looking for camera to drag behind boat and Icefish with. Questions..

[ConesusPikeCatcher]

I'm looking to purchase a underwater camera. I will be using the camera for both ice fishing and soft water fishing from the boat. When soft water fishing it will be primarily used by dragging behind the boat while using trolling motor to locate schools of perch in lakes with very very clear water. Depth of 15-45ft are common. The two cameras I'm looking at are the Vexilar Scout 800 and the Aquaview AV-715c. The vex is black and white but has a 60ft cord compared to AV at 50. Has anyone used cameras for this type of use? Any suggestions of which camera to get or any other camera you may like for this application would be greatly appreciated.

[esox_xtm]

This will be interesting to me also. I'm looking to replace an old AquaVu Z series that I used for years for just that. The next one may well last me to my end so I'm not necessarily looking cheap.

One of my main criteria is some sort of directional indicator so I can tell which way I'm looking. A valuable feature when prospecting potential holes.In addition, the feature of temp and depth are also applicable for open water uses. I'm thinking thermocline ID and being able to see if anything is hanging there.

The unit I've been looking at is the Marcum 625 SD. AquaVu makes a 760Cz that is comparable.

I am ready for the wealth of Ice Shanty knowledge! Thanks for posting.....

[flyfish413]

If your plan is to drag it behind the boat, I think you'll be disappointed. That much cable will result in a massive amount of drag so you'll need a lot of weight to hold it down even at trolling speeds. The camera will not stay stable in the water and the constant wave motion of the boat will make it hard to see in general. Bouncing the camera off a rock and scratching or breaking the lens is also a possibility.Underwater cameras are kind of lousy for open water applications in general. I have the Vex FishPhone and had an AquaVu Micro, neither of which i use/ used in more than 20 ft because dealing with that much cable is also a huge pain. I think i brought each of them out on the boat one time before i realized it's more trouble than it's worth. If you're willing to deal with some of that stuff I'm not sure if it really matters which unit you buy. However, for ice fishing, I'd rather leave my boots at home than my cam. I love that the FishPhone lets you take pics and vids right on your phone or tablet for less than half the cost of the closest fixed-screen unit but the fixed screen is more convenient. I don't know if any of that helps but I had high hopes for using the camera out on the boat and quickly realized it's a pain in the a**.  Live and learn.

[esox_xtm]

Yup, open water you can't move fast but you can learn some things. Exception to that rule: I've seen video of musky lures trolled with a camera in front of them and it's way cool. Lots of weight, a fin and slower speeds can make open water happen.

I'm confused by Otter's post. Maybe not..... Wow, must have been some ex.

[Curley]

here you go.

http://waterwolfhd.com/en/

&feature=youtu.be

[Vex-Um]

I use my marcum all the time.  Just don't use it where there are a lot of rocks or fallen trees if you're moving.  Also, you can only go less than 1mph or there is so much blow back you can't get it down to 30 feet. At least that's my experience.

[ConesusPikeCatcher]

I got the idea from watching a guy do just that. He may have made a homemade rig so the camera stayed in a constant position when trolling with it. It would be trolled primarily in large flats where there isn't much structure. We fished for 3 hours before he got there without a bite. He spent 45 minutes looking and then hammered them once he located the school.

[ConesusPikeCatcher]

Anyone ever make there own rig for the actual camera?

[esox_xtm]

Didn't make the whole camera but used an old AquaVu camera with an LCD monitor.......

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=281366.msg2915601#msg2915601

[ConesusPikeCatcher]

I was talking about for the camera. A rig to keep the camera riding in the water property and consistently while trolling with it. A ruder system or something.

[esox_xtm]

Ah, I think that would be easy. I'm thinking something with a downrigger ball..... and a little imagination.

[Cbass123]

+1 on the water wolf.

I've seen a few John Skinner videos on youtube.  He uses one and gets great underwater videos in saltwater.  Here's a link to one of his videos he used the water wolf for:

[DTro]

From what I understand the Waterwolf is just a standalone camera you attach to your line.  There is no feedback via monitor or anything; you actually have to download the captured video to a pc in order to view it.  Pretty sure the intent of the original poster was to drag around and monitor his surroundings.  Cant’ t do that with a WW.

[Zube]

I have a Vex cam and it has a fin on it and can be pulled behind the boat , but it works better to clip it to a canon ball on a small downrigger and works great . It also has a small dvr to record what you see .