Underwater Fishing Camera with 7 in (178 mm) Screen & Infrared

You are Fishing Blind and Guessing.

Two hours on the same spot and nothing. You cannot tell if the fish are down there ignoring your bait, if you are sitting over bare sand, or if the structure you were told about is fifty metres to the left. So you move, and you guess again.

This drops a camera down the line and puts what is in front of it on a 7 inch (178 mm) screen beside you. Structure, weed beds, bait, and whether anything is showing interest in what you have tied on — within the few metres the lens can actually see.

What it Does

The camera is a small aluminium-alloy cylinder on a cable reel. Its cable plugs into a green battery and control box, and that feeds the colour monitor set into the lid of an aluminium carry case. Six infrared LEDs around the lens light the water when the daylight drops off, and a knob on the control box turns them down when there is enough light already. A hood fits around the screen to cut the glare off the water.

Key Features

• 7 inch Colour Monitor: TFT screen, 178 mm across the diagonal, in the lid of a hard aluminium carry case, with a hood for glare.
• Infrared Lighting: six infrared LEDs around the lens, rated by the supplier at 6 W in total, with the brightness set from the control box.
• 1000TVL Camera: the maker's stated resolution. The same manual also prints 640 × 480 — see the Limits tab.
• Small Aluminium-Alloy Camera: 25.5 mm across and 60 mm long, by the maker's drawing.
• Cable Lengths: 15 m, 20 m or 30 m, picked at checkout. A 50 m version is also listed; its supply is being confirmed.
• Runs Off its Own Battery: a 4500 mAh lithium battery in the control box, so it does not tap the boat's electrics. The maker quotes 8–9 hours a charge and 4–5 hours to recharge.
• Comes as a Kit: camera on its cable reel, monitor in the case, battery and control box, charger, screen hood, a float, rod fittings and a manual.

Limits

Cable length is not a depth rating, and we are not going to let that slide. The 30 m option means thirty metres of cable. It does not mean the camera is rated to thirty metres of water. The maker's manual states IP68 in its general product introduction and says it was pressure-tested to 100 metres. We have not tested it, and IP68 on its own does not set a depth. If you are working deep water, treat the depth as unconfirmed.

• It Sees a Few Metres: the maker gives 1–3 m of visible distance in clear water. Silty or churned-up water cuts that further, infrared or not.
• It is Not a Fish Finder: there is no sonar, no depth readout and no mapping. It is a camera on a cable — you see what is in front of the lens and nothing else.
• It Records Nothing: this is the live-view model. The maker sells a separate recording version, and this is not it.
• Two Resolution Figures: the maker's manual prints both 1000TVL and 640 × 480. We show both as printed; 640 × 480 is a standard-definition figure.
• Temperature Unit Not Printed: the maker gives an operating range of −20 to 60 degrees but does not say which scale.
• Charger Plug Not Specified: the supplier's photos show two different overseas plug styles. Which one arrives is not stated, so allow for a travel adaptor.
• The 50 m Version: everything on this page describes the 15 m, 20 m and 30 m kits. A 50 m version is listed and its supply is being confirmed.

Q & A

Which Cable Length Should I Get?
Match it to the water you actually fish, and allow extra for drift and current pulling the camera off vertical. Jetty and river work is usually fine on 15 m or 20 m; deeper offshore work is where the 30 m earns itself. A 50 m version is listed and its supply is being confirmed.

Will it Show Anything at Night?
The six infrared LEDs light the water in front of the lens. With the maker's figure of 1–3 m visible distance in clear water, think of it as a torch, not a floodlight.

Can I Use it for Ice Fishing or Through a Hole?
The supplier sells it for ice fishing, and the maker gives an operating range of −20 to 60 degrees without printing the unit. We cannot promise how it behaves at the cold end of that. Your call.

Will it Work in Salt Water?
It is sold for sea and freshwater fishing. Rinse the camera and cable in fresh water after every salt trip — that is what kills these things, not the depth.

Is the Monitor Waterproof Too?
No rating is given for the monitor or the control box. The IP68 figure in the maker's manual is for the camera. Keep the rest dry and shut the case lid.

How Long does the Battery Last?
The maker quotes 8–9 hours from a full charge and about 4–5 hours to recharge. Those are the maker's figures; we have not timed it.

Can I Record What I See?
No. This is the live-view model. If recording matters to you, this is not the unit to assume it on.

Specs

Free Standard Delivery. Allow 5 to 10 working days from the day you order. Allow 1–2 days for fulfilment. Regional and remote addresses can take longer.