UNDERWATER CAMERA'S

[Guest]

To anyone who gets out enough i recomend buying a underwater camera. These things are amazing. Not only do you get to see the fish hit but you get to see what they are interested in, you get to see the bottom structure, what kind of fish is down there, how to jig them ect...

TRAV

[Smallmouth]

I am in the market for a Vex, but now I am wondering if an underwater camera would be the way to go instead, I do not have the budget for both. Any ideas out there on this?

[EBass]

Smallmouth,

I was in the same boat as you a couple months back. I went into Gander Mt going to get an aqua view camera. However, the salesman talked me into a Fl-18. He put it to me like this, "A camera won't catch you fish, but the vexilar will."

That salesman is a smart man. I don't know how many MORE fish I caught because I saw them coming or suspended or what-have-you on the vex.

A vexilar or a zercom is a must. A underwater camera is nice. Go for the flasher this year and get a camera next.

My .02 cents.
EBass

[irvingdog]

Stop!!!!!! I sell both for a living! It drives me nuts when I can't convince people that you should always get a Vex before a camera. A vex makes you a better fisherman, a camera makes it more fun.

O.K. before I get flamed, I know that a camera will tell you bottom content and species, will they show you a fish suspended 8 feet off the bottom? How about on Rainy lake? Lake of the Woods? Can they shoot through the ice?

Good! Now go out and buy an FL18!

[Guest]

The Vex is a must. The camera is an add-on toy whenever you are on a clear lake (few and far in between).

[Guest]

The Vex will easily triple your fish in the first year. The camera will cut three years off your life from looking at all those little smartass fish sniffing your bait and swimming away. Go get the Vex.

[korn_fish]

The vex is the way to go.....Cameras are nice, but I even found that some cameras you can't use at night. The vex can be used anytime, anywhere and shows you the everything below you. The camera, like many have already indicated, only shows you a specific bait.

If you have a vex and you lower your bait to a fish, you can see the fish rise/react to your bait, so in essence, you are seeing the reaction of the fish to your jigging method as well.

The only true plus that I can say that the camera has over a vex, is for real lite bites you can see the fish actually take the bait in and can set the hook. But that was a benifit only with inexperienced anglers. A good rod/tackle set up can help that out.

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[BLACKJACK]

Irvingdog, what kind of camera would you recommend? Are there any that you can use at night?

[Guest]

I followed a similar path to those who replied before me. I bought a FL8 (on a budget)and it got me through the winter. This year I scored a deal on a Marcum VS400. It does what I need it to do, not as fancy as many of the AquaViews but in a clear lake it'll show you what you're dealing with or why the fishing shuts off. (Big Northern scaring away my perch on Winny)

Thanks to this web site I plunged for the LX3 last week. My FL8 will be retired to the boat and at this point the LX3 is better than the FL18. I agree with the debates on these two, it'll turn into a Ford-Chevy thing. I felt guilty going against Vex but Marcum has already provided some great servivce and when I picked and chose the crappies suspended in 20 feet of water when the bottem is 22 feet further it made it all worth it. I love the movable zoom and it seems the IR mulitiple settings knock out the Vex's better. Last weekend on LOW and URL my buddy's Fl18 was literally two feet away in the house and we had no problems. The Fl8 used to have interfearance.

Thanks to everyone on the site, I've been a silent reader for a couple weeks and all the knowledge of the fishing family has made the late season outstanding. Especially when I nabbed the Sno Boat for under $200.

Thanks again and good luck with whatever toy you chose.

BB

[irvingdog]

Infrared washes out at night after just a few feet to a few inches, depending upon the water clarity. That said, red and green lights will definitely help to illuminate the area around your camera. The jury is out as to weather these lights spook or attract fish, however, a northern or two has been known to smash the camera from time to time. I tend to believe that shy to neutral fish do not like foreign, inconsistent light sources. If you have a street light near a body of water, and this light is on nightly attracting baitfish, it could be a great place to fish, but many experienced ice fishermen have seen what light eminating from their house, shining down the hole has done to the fishing. It very often shuts it down. If the fish are aggresive and positive feeders, would the light have slowed them down anyhow?

As for any lake with an "Iron stain" (Rainy, L.O.T.W., etc) forget the camera, day or night.

[Guest]

I agree, a Vexilar is a must. Don't leave home without one. A great learning tool as well as an all purpose indicator.

Good Fishin, Matt.

MJ5 and Fishing Minnesota...
http://frida.blc.edu/~mjohnson/mj5.html

[EBass]

My friend has a LX-3 and I have a FL-18 ProPack. The three things that I like about the LX-3 are the adjustable zoom, the sweet carrying case and the voltage meter.

The things I like about the FL-18 are the vivid colors, the low power option, battery charge indicator and I haven't checked out the bottom lock feature. I need a boat for that.

When the two are ran close together both can cancel the interference out. If you put in a Fl-8 with the other two, then mad interference.

Yep, it's like Ford vs Chevy, but both are worthy.

My .02
EBass

[korn_fish]

Ford Trucks - Chevy cars - Harley's and a boat. thats all one needs....nothing else , well maybe a good woman.

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[Guest]

I agree with irvingdog for sure. you do need a vex before a camera. but a camera is just awsome for panfish. If your gonna get a camera i would go with the VS 400 or the VS 500. it has a bigger screen and is better made.

TRAV

[Fisher Dave]

Wow .. what would you guys do without a Vex?

[Guest]

The flasher is a nice tool for finding suspended fish and shooting through the ice to eliminate water without drilling. They are also very effective in helping catch fish if worked right.

I disagree though with some that the camera won't help you catch fish. It will, no doubt about it. I've done much better with the camera. The main thing it does is give you confidence in a spot. If your seeing the fish and not catching them, you can change presentations until you are catching them. Soft bites normally that wouldn't be detected, you will catch because you see them bite.

Sometimes I find myself relying on the camera too much though and think I'd do better with just the flasher. In my opinion, the flasher and camera are a must have for serious ice anglers. Don't even plan on using the camera at night. I bought the top of the line aqua-vu with the special lights and it is worthless at night.

I'd consider the LX-3 over the Vex (first purchase), camera second (I doubt you'll get any differing opinions on that, unless you have an FL-8 and are debating between the upgrade or the camera). The Marccum is a great improvement over the FL-8 and most definitely worth the xtra $100 (I've heard they are about sold out of the LX-3 though)... Save the $100 on the lights for the camera and put it in the flasher.

[This message has been edited by fishnAddict (edited 02-25-2003).]

[EBass]

Fisher Dave,
Without my vex, I'd probably be fishing in 90 feet of water 10 feet down.

EBass

[irvingdog]

F.D. Buy a Marcum?

[Smallmouth]

THANK YOU all for the in-depth advice, Flashers are a must, camera's are a luxury. Now the question is deciding between the FL18 and the Lx-3. Hey Irvingdog, if you work on commision and want to sell, let me know. Good luck fishing everyone, I appreciate all the feedback. !!!

[irvingdog]

Thanks Smallmouth, but I don't hang out here for the sales opportunities. I just like to share info and learn what I can. Judging by availability that I've seen, your best bet for getting one wold be to go to Vexilar direct. Also, get the boat mount. The ice will be gone soon, and it is a great machine for summer also.

[Maverick1951]

I have an fl-8 and am trying out a friends Zercom, and I personally like the Vex better. I like having the different colors, but the Zercom tends to look a lot cleaner. I am new to both of them and used to fish an old mono-tone, so if you want the opinion of a new vex user I would go with a vex. Hope this helps.

[Smallmouth]

Thanks again Irvdog and Mav. I am going with the Vex. It's going to be a whole new world of ice fishing, I cannot wait! Thanks again all!!!