Wife got me one of the 5.0 bundles for my birthday. Anyone have one or use one? Are they actually useful? Seems like the application is rather limited since you have to be over top of whatever you want to see. Can you control the direction the camera faces or are you just at the mercy of the current?

I don’t know what the latest version of these cameras are like, but I had one years ago. A few things I learned. Once the camera goes over the side, even in clear water, you don’t see a thing until it gets to the bottom. Once there, you’ll only see a few feet. As for direction, you can twist the cable to rotate the camera. I also tried a telescopic pole but it was hard to use while trying to watch the screen. You can’t catch anything while you’re looking at a screen. I got mine mainly for identifying what I was seeing on my depth finder. 90% of what I thought were a school of baitfish or panfish was actually big pods of leaves or other debris. Overall, it did not accomplish what I was hoping for and wound up donating it to my local DNR who didn’t have the funds to purchase one. 

39 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I got mine mainly for identifying what I was seeing on my depth finder. 90% of what I thought were a school of baitfish or panfish was actually big pods of leaves or other debris. Overall, it did not accomplish what I was hoping for and wound up donating it to my local DNR who didn’t have the funds to purchase one. 

This is what I'm thinking it will be useful for. Mark some brush piles or cover and then drop the camera down to really know what's down there. Or drifting a point or piece of structure to see what's hanging out/what the bottom composition is like. 

 

I was very tempted to ask her to return it for something more useful, but figured a new rod and reel wasn't worth upsetting a wife who was so excited about finding a cool new toy for my hobby. 

 

She said "This is what all the professionals say is the top accessory this year!" Bit my tongue before I said "Well please don't ever believe that about the Hydro Wave!" 

My mom got my dad one 15 years ago and he used it maybe once.  They gave it to me a couple years ago.  I agree with Scott that for my unit, you’re not seeing much until you hit the bottom.  And the camera view is maybe 12” in front and a narrow angle.  I bet there are go pro options available with some type of live cable that will be better than what I have.  Like Scott, i dropped it down when I was learning what my fish finder was telling me.  I learned that the lake I was on had a really soft bottom and anytime you found a rock you also found tons of snails.  I saw one fish in the entire time using it and that was a fleeting glance of a small smallmouth.  I should pull it out again and use it on one of the super clear lakes around that have 20’ visibility.  You can use the cable to turn it a bit, but it’s better if you’re moving.  Then again, I can just about pick out the same detail on live imaging now so…

They're useful for ice fishing as a different option compared to a flasher/sonar for even better detail on when the fish actually bites after staring at your bait for 10 mins.

Any thoughts on using it in saltwater?

The most useful thing is the water temperature where the camera is.  Also to find stuff you knocked overboard.  

On 5/16/2025 at 4:09 PM, Alex from GA said:

The most useful thing is the water temperature where the camera is.  Also to find stuff you knocked overboard.  

I had never considered using it to know temperature at depth. That will be useful. My first thought when I got it was that I'd finally be able to find the outboard I lost last summer and couldn't locate with scuba. 

I have smart phone size aqua vu. I love the idea of it. Really cool but lacks control. I wish I could point it in certain directions instead of letting it spin around or spinning the wire! Seen some cool stuff with it. I’ve had bass and pickerel bite the camera. Seen schools of perch. Even watched bass hit my homemade jig on camera. (Dixie_jigs on Instagram) 

The Trolling fin keeps the camera pointed in one direction.

Tom

Drop it in brush piles to see if there are bass in them.