Aqua-Vu ice fishing

[PrimoWi]

Has anybody out there found a good way to keep lens at a certain depth or is the stand the best way to go for ice fishing?

[THE BAIT SHOP GUY]

Thoose cheap cable wraps for extension cords work good. Cost under $3 at any hardware store. They're wide enough to fit over any hole. Taping a clamp to a short legnth of pvc pipe or 2x2 works well too. Just clamp the cable to keep the camera at the desired depth. The stands keep the camera too close to the bottom and are more trouble than their worth in my opinion. Hope this helps.

CHRIS WAHL
www.baydenoc.com/bayviewsports

[Brian_MN]

If you've got a really clear lake, try this: Tie wrap your cable to the tail end of the camera so it points straight down, then lower it so it's about 6-10 feet above bottom, depending on water clarity. In a Fish Trap, or similar house, drop it down a hole in the middle of the floor so you can see all your lines at the same time. It workd great for me, and I can see a much bigger area of the bottom. Plus, the camera is way above the fish, and I think it spooks them less.

[Chad]

My partner has a different brand. It comes with a piece of styrafoam with a slit in it. You slide the cable in the slit and the styrafoam floats keeping the camera at a constant level. If you make your own try to find the type of styrafoam that you use on your pipes. The kind that doesnt crumble. It probably isn't technically styrafoam.

[Vickie]

We use a piece of board about 5 inches wide and 14 inches or so long with a slit about 1/2 way through the middle the short way. Lower the cord to the depth you want put the board over the hole and slide the cable in the slit and hold it with one of those chip bag clips (the plastic ones). It works great to change the direction just turn the clip and the camera turns to where you want it.

We love our Aqua View and use it all the time for ice fishing.

Good Luck and Good Fishing.

Vickie

[Tom (mich)]

USed mine for the first time this past weekend - what a blast!! Added a whole new dimension to ice fishing, though it was frustrating to see the fish I didn't catch. The area I was fishing had a very weedy bottom, as a result the ice fishing stand was useless, so we had to suspend the camera and tinker with the cable to get it just right.

I was thinking about devising a system whereby I could use small PVC tubing, in sections, that could be assembled on the ice and lowered to the right depth. Any ideas how I could attach these sections - threaded perhaps?

[Rickk]

Not sure of the cost but what comes to mind is the extensions that you use for the chimney sweeping,..comes in 3-4 foot extensions that you screw together,..they are light and small in diameter,..should be able to attach and rotate easily,..

[Big Sky]

To all that replied here, what units do you have? I see there are 3 Aqua-Vu cameras now. Z-series, MC2X, and Smart-VU? Is the Smart-Vu worth the extra money?

[Rickk]

another thought,..if you have a snow roof rake,..the handles come in sections that snap securely together and you can order more sections,...

[Tom (mich)]

That's an excellent idea - thanks much. Portable, lightweight, and easy to configure the camera wherever I like - perfect.

[dave]

how about using sections of gun cleaning rods that screw together. They are thin and
are easy to transport....

[Big Sky]

Just trying to keep this thing from getting buried. Any input into my comparison question? Thanks.

[CrappieDay]

I used my Aqua-Vu for the first time the other day, let me just say it was incredible, I loved it. I bought 10' pieces of pvc conduit for $.67 each, and then bought several male and female threaded ends for about $.67 each and some pvc comduit cement for a couple dollars. I cut off the enlarged end of the conduit and then cut the conduit into about 5' pieces so it would be easy to manuver in the shack. I did this the night before I went out. Then I just used electrical tape to tape the camera to the pole. I put each section down the hole and when it was close to going in water, I screwed in next section. Then I put a quick clamp on the conduit to keep it at my desired depth and I could spin it around very easy and tell what direction I was facing. I am going to cut about 6" off one of my sections and tie wrap the camera to it so I can leave a section on the camera permanently. Hope this helps.

[MIKE]

With my camera (vista-cam)I put the camera on a extention pole. Fully collapsed it is 4ft. It has 4 four ft. extentions for a total of 16ft.I put it thru a piece of 1x6 with a clamp for a stop.

[PrimoWi]

Thanks for all the great ideas about holding camera at desired depth. I lucked out and had a old camera tripod. I just clip the cabel on the camera platform and I can rotate and raise up and down with ease. I might try the board idea for cramped conditions. Thanks again for all the great ideas. Sure is a great site to have!! Thanks to WC, education is just a click away. PrimoWi.