Camera options...one more to consider

[holehopper]

I know there are tons of underwater cameras out there to consider.  I personally use a Vex wifi camera for fishing perch/walleyes/crappies but fished with some guys last winter that were scouting shallow water with micro cameras.  They would have one guy drilling holes and another with a micro cam walking behind to scout for panfish.  They wouldn't fish a hole unless they saw panfish there and it was very effective. 

I looked into the micro cameras and you can spend a lot on them.  I ended up finding a micro wifi camera for $89 shipped and so far so good.  I've used it home but no ice yet to try it there.  Basically just a micro camera with 60 feet of cord attached to a battery/wifi pack that you put in your pocket.  Use your phone or ipad as the screen.  Great scouting tool for not a lot of money.  I'm sure it has less quality than some of the more expensive options out there but this one will allow you to take a screenshot and/or record video. I will still use my Vex camera once I get set up but the micro camera is something that will be very useful for shallow water scouting.  Really small package that fits in your pocket and allows you to run the camera with one hand while you hold your "monitor" (phone or ipad) with the other.  About a 5 hour run time for the wifi/camera unit itself which is plenty for scouting.  Allows multiple devices to be hooked to it via wifi as well.  I have my phone on a lanyard so it is always secure and close by.  This camera has infrared lighting and seems to work well.  A quick search of Amazon or Ebay will give you lots of options.  The version I got was the "Lucky Laker" brand but I'm guessing the same factory stamps all of these out with different brand names on them.  I liked this option as it has a good cord management system with it. 

[Gunflint]

can you post a photo?

[holehopper]

I can't seem to add a pic but I've included a link to Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Underwater-Fishing-Portable-Compatible/dp/B06XBY6MY5

It is basically 3/4 of the size of a can of beer.  Comes with a neoprene bag too.  The cord wraps around the base and there is an elastic band that keeps the cord from unwinding.  It works with or without the antenna; it just gives you more wifi range.  The antenna screws on and off. I'll update the review once I have a chance to use this on the ice.

[Fr33Th1nk3r]

See this is great because having that stupid screen is what makes the good ones cost 600 dollars. I don't want a screen, just give me an app I can use with a good camera. 

[clintonstick]

Great info. Does it work on lakes where I have no phone signal? Thanks

[kasilofchrisn]

For me it's just easier to drop my flasher transducer in the hole and I know instantly if there's fish anywhere in the water column below the hole.
Takes 5 seconds or less.
it's just so much easier for me than dropping my camera down and trying to get it to the same depth as the fish. Then spinning to find my lure etc.
Then if a fish swims by above/below the camera I have no idea it was even there.
one of these days I'll have to find my camera and drag it out on the ice again but my flasher just works so much better for me I hardly ever use it anymore.
What kind of situations are you guys finding where a camera works better than a flasher? Even for scouting?

[topwaterbait]

See this is great because having that stupid screen is what makes the good ones cost 600 dollars. I don't want a screen, just give me an app I can use with a good camera.

Exactly!

[HWeber]

For me it's just easier to drop my flasher transducer in the hole and I know instantly if there's fish anywhere in the water column below the hole.
Takes 5 seconds or less.
it's just so much easier for me than dropping my camera down and trying to get it to the same depth as the fish. Then spinning to find my lure etc.
Then if a fish swims by above/below the camera I have no idea it was even there.
one of these days I'll have to find my camera and drag it out on the ice again but my flasher just works so much better for me I hardly ever use it anymore.
What kind of situations are you guys finding where a camera works better than a flasher? Even for scouting?

Bottom transitions,  structure,  fish identification, watching fish behavior,  catching fish that you'd never know bit, watch multiple lines at similar depths

[RyanW]

For me it's just easier to drop my flasher transducer in the hole and I know instantly if there's fish anywhere in the water column below the hole.
Takes 5 seconds or less.
it's just so much easier for me than dropping my camera down and trying to get it to the same depth as the fish. Then spinning to find my lure etc.
Then if a fish swims by above/below the camera I have no idea it was even there.
one of these days I'll have to find my camera and drag it out on the ice again but my flasher just works so much better for me I hardly ever use it anymore.
What kind of situations are you guys finding where a camera works better than a flasher? Even for scouting?

I bet you’d be surprised if you dropped a jig down one of those “barren” holes.

[kasilofchrisn]

I bet you’d be surprised if you dropped a jig down one of those “barren” holes.

That's normally how I do it anyway.
I drop my flasher down then jig for a couple minutes if I don't get anything or see anything then I'll try one of the other holes I have drilled.
But in the original post he talked about guys using a camera and if they didn't see Fish they were moving on. Well my flasher does that too just a heck of a lot quicker!
It used to take several minutes to set up my camera in the hole at the depth I want and then trying to find my lure by rotating the camera.
I guess a flasher just fits my style better and gives me most of that information a lot quicker and is much easier to move.
Plus I'm looking at the entire water column at one time.
Something else I often saw in my camera was fish in the distance that swam under or above my lure and I never knew they were there till it was too late.
I have had so many times were a fish came in at a different depth than I was fishing I saw it on my flasher and I was instantly able to drop or raise and hook that fish.
It's interesting to learn how different people fish and use different equipment.
For the species I fish for and my style a camera just doesn't seem to fit in.
But it is cool that they're making this new smaller technology for you guys that like to use them.