This is the new spiffy, underwater viewing system by Aqua Vu that has a lot great features. Being a REAL fan of underwater cameras, I have to say that I simply don't plan on ever ice fishing again without some sort of camera persent in my nice warm, portable ice fishing shelter. For me, long gone are the days where I simply look at hole in the ice and wonder what's going on down there. Sure, you can tell a LOT with a good flasher unit and a camera has it's limitations as well, but with a camera, you can see what is swimming by, what they like to look at, and what your tackle is doing. It's a lot like sitting in a blind while deer hunting. You don't have all the sounds of hooves and brush, but you do get your adrenalin pumping when you see a big honkin' northern glide in and stop to check out your bait. It's an absloute rush and then there's the waiting game. What is he gonna do next?

The Scout XL (Infrared), like it's brother the Scout SRT (Spectral Response & Temperature) has a lot of great features that are sure to please. It, too, has a large 7" screen. That really appealled to me. It's a guy thing - bigger is always better.

Other Cool Stuff
The XL has Infrared capability so in twilight conditions you can see the fish but the fish (and all humans) can't see the light. The rep demonstrated this to me by covering the camera lense completely with his hand and you could see the inside of his cupped hand as plain as day. That was cool and I'm guessing that it could be really useful in deep water as well. This unit comes with 100' of 200 lb. test cable.

The protective case with the Zip-out sunshield is a simple and the same except for some graphics as the cover on the Scout SRT. This is an easy-to-use feature that will make a huge difference when you are out of the shelter. It's deep when extended so you'll be able to see the screen.

The bluegill-pattern camera body is designed to not spook the fish. Like the Scout SRT, I think it will attract fish because it really does look like a good decoy. You can buy the other body types (fish species) for the camera as well. All you need is a Phillips screwdriver to change them.

The only details I don't like about this unit are somewhat minor. The handle is also the stand and you need to pull out the sides slightly to rotate it around from being a handle to becoming a stand. You might have to watch so it doesn't stick to the ice. Another detail is the camera direction. When you drop the camera down into the hole, you have absolutely no idea which way you are pointing. You will need to mess around with twisting the cable at the top of the hole in all the Aqua-Vu units to get set up to view and I can see where that is going to be a bit frustrating until you come to accept that that is the way it is with Aqua - Vu. Having to rotate the cable is a pain but you can make this problem go away really easily with one of these tripods. A great accessory for your camera and they work pretty well, too!

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When I go out, I like to drill three holes. One for the camera that is placed so that it can see two holes without having to be moved. Here's a diagram:

Summary - As with everything, all cameras have trade-offs. If you want a reliable, effective camera with infrared capabilty, this one is a good one to consider. I don't know of anyone who has infrared cameras out there. You'd be the only kid on the block with such a cool toy!

This unit has 100 feet of 200 lb. test cable. Order Online - FREE Shipping!