Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Team Bass pond renovation

Update 30 January 2016:

Update on water clarity. The water is SO clear that it is prime time for mapping the pond and identifying places to sink more habitat structure. Also a good time to use the GoPro on a PVC pipe to shoot underwater video. Here are some pictures.

Looking down under the dock into 9 plus feet of water. You literally can see the bottom - sticks, stones, vegetation, everything.




Snapped through a polarized lens looking into 11 plus feet of water. Cinderblocks were not intentionally placed there.




Looking down toward the pond the vegetation from shore toward middle goes from inches to over 6 feet deep right where the glare reflection ends. If you look close you will see a log running from shore left into the water (in the green non-reflective water). You can follow it from the vantage point into 13 feet of water. THAT is how clear the water is.




Now, who wants to come snorkel or scuba with big bass?

That's pretty cool basslover.

Really like the bluetooth smart-phone/i-pad feature.

Zep -

Yes the bluetooth comm means no more cords

Pair it with a tablet for a larger view or your smart phone. A waterproof container makes sense...

I've been using it to map out where I fish. In the yak it is easier to use than a higher end finder that requires a mount and battery juice. Oh so when fully charged you get about 3.5 hours of usage with Deeper.

There are plenty of independent reviews of Deeper that compare it to mounted fish finders that cost $500 and up, and reviews are favorable that Deeper is accurate on depth, fish, and structure.

Note that I had "Fish Icons" selected, so the fish icons are just that - icons. You can change the settings to show the actual size of the fish instead of the icons which breaks fish into one of three size categories. I'll try to upload a shot with the size of the fish instead of the icon.

The app has the lunar calendar, weather reports, etc. So you really have a lot of information available to you. And the app doesn't require Deeper to give you that info. You can run the app without Deeper.

Also the app supports multiple units.

Anyways, if you fish and want a pocket size fish finder and water identifier or you want to check out what lies beneath the surface of your pond Deeper might be a good tool.

That is pretty cool! I love gadgets like that, but I don't fish enough to get much use out of it. If I stumble into some money, perhaps I will pick one up.

It is a really cool tool. From a fishing perspective you can finally see beneath the surface. Is it worth it to cast over there, what about that spot, etc.? My primary use has been water depth and structure. It is cool to see fish, but when you look out over a body of water you're fishing blind often. Always said you can have the right bait / lure but if no fish where you cast you wouldn't know it.

Another cool feature is the fish alarm. You can put the device where you're fishing, and then just sit back and listen for the audible alarm. Catfishing is great for this. Set your line, set the device, and do whatever. The audible alert can let you know hey pay attention to your line now.

From a non-fishing perspective I like it for water temp, depth and structure. Especially in my pond that I acquired and didn't build. I also like taking it on holiday because it is so small unlike many of the boat mounted options.

basslover....I wonder in the future when some of these devices come down in price if someone could attach these units to or drop them down from buoys strategically located in their pond and be sitting inside their lake side cottage in their recliner reading temps and where the fish are in their pond, etc...? Do you know how often the batteries have to be changed out?



https://buydeeper.com/

Zep -

There is no battery in factory design to replace. It is recharge only. Lasts 4 hours then recharge via USB cable. You can't charge it safely as you unscrew it into two halves (thereby breaking the waterproof seal). But you can buy replacement covers (top half of unit) in colors visible for nighttime fishing/study. I'm going to drill a hole in replacement cover, run USB cable, seal it with silicone, and then build a float that will contain an external battery pack that the USB cable will plug into. All small enough that my remote controlled boat will be able to pull around the pond. I want to test if I can have a Deeper always be on essentially. Although it will shorten the battery lifespan I'm sure.

But you could have two or more Deepers, one in the water and one set aside charged ready to be deployed. A remote controlled boat helps move it to where you want it. You also could set up a remote desktop connection to a tablet with WiFi enabled so the tablet is within Bluetooth range and the laptop within range of your homestead so you can sit and monitor the unit(s) remotely.

There is a lot of good equipment out there but not inexpensive.

UPDATE: 29 Feb 2016

Weather has been cold, warm, cold, warm. Have spotted plenty of newborn CNBG. And of course have spotted the predatory LMB.

Water is clear. Can see straight to the bottom at 14 feet with sun overhead. Crazy clear.

Here's a nice bass circled hanging around some downed trees.




And a much easier to spot bass cruising in 6 feet of water. Where the grass "ends" is a drop down to between 10 to 16 feet depth.

Very cool pics, Basslover!

I know clear water has it's pros and cons, but man I'd much rather have that than 8"-12" of clarity!

Very cool, and the setting is just beautiful!

I've gone back and forth about clear water many times. It is not ideal for easy fishing by any means. But it forces one to fish smarter for sure.

Take out the fishing angle and clear water is great! The kids like seeing everything - the turtles, snakes, fish, frogs, etc. And for those who are afraid to swim in anything but swimming pools having this clear water allows them to see and relax.

I didn't get a good photo but I came up on a 8lb bass the other day and in that clear water - WOW! It was big, fat, and it took off.

I've thought about tossing in some yaks/floats tied to runner lines and let the wind blow them around, along with the dummies on shore, to have the fish not spook so easy when there is movement water side.

Here is a pic that is more scenic.

Very good idea about the dummies. I've got one I could rent ya. He's 18 years old.

That's great! LOL

I've got a couple I'd like to stand out there at times.

Basslover, you mentioned time to take underwater video with a PVC pipe. Were you successful? Can you post some?

Okay I'm going to try to share some video. I hope it shows for those interested in watching it.

This short clip is beneath the dock I rebuilt, showing the young CNBG. Maybe 10 seconds in length, shot with a GoPro Hero 3 tied to fishing line off my fishing rod. So there is wobble/shake. But the fish look cool. The camera is at a depth of 4 feet from the water surface for this clip.

CNBG

Another video clip, slightly longer and showing more CNBG.

Depth of over 7 feet. The water is ... CLEAR.


Fish

So all these videos were shot using GoPro Hero 3 tied to fishing line. I used my fishing rod to move the camera around. So you'll get some wobble and quick turns. You should see the unedited footage - the fast spinning of the camera dangling off the rod! LOL

This clip is about 1 minute in duration. Dropping the camera to pond floor off the dock. Depth of around 11 feet. No fish in the beginning of this video, just the pond bottom and objects, but then the bluegill come into view and I think you get a nice shot of under the dock.

Fish

CNBG beneath felled trees in the deeper end of the pond. Anywhere 4 to 7 feet of water.

Fish

Last clip. Fish in a pond. Woohoo! LOL

Fish

Excellent videos, basslover!

I was just waiting for a Bass to drop in for a meal!

Were you feeding at the time as well? I saw what looked like pellets they were going after in the last video.

It's so cool seeing what you have down there and what goes on in the world of fish .

Thanks for sharing those!!!

basslover those are really cool

I've got some bass feeding videos but I have to find them. They were feeding on trout.

We (our 3 year old boy) were dropping fish pellets and worms in to feed the CNBG for some of the videos yes.

This pond is basically rectangular in shape. And it is pretty much devoid of any structure or cover in the middle of the rectangle. The Deeper Fish Finder and the GoPro Hero have really shown us what lies beneath the surface of the water.

I'm going to try to get some more video of the bass and share it.

I'm also dropping in a lot more fish habitats I've made in the coming weeks.

Thank you.

I really like the clear water. Angling is not easy but snorkeling/diving/shooting underwater video is better for the clarity of the water. Oh and I'm sure the bass enjoy the clarity - from a feeding perspective. LOL