Underwater fish cameras

[walleyeaddict]

I am looking at buying an underwater fishing camera for hardwater fishing and early spring jig bite. I am considering the Aqua -vu AV715c($300), Vexilar FS-800 Fish Scout($300), or Marcum VS385C($425). I have no experience with these cameras and am looking for pros and cons from fishing people who have used these cameras or recommendations on other cameras in same price range.

[walleyewackr]

i highly recommend the pocket aqua view, for the money its an awesome camera and size wise fits right in your pocket, lots of advantages with it and save yourself a few bucks as well

[West Basin]

WalleyeAddict,

For open water on a boat in Lake Erie these (relatively) low end video systems will not significantly help you catch fish. In shallow water with clear or good visibility and very stable operating conditions these systems can be useful and entertaining on a boat. The cameras are very hard to control in water depths greater than 6-8 feet and on waters bigger than a pond. Trust me, the first time you take one of these out on Lake Erie and drop it over the side of the boat you will probably be disappointed. Even on a dead calm day the camera moves around a lot and you rarely get more than a one or two second stable view 2-5 feet from the camera lens. Unless you spend a lot of time designing and building methods to deploy the camera so it will be stable and controllable you won't get much better, and that is very difficult to do.

Ice fishing is a different situation since the operation platform is stable and therefore the camera systems are much more useful.

If you are going to use it mostly for the spring open water season then my advice is to save your money and the time you will waste trying to use these systems on a boat in Lake Erie (been there, done that). Instead concentrate more about learning how to read the water and weather and how to correctly read your depth / fish finder. That will help you catch more fish a lot more than messing around with a video system.

If you are hooked on purchasing one of these systems then I’d get a higher over a lower quality unit. I took a quick look at the systems you listed. The specs on all but the more expensive one were average at best, equivalent to an $85 security camera, which is the low end of quality. At a minimum I’d want a 1/3" camera sensor and at least 600 tv line resolution (640x480). Anything less will give you decent but often poor video under open Lake Erie conditions. The screens tend to wash out in sunlight and are often hard to see on a boat. If you manage to get a good live video feed you want to see good quality video to make it worthwhile. If you would like to chat more about this PM me in a few days after I get my box emptied out.

West Basin

[jigginfool]

That's his opinion. He must be pro camera lol. I've used one for quite some time. And yes it takes time to get it set right.but after some getting used to it you would do just fine. I've used mine in 25 fow on Lake Erie hard water and during the summer months. In both conditions I can get mine set up to where I can view my bait and watch it the whole time.on the hard water I'll drill a hole about 5 ft or so outside my shanty to send camera thru. I can get it set to where I can watch my lure jigging the entire time. Caught many walleye using this method and it's entertaining watching the fish.if waters murky or tons of current it can be a pain in the ass. On those days I end up pulling out the flasher.so look into before you take anybody's advice and run with it. What's good for one is not always good for another just my opinion

[BLACK PEARL]

I will be using my GOPRO Silver edition this season for my videos!