Underwater Camera thoughts

[The General]

I have about $200 worth of birthday cash laying around and have been thinking about buying one for a few years now.  I've just never pulled the trigger.  I've gone with guys who have had them but sitting there spinning the camera around I've always thought to be a pain in the  .  Now I see a company has one with a built in rotating camera and it's exactly $200.  It's called a CFish R-1.  Has anyone ever used one?  I was thinking for $200 it's probably junk but the reviews I've been reading seem to say otherwise.  Any thoughts?

[glenn57]

NEVER HEARD OF THAT BRAND. BUT FOR 2 HUNDY what the heck. try it. as far as the turning yea I like having it looking at my jig but use it more to see what kind of or if there are fish sown there!!!!

if there there..........wit my skills i'll gettem!!!!! :fishing2:

[Boar]

Nope. Butim gona get a rotator for mine which uve seen. Thwt be pretty hand it it came with it.

[Boar]

I just looked at them anf for two hundy id say what the heck try it. Itsgot a remote control for rotation. Thats slick.

[Lee Borgersen]

                      I've had me an Aqua View for a long time now.

 The best advice I can give you is to leave your rods & reels home when in the boat. That's if your bringing your underwater camera with the goal of exploring and learning something. For me the camera detracts from your focus and ability to fish effectively. On the other hand the rods & reels detract from your ability to focus on the underwater show your trying to study.

If your drifting, slow trolling or anchored your camera has to be suspended at the best precise depth or it's not going to work out for you. To deep on a soft bottom and all you'll see is a cloud of silt every time it bumps the bottom. This is bound to happen if the boat swings and or is rocking from the chop or waves.

If your moving slowly across a large rocky bottom you have to keep lifting the cord up and down or the camera hits the large rocks and could snag. Also if you raise the camera to far up from the bottom you most likely will be viewing nothing of interest. It's like being lost in space viewing a vast expanse of endless specks of nothing.

Ice fishing would be considered a more practical application for the viewing and worth the investment.

The camera is an entertaining toy to most. Unfortunately it detracts from your ability to #1 study the bottom and #2 work a rod efficiently at the same time! 

Q: Will your hand and eye coordination be focused on your rod or on moving your camera cord up and down while viewing the screen at the same time? (this would be as the boat is moving)

A:     (Kind of like texting while driving the car.

[Boar]

Yeah not really practical in a boat unless u actually take the time to use to view that underwater hump or breakline or transition zone. Bjt ice ficrapher fun as heack my daugbter uses my micro view all the time an we hook it up to our 32 in tv an watch her cath fish on tv. Weuseit spearing also and its a blast wathcing a pick come in on it. Use u can se whats going on in all directions underthe ice. Its a fun toy to have and use.

[DDSBYDAY]

   I generally use my Aqua view 1x /year.   That is the day I am setting the ice house out.  I have a piece of structure I look for.  I want to be in a very precise spot on a drop off.  After that I put it away and just use the vex.   I used to use it more for ice fishing but dealing with the cord is just not worth it.  Other than checking out the action of a new lure or a new location it sits in the box.

[glenn57]

use mine a lot in summer chasing panfish. if they aren't there I move. use it ocassionally setting up spear houses never while spearing though. use it almost all the time ice fishing. usually drill an extra hole for the camera.