Ice Fishing Underwater Camera

[Jeremypalms]

Once again I am in need of help from members of BFT.

My loving wife is going to get me a underwater camera for christmas this year! I am only going to get this opportunity once in my life or for a really really long time and I want to make sure I get the right one.

Is there a better brand then others or are they all the same for the most part?

I was wanting a 100 ft cable to fish in FG and Fish lake but is that unnecessary?

Is 50 ft to short for the cable? I typically only fish in 15ft to 25ft of water but I want to catch burbot and lake trout this year and was told that they go pretty deep. I have ice fished FG in 80 ft before for burbot but there is such a price jump from 50 ft to 75 ft and I am not sure I can buy a lower model and add a 100 ft cable to it?

Any good or bad stories on underwater cameras will be helpful! I don't know what is good features to look for?

Thanks for your help on this matter!
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[utahgolf]

here's my take. It's hard to see at 100 feet. Also on burbot or crappie, I never liked using the lights on my camera at night because it negatively affected the fishing. They didn't seem to like the camera light and it made my glow jig worthless. . I have the cabelas advanced angler series 7 inch camera. It has 65 feet of cable. The only time I have ever used that much was when ice fishing bear lake. Most of the time 25 feet. I think you are fine with 50 feet of cable. I also wouldn't want to hook up with a mac and have it tangle in the camera cable. I love my camera for typical trout/perch stuff in 35 feet or less water.
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[kj]

If you have your heart set on a camera, go for it. but... Everyone I know who had a camera put theirs away in favor of using a sonar devise. The problem you will find with the camera is it is hooked up to a cable which will get tangled up in your fishing line when you catch a fish. Also, you only see what is in front of the camera lens and you are limited to the distance you can see by the clarity of the water. With sonar, (I use a vex) at 30 feet, I see everything within a 16 foot area in all directions. I also see everything from the bottom of the ice to the bottom of the lake, regardless if it is cloudy / murky water or crystal clear. As I first mentioned, if a camera is what you want, get it, but they do have their limitations.
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[utahgolf]

Not sure if that was his original question. But if he is indeed limited to one purchase and does not have a fish finder already than I would pic a fish finder everytime and twice on sunday. A camera is a fun thing to have and it pairs nicely with a fish finder but a fish finder is the way to go if you have to choose.
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[outdoorsman1]

Cameras are awesome for shallow water. Vex or sonar are better for anything over 10ft in my opinion. I have a Marcum and it is great.
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[Ahi1953]

As has already been said cams are great for shallow water. I have a Marcum and really like it. have tried Aqua view, had problems with water leaking into the camera housing. the biggest trouble I found was getting the cam looking where you needed it. so if you dont mind spending a little more a Camera Panner will help. If your like me and want to save money I have made my own panner out of the lid to a 5gal bucket. works good fits over a 8" hole.
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[NICH]

I use a Aqua-Vu micro and I love it. I would get the 5 with dvr if I was you. It has a 100' cable is compact and light. I don't use a camera to detect a bite or to set the hook on fish. It's true a good spring bobber and a sonar are better for that. What I do use it for is fish behavior, identifying structure and bottom content a lot. But best reason is for fish size and species identification and being able to see multiple or schools of fish. That stuff a sonar can't tell you. Good luck.
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[Jeremypalms]

Lots of great points being made here, thanks! Just a few more questions;

Lots of you have told me about the fishing line getting tangled around the cable of the camera, I thought you could put the camera further away from your lure so that would not happen. Is that not true? or does it become harder to see the further away you are?

Can set up the camera to see multiple lures?

My friend has a sonar that is why I was going to get a camera because we heard that if there are 2 sonars close together it would cause issues between the 2. Has anyone had that issue?

I love the idea of seeing what the environment looks like underwater and how my lure interacts with the fish but I don't want to tangle my line with the cable and I am not sure I like the idea of staying in one depth to fish, Typically we move up and down to where the fish are on the sonar but I imagine the camera being hard to move with us.

Thanks again for all your help
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[Kent]

How far one can see through the water varies widely from lake to lake. For Strawberry ice fishing plan on being able to see about 6 to 8 feet maximum. For Bear Lake I have been able to see up to about 20 feet. I purchased one of the original Aqua Vu cameras and it was fun for a short while, but quickly became more of a pain than it was worth. In addition to having to adjust the depth with a camera one also has to spend considerable effort to get it pointed in the direction of your lure. Also, the deeper you go plan on having to move the camera closer to your lure (light penetration is less the deeper you go). Interference between fish finders is an issue but one that can be usually be managed by adjusting them. If I didn't already own a fish finder I would definitely spend my money on a fish finder before purchasing a camera.
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[utahgolf]

so I usually put my camera about 2-3 feet away from the lure, and unless you drill your two fishing holes close together, you will only be seeing one lure. Turning the camera and positioning it, isn't really that bad, they make a round disk for the cable cord. Now finding your jig in low light is tough, early morning it can take a bit. I usually don't bother with the camera until that hot early morning bite is over and when the sun has been up for a bit I put the camera down. At strawberry early/clear ice when the sun is up mid morning, you will have no problem seeing all the way down to 45 feet sometimes on the newer cameras. If there's snow on the ice than much shallower. It really just depends on the conditions. I was at henry's over the weekend and we setup on white/snowy ice and I had a hard time seeing at 9 feet. A camera is fun and it has helped me catch fish, you can see when that jig is in the fishes mouth and set the hook versus them having the jig by the head. You can see a fish feeding on the bottom and leave your jig on the bottom for awhile and they will vacuum it right up etc.... It's definitely helped in situations... The cabelas advanced anglers series are decent units and that's what I have. Just don't get lazy with a camera or finder. Lots of people only jig when they see fish on either one. Keep up the jigging to call fish in. Hope this helps.
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[utahgolf]

I guess cabelas quit making them, so not sure on a recommendation, I have the 7 inch and it's been good. it looks like they washed their hands of it with cameras.
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[BearFisher]

I have a humming bird sonar. I have enjoyed it because it allowed me to see the depth that fish come through at.
Growing up we always fished one crank from the bottom, and it generally worked. Since I got my sonar I have been able to tell that the fish depending on location and habitat may actually swim at higher levels in the water column. This has proven especially helpful in deeper lakes.
When I have used my sonar with other sonar around, it takes a little bit to set it to the way I like. Depending on the model the different frequencies may make it easier to use around other sonar units.
My brother won an underwater camera at a fishing challenge, and he enjoyed it from time to time. But like what has been said, water clarity really effects the picture. Also if you move a lot you have to consider that you will be pulling up the camera and putting it down, aiming it, and playing with settings frequently. If you got your 100 ft cable that's going to take some time.
I will say this about the camera, if you have kids or someone new to ice fishing, watching fish swim through or watching the bite is a blast. It made my father in law excited to try the hard deck again.
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[k2muskie]

We have the Aqua-Vu mini with recorder...love it...I'll post up a couple videos we have taken...as others have said water clarity will vary greatly on all types of conditions...depth, water itself and snow cover.

I do like the idea of the bucket lid so will be trying that out...but at least you'll get the idea. The Aqua-Vu is very small and compact has color, IR, motion sensor and can download the videos...

Here ya go the notional setup...

Board was a scrap I had lying around...dimensions are for an 8" hole...16" long 8.50" wide and the cable cut is 1/8" and 4.25" half of the width. If I had the proper wood tools I'd make the board circular to cover the hole.

Get yourself a mini tripod they are very cheap...

Weight on camera holder is 1/2 oz...Make sure to pinch the plastic where weight goes else once on bottom you may loose the weight...we lost a couple...duh...but thats how you learn.

I use a clothes pin to turn the cable and orient camera plus will eliminate spinning...trust me the cable is TINY a larger clamp could potentially damage the cable as its like 1/32".

Finally drop down a white rope I use a buoy marker in the hole you have the rod...in other hole with camera turn camera with clothes pin or whatever you use to find rope. Pull up rope and drop down your offerings...

Good luck and I like the DVR capability very easy to use press the button and your recording...press button again and its off. I also like that the whole camera is small as a cell phone we can't deal with anymore weight in our sleds.

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[OCF]

I use the Marcum camera and love it. I fish Strawberry all of the time, and you will notice on the camera (especially late in the season) that you are getting a bite and never detect the bite on the surface. I use both a Marcum flasher and a separate Marcum camera. If you are serious about a camera, pay the extra $$ for the Marcum. You can rotate the lens almost 360 degrees from the inside of your tent and you can tell which direction the camera is pointing with an indicator on the TV screen. It is the easiest camera system to set up that I have seen. Here are some answers to your questions:


1. "Lots of you have told me about the fishing line getting tangled around the cable of the camera, I thought you could put the camera further away from your lure so that would not happen."

I set my jigs (2 to 3 depending on how many guys are fishing) in a line. The camera is also set in the line - looking back down the line of jigs. The camera is set 4 to 5 feet away from the first jig and the last jig is 9 to 10 feet away. The last jig is small to see; however, you can see it & see when a fish is biting. Again this is in clear water like Strawberry or FG.

Once in a while you do get tangled up in the camera cable - however, the juice is worth the squeeze.

2. "My friend has a sonar that is why I was going to get a camera because we heard that if there are 2 sonars close together it would cause issues between the 2."

Yes, this is an issue. With the Marcum flasher, you can tune the other fish finders out.

3. "I am not sure I like the idea of staying in one depth to fish, Typically we move up and down to where the fish are on the sonar but I imagine the camera being hard to move with us."

Again, this can be an minor issue . During the winter, I have notice that the majority of the fish travel within 5 feet of the bottom and I set my camera about 3 feet from the bottom, which covers 95% of the fish bites. I have also notice that if a fish is within 15 feet vertically and they are interested in feeding, they will swim down to your jig if you are jigging it. If you have a flasher in addition to the camera and a fish comes through higher, it is easy to crank you jig up and get into that strike zone.


I generally do not set up my camera unless I know there are fish in the area. I always set up the flasher first & see how the catching is going before I drop the camera down the hole. Just because it does take a little more time to set up and take down if you are on the move.

Long story - short, I love my Marcum camera and the juice is worth the squeeze!
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[hookngrinin]

I use my Lowrance fish finder to locate fish and use an Aqua Vu micro with DVR when I know fish are in the area and I want to observe their reaction to my jig or lure and jigging technique. I also like to capture underwater video of fish in action. So I pretty much just use the camera for education and entertainment and not for finding fish. It can be very educational and entertaining when fishing for small fish in water with good visibility like perch fishing at Starvation.

Attached is a YouTube video I took in 2013 of some Starvation perch action. The last 3 minutes are the best. I had the camera closer to the jig. The actual view on the monitor while fishing is clearer than what is shown in the video posted to YouTube. The conversion of the video made it more pixelated [url "http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=starvation+perch+fishing&view=detail&mid=9918E2E14F4B6CE695659918E2E14F4B6CE69565&FORM=VIRE3"]http://www.bing.com/...B6CE69565&FORM=VIRE3[/url]
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[RonPaulFan]

I have the Marcum LX-9 which I highly recommend as both an ice fishing fish finder and camera combination that puts everything on a high resolution color screen. It's color camera is very high resolution and has low light performance as it continues to give a good picture just after sundown in low light conditions. Then I can turn on the camera light, but that attracts tiny light seeking water life that clouds the view, so I just toggle the light on when I want to see. The camera cable length is 75 feet, but since light doesn't penetrate water well at depths greater than that, I'm likely not missing much.

It's fish finder has very advanced electronics. It is very powerful and produces an excellent display which can be viewed in multiple mode and displays including heads up with the camera view in the background all while digital video recording captures everything in high resolution. Interference rejection is excellent to the extent that I have never experienced interference.

I'm going out briefly and will be back and look to see if you have specific questions. Here is a link to previous posts and discussion on the Marcum LX-9:

http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gfo...time;mh=25

You can also reply to any of those previous posts should they bring up a feature of interest.
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[MatchT]

Are any of these cameras compatible with trolling rigs for live view during summer use? I think that would be really neat while trolling for kokanee or trout.
Thanks
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[RonPaulFan]

I attended Jared Johnson's fishing seminars at the International Sportsmen's Exposition and he told of making such videos to show the sockeye salmon running in large schools. A search in BFT found this post from him and it tells what camera he used:

"... We slayed the kokanee and the underwater Walker Downrigger strike vision camera that I have got was able to get some great Kokes on tape striking my lure's so it was neat to see the way they react. ..."

http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gfo...ra;#201429

My Marcum camera comes with an attachment for that, but I haven't used it for trolling yet. I expect it would work fine because every other feature of the LX-9 works well.
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