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Anyone familiar with this product. I have been doing research and am thinking about pulling the trigger. I can think of several applications where this would be useful. Taking pictures and making video's of my ice fishing trips would be great. I have dropped my go pro down the ice hole tied to a line in the past and got some interesting video's. For a couple of hundred, I could link it into my i-phone or i-pad and get some great video. A camera for fishing will never replace my sonar, but would be a fun add-on.
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I have the Vex sonar phone, it is very good quality and I’d recommend it. I have the Marcum recon 5 for a camera and I like it a lot in certain situations as well. So I think you will like this item. The biggest draw back will be battery usage. You will need extra juice for your phone, especially on cold days. Also you’ll find the camera is more useful than you initially thought it might be. It lets you see weeds and fish lanes so you pick better locations for fish to hang out. Shallow water it’s the only fish finder that works well. Good luck. J
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Thanks for the feed back skunked... I was thinking I could install a plug in for the phone off the sonar or the fish phone battery. Shouldn't be too difficult and that would extend the battery life considerably.
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Skunked... I was re-reading your post. You mentioned that for shallow water, the camera is the "only fish finder" that works. What do you consider shallow water? I was fishing in 9 feet of water with my Vex's at Scofield last weekend. We had clear screens with no clutter. Vex's work with much less wattage than other fish finders. My FLX-28 has a half power mode which cuts the wattage down even more for shallow water. It really works well. I have friends who own camera's and in every case, they gave up their camera's once they saw what a sonar was capable of doing. The problem with a camera is you only see what is in front of you. The sonar shows everything above, below and all around in all directions. I agree, the camera will be quite useful for locating structure and the such. I think it will be a useful tool, but as previously mentioned, it will never replace my sonar. I think the grandkids will have a lot of fun with it as well.
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For extending my battery I just got one of those batteries that have like 25000 milliamphours and it will charge the phone several times so it’s not a big deal but if you don’t have extra juice it will shut down before you’re done and no phone on the way home. The reason I say the camera is the best fish finder for shallow water is the cone angle on most sonars are so tight you only see an area a couple feet in diameter when your on 8 feet deep water and less area the shallower you go. So the only fish you’ll see will be right on your lure and you won’t have much time to react. A camera will show you further away in the one direction anyway. I usually put my camera in a separate hole a few feet away from my lure so I can see what’s happening around it on all sides but that’s just what I’ve found that I like. When the water is deeper than 10-20 then for sure the fish finders are better. But up at Henry’s in 6 fow it was perfect to tell what was going on. Nice extra tool but not critical. Later J
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I ordered one through Amazon last night, Should be here before new years and maybe for Christmas They have a sale going on for them. Cabellas has them for $5 cheaper but none in stock in Utah currently l am thinking a cigaret lighter adapter would work for extra power or go with your suggestion. I am looking forward to testing it at Renegade over the Holidays.
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Hey good luck out there with the new toy... I used mine at the Berry one trip and put us on a point that had heavy rocky structure on the bottom and that spot was a fish highway, we nailed a ton that day... I usually don't use it down that deep, but we wanted to see what was going on, on the bottom and I don't know if it was a crayfish hang out or what, but the fish sure liked the area... Good luck with yours and I hope you'll like it as much as I do mine... Does that model have the positioner that holds the camera cord for you? If not you may want to get one to position the camera for you... I use the Marcum positioner, it's the old corded model, but works great to hold the camera in the same spot so you don't have to try to do too many things at the same time... That is the bad part of the camera, you end up needing something to hold the camera in position and something to mount the monitor or phone so you don't have to hold them... I finally have my tent set up with mounts so the system works really well, but it takes a while to save up and buy all the items to make it work well... I think your system might require less piece parts than mine did... One thing you can do with yours is use an Ipad or one of the larger screens so you should be able to see really well. That will be really nice... Later J
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I was at Cabela's earlier today and the salesman introduced me to the positioner you described. I was so impressed that I bought one. They had one made by Aqua-view and one by Marcum. The Marcum has a built in rechargeable lithium battery. I liked it the best of the two. What you described that you used your for at Strawberry is what I am wanting to do at a few locations. I do well when fishing, but hope do even better by learning what is really down on the bottom. I own two I-Pads, both I have given to two of my Grandsons. My wife has a mini I-Pad that she has given to one of my daughters. I may have to beg, borrow or steal one back. I have two Jumbo I-Phones, an I-Phone 7 and an I-Phone 10 or what ever the latest greatest update is. Perhaps the screen on one of those will be large enough.
Sounds like a get-together some day may be in order so we can share secrets. I would really like to get into the crappies again or some jumbo perch. My wife will not let me go out alone (thinks I am too old) and unfortunately I only have 1 snowmobile.
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Hey that sounds like fun!!! Maybe we can hit Pineview after it gets safe. I haven’t ice fished it before so I’ll have a learning curve to go through but we can probably find perch and crappie there. I have a sled (snowmobile) and gear so we should be covered. One other thing you may want to do for your positioner is I don’t like mine in the snow or wet. So I took a 5 gallon bucket and tipped it upside down. Cut the bottom out. Then cut 3 notches for the rotator arms. I put the bucket over the hole and lower the camera through the hole and when it’s at the right height hook it into the rotator that I place in the notches and you’re set up. Looks a bit redneck but works very well. Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll see if I can make it. Later Jeff
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I guess great minds run in the same gutter.... I already considered taking a 5 gallon bucket and using it to hold the positioner up off the ice. I hadn't thought the process completely thru yet of how to set it up. Sounds like you may have done it for me. Thanks for the info.
I have fished Pineview a few times. can be a tough lake to figure out. We have always caught fish, just don't do as well there as others claim they do. The last time there, I fished the narrows up by the dam and did okay. My wife and I like Strawberry and Starvation when it freezes up. We like traveling around and trying different area's. She had knee surgery a few months ago and the recovery has been slow. Not sure if she will be able to get out this year. My long time fishing and hunting companion decided to give up the ice fishing. He gave away his snowmobile and his boat, sold his home in Kamas and moved to the Layton area. He is 10 years my senior and says he can't take the cold anymore. He had a hip replacement a year and a half ago. Guess it has taken its toll. Too bad... I will miss him. After nearly 40 years of hunting and fishing together, I suppose there comes a time when it is time to quit.
I am looking to hit Strawberry over the holidays. Renegade has always treated us well. Often we will snowmobile the 10 miles in by road. Later in the year when we are certain the lake is solid enough we will run the snowmobiles the couple of miles across the lake from Strawberry bay. A lot quicker and smoother, but not as much ride fun. If you like Strawberry, come and let's go. I am pretty sure Renegade will be frozen enough to fish by now or for sure about New Years. I am thinking I may give someplace a try this Saturday.
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Thanks for the invite, with Christmas and family things coming up, I probably won't be making any bigger trips for a while, but will check with you after the new year gets going... I usually fish the berry later in the season after I've exhausted my panfish options for the contest... Strawberry is a 3 1/2 - 4 hour drive on good roads for me, so I don't make the trip very often. Good luck and Merry Christmas... J
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