Underwater Cameras

[Brad Brunner]

Howdy folks,

I hadn't had a real reading of my house electrical since 1998 and I received today a refund big enough to buy an underwater camera.

I fish a lot of tannin stained Minnesota lakes and I'd like to know if anyone has used one in those conditions.

My favorite lake was a site of a logging operation in the late 1800's. I would really love to see what's left down there but I don't know if I would even be able to see it.

I would really appreciate any advise.

Brad
brunnerb@cpinternet.com

[luvtotroll]

I have been using the Aqua Vu Jr. It has a 50' cord and the infrared lights. Even in the Mississippi I could see a foot or so when near the bottom. For $299.00 it is hard to beat.

[Bo]

I just bought mini Atlantis. It has great resolution and is so small it tucks right in under my console. It has 75' of cord. It's the best I've seen. It sells for $350.00. E-mail me and I can put you in touch with distributor.

[Brad Brunner]

Thanks for the advice. I'm still debating, however. I would really love to hear from someone who has used a camera a lot to hear their downsides.

Tangled with fish? Snagged on the bottom? Used it for a few weeks but it turned out that it wasn't all that useful?

[AJacks]

Bo

Can you send me some info on a distributor for the mini atlantis...thanks

AJ

[fishman]

I have had an Aqua-Vu camera for two years and it is great. I live in central Minnesota and can use in most of the lakes here. On clear lakes I have had the camera down to 45 ft and could still see. In other lakes could not see much beyond 25 ft. Would not work in Lac Suel as it is too stained. Going to try it in LOW next week end.
What we think are Eyes are Carp a lot of the time.
If I am alone fishing, I spend more time with the camera than fishing. Awesome to see the Eyes and then cannot get them to bite.

[Brad Brunner]

Fishman,

Which Aqua-VU do you have? Looking at all the choices on their web page there seems to be a pretty good range.

Is the IR model worth it do you think?

[Skeeter Boy]

To answer the question about infra-red. I have an Aqua-Vu with infra-red and can say in the two years I've had it I cann't think of one time I had to use it. If you use the camera at night it might be useful but I doubt you would see very far even in clear water. They don't seem to cast light very far. You will not be able to see near as far as in daylight. Good luck...Skeeter Boy

[Jerry Streekstra]

Brad I'm into my second year with the original Aqua-Vu. 50'of cable, no lights. I used it on the Wisconsin River at the Dells in the early Spring. The waterflow was low, but the water is always tanin stained. In 15 feet, I could see 3-4 feet, although the picture was somewhat snowy. One thing that impressed me about the Aqua-Vu Co., the year previous I got the camera tangled in some trees, the cable has 180 pound kevlar reinforcement, so I just kept tugging until it came free. In doing so, I must have damaged the internal wires, because after that I had an anoying flicker. I called Aqua-Vu, explained what my problem was, and how I caused it, and they sent me a new camera and cable no charge. How's that for a great company!! Jerry

[Brad Bunner]

Jerry & Skeeter,

Thanks for the advice on the IR and the story about tangling in trees. It sounds like Nature Vision (Aqua Vu) is a quality company.

Does anyone have any experience with the Vista Cam? Boy it would be great if there was a pro/con website for products like these. A place where we could rate products--cameras, reels, motors, etc.

Brad

[MR.Pike]

Brad, At risk of sounding like a smart-ss, This IS the site you want! Just as you received many responses about the camera. Just ask away! One thing you will notice is the quick answers and/or opinions you get HERE. No offence intended<;{{{{{<<( Mr.Pike

[Matt]

I have used both the Vista Cam and Aqua-Vu cameras. I guess I prefer the Aqua-Vu. The Vista had a larger monitor but unless you were in a fish house it was really hard to see. The Aqua-Vu just seemed like a more well thought out unit.

[Greg P.]

I bought a Vista Cam last winter. It is easy to use, and has a nice picture. It can be difficult to see in the direct sunlight.

I was up on Rainy Lake with it last week, which is stained water. I found that at depths less than 30 feet, I had about 3 - 10 feet of visibility depending on depth. Depths below 30, I could see only by the infra red beams. Visibility was about 3-4 feet, which I thought was pretty good.

I have not evaluated all the different brands. I looked at Aqua View, but I liked the larger display screen with the delux Vista Cam model.

They have excellent customer service. My batttery charger was not working, so I paid a visit to their office in Blaine. They gave me a new charger, and customized my carrying case to make it more convenient. All done on the spot, and free of charge. Nice folks.

I would recommend the Vista Cam to anyone looking to buy an underwater camera. But, of course it pays to shop around.

Good luck.
Greg P.

[Abe]

There is a kit for making your own underwater camera. I did my own and it works great. for info contact BOARDMAN@MNINTER.NET The camera can be made for about $110 with lights and all and it is easy to do.

[Brad Brunner]

I rented an Aqua Vu on Friday and, between thunder storms, was able to give it a try yesterday and today. It was a good thing I did before I slapped down any cash.

Here are my comments on the experience:

1. It was difficult to use: holding the cable and steering the boat was awkward. Wake and waves made the picture jump all over the place--Just one more reason to hate jetskiiers, waterskiiers, and wakeboarders.

2. I could only see about a foot in front of the camera. At depths below 19 feet in my stained (not dirty) lake I was basically blind.

3. You really only get a very small picture of what's down there; sonar seemed much more useful in seeing what is in the water. I kept wanting to look behind, or to the side, but I couldn't with the motion of the boat.

Ultimately, I think it would be useful for ice fishing and for confirmation of suspected structure. But for the types of lakes I fish, I would rarely ever use it in the summer.

I can't imagine any of the other brands would be much different.

Thanks for all your advice.

Brad