I always wondered about it too, so we tried it last year one trip. I have an Otter Cabin insulated. It's not black inside and we had no problem at all seeing. We never had a fish to throw at, but we cut holes from 10' to 20' deep and had no problem seeing. The main thing we learned was to make the hole a little smaller, and put it in the corner opposite of the door! It will definitely be used again on those places where the ice is a little sketchy for the little wheelhouse. I can think of a couple of places on Fort Peck that are loaded with pike that I want to try it on!