amazing you guys can even catch fish will all of the toys that you have to manage

    I am still catching them using a 202 zebco, an old spark plug for a weight, and some worms I dug up in the back yard. Just think of the damage I could do will all of those gadgets

    Yeh hader A

    One of your direct qoutes:

    Quote:

    I run Symettres and Pflueger Presidents.


    Need I find more

    Mike, look at the older donkey calling who old

  19. Hey, you are not suppose to look at my past posts, that’s invasion of privacy. Oh yeah, and I don’t have an LX-5 in the mail either that I am NOT eargery waiting to show up

  23. Another great report by the master

    Someday when Bret gets big, he will get his Captain’s License and really put our area on the map

  26. Pretty cool Bret!

    Questions for ya:
    Are you using that camera on the back waters of the ole Mississippi?
    How clear is the water down there where your using that nice, new marcum camera?

    I’m curious how well it would work in the tannic stained waters of Lake Wisconsin. Most people who have dropped a camera down here in the past have said it’s not worth the time & money.
    Do you think it would work well enough to make a difference in these waters?

    Boog

  27. Now you are hooked Bret. Fishing with a camera, really is a blast I have been doing it for 3 years, and it never gets old. I have a B & W, and will be upgrading before next freeze up. I got to see the Marcum 825, B & W, and cannot wait to get a 825C. Steil before you post yours from this season on IDO, let me know…. DIBS !!!!

    big g


  29. Quote:

    Questions for ya:
    Are you using that camera on the back waters of the ole Mississippi?
    How clear is the water down there where your using that nice, new marcum camera?

    The river has some clear water and some dirty water when around any current.

    I used the camera the other day in some dirty stuff and the visibility was good enough to look for structure and watch the jig to check out a fishes reaction.
    The lights were enough to cut through some nasty water while Mike C and I did some searching below the dam a couple weeks ago.

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