hunting muddy bottom

RelicHound · Oct 7, 2008

the lake on my parents property was used as a swimming hole all the way back to the turn of the century until they bought the property in the early 80s..its fairly shallow maybe a bit over your waist up to about 50yrds off shore..deepest part of the lake is about neck high...i think this weekend im going to get in the water before it gets to cold..ive made a sifter,have a scoop and am going to use my tesoro cibola...remove the control box from the shaft and put it in a tupperware container,drill a hole in the side of it for my cable to run through then silicone it up and tape the lid and place it in my water proof chest pouch on the inside of my chest waders..i figure there is little chance of it getting wet if i do that...the bottom of the lake is real muddy and lots of little rocks in it...what i dont understand is how to actually use the sifter i made...do i just scoop up big hunks of mud,put it in the sifter and run my hands through it until i find the target? or is there an easier way? seems a bit time consuming..im sure like most things it takes practice...im pretty much a virgin when it comes to water hunting..ive done it a few time but it was with a sandy bottom and i was able to just use my scoop and retrieving targets was pretty easy...any advice would be appreciated.

whippy · Oct 7, 2008

RelDog,

The lakes I hunt are typically a mixture of sand, gravel and mud, or clay. I take a pretty good scoop and then scan the hole. If I didn't get the target, I'll dump the scoop and dig again. I'll repeat the process until I don't get a signal when I scan the hole. Then I'll just sift the scoop back and forth in the water to clear out the sand, mud etc.

However, I am going to build a sifter tray and give that a try now that I went with the Nuttal Scoop which is twice the size of my Jimmy Sierra. So I'll I have more material to work with and filter through.

One thing though. If I hit a target which is a coin signal, I'll filter every scoop just to make sure I'm not on top of a pocket spill.

Be careful with that machine. Makes me nervous just thinking about taking it into the water no matter how waterproof minded you are.

Coolwhips

Capt.B · Oct 7, 2008

After you dump your scoop in the sifter, just move the sifter back and forth a bit to let the water do the work for you. I don't push the stuff around with my hands because you could pick up some broken glass or a sharp piece of metal. If you plan on doing a lot of water hunting I would invest in a water detector. Good Luck RelicHound.

RelicHound · Oct 7, 2008

well that makes perfect since now! let the water do the work! well i had a tesoro tiger shark but quickly got rid of it..now that i dont have a water machine i know of all sorts of places to hunt...im thinking of getting the whites dual field...will definatly have to get a water machine before next spring...seems PI is the way to go.

whippy · Oct 7, 2008

If you are into fresh water hunting, I'd recommend the BHID300. There is a lot of iron in fresh water lakes and beaches. The PI won't discriminate those out. I'm not sure if the DF will disc them out but for some reason I'm thinking it won't. When I bought the 2nd BHID I remember looking at he DF but chose the BHID because the DF didn't discriminate. I hope someone else knows the truth on that.

Any water machine that will discriminate the iron in fresh water would be worth looking at. Since I have 2 BHID's I can tell you about them but I can't compare it to other machines with any hint of accuracy or knowledge since I am not familiar with ony of the other brands.

Coolwhips :cool:

Cfmct · Oct 7, 2008

RelicHound said:
well that makes perfect since now! let the water do the work! well i had a tesoro tiger shark but quickly got rid of it..now that i dont have a water machine i know of all sorts of places to hunt...im thinking of getting the whites dual field...will definatly have to get a water machine before next spring...seems PI is the way to go.

I agree with Whippy even though I love my PI I wouldn't use it in freshwater... get the Beachhunter like he said

rover · Oct 23, 2008

RelicHound said:
well that makes perfect since now! let the water do the work! well i had a tesoro tiger shark but quickly got rid of it..now that i dont have a water machine i know of all sorts of places to hunt...im thinking of getting the whites dual field...will definatly have to get a water machine before next spring...seems PI is the way to go.

RelicHound,

Why did you get rid of the Tiger Shark?

Florida Tabdigger · Oct 24, 2008

Cfmct-PI said:
I agree with Whippy even though I love my PI I wouldn't use it in freshwater... get the Beachhunter like he said

Ditto.

The PI is great if you like digging everything. I use it in freshwater too and I dig lots of nails. Who wants nails when there's pulltabs to dig.

6000 Di Pro · Oct 26, 2008

My advise is to use a scoop and keep it as close to the bottomas possible when sifting mud as after the first couple of targets you wouldn't be able to see underwater if you sifted mud on top of the surface it just takes for-ever for the silt to settle.

GaBeachsweeper · Oct 26, 2008

Muddy Bottom

A floating sifter with 3/8" hardware cloth is a good method. You can use wood for a frame and a noodle for floatation or 4" pvc/plumbing elbows with the screen just affixed w/self-tapping screws (I've done it) will float but it's heavy. Once you start stirring mud around visibility is shot.

HEAVYMETALNUT · Oct 26, 2008

Hey Kris

My Advice Is Go With The Bhid-300.thats What I Have For Freshwater.love It! And I Would Build A Sifter With A Non Metal Mesh And Get A Vibra-probe Pinpointer,the Vibra-probe Is Completely Water Proof And You Can Locate Target Real Nicely Using It In The Muddy Stuff Sitting In Sifting Basket.i now have a heavy guage 6 inch aluminum long handled scoop.but my modified shovel really helps in the rocky stuff.
Those Are My Reccomendations.
Good Luck!
Dave

RelicHound · Oct 28, 2008

rover said:
RelicHound,

Why did you get rid of the Tiger Shark?

well...I bought it used it twice and was a great machine but at the same time I really wanted to try the fisher F75 and the wife said if i could get the F75 but when she heard how much it was she said I would have to get rid of another machine to make up the differance...shes the banker so I dont argue...I have alot of machines and it was like choosing a kid to get rid of...i figured Im a dirt digger and wanted to keep all my land machines so I traded it in on the F75...kinda regret it now.

RelicHound · Oct 28, 2008

HEAVYMETALNUT said:
My Advice Is Go With The Bhid-300.thats What I Have For Freshwater.love It! And I Would Build A Sifter With A Non Metal Mesh And Get A Vibra-probe Pinpointer,the Vibra-probe Is Completely Water Proof And You Can Locate Target Real Nicely Using It In The Muddy Stuff Sitting In Sifting Basket.i now have a heavy guage 6 inch aluminum long handled scoop.but my modified shovel really helps in the rocky stuff.
Those Are My Reccomendations.
Good Luck!
Dave

Dave..I think thats the machine im going to go with...I figure Ill buy one in Feb...now im down to researching scoops..I have a cheap $50 scoop that im sure ill destroy...never realized how much scoops run...but I figure if I buy a real good one to start Ill save money in the long run. I plan on doing shallow water hunting but want to dive a bit as well....already have everything,just need the machine and a good scoop now.

HEAVYMETALNUT · Oct 28, 2008

Kris

RelicHound said:
Dave..I think thats the machine im going to go with...I figure Ill buy one in Feb...now im down to researching scoops..I have a cheap $50 scoop that im sure ill destroy...never realized how much scoops run...but I figure if I buy a real good one to start Ill save money in the long run. I plan on doing shallow water hunting but want to dive a bit as well....already have everything,just need the machine and a good scoop now.

IF YOUR LAKES OR PONDS ARE ANYTHING LIKE OURS YA MIGHT WANNA BRING A SPADED SHOVEL.9 OUTTA 10 LAKES HERE THE SCOOP IS PRETTY MUCH USELESS.HARD COMPACTED ROCKY BOTTOMS.JUST A THOUGHT FOR YOU TO PONDER ON.
GOOD LUCK.I BOUGHT A HEAVY DUTY ALUMINUM SCOOP FROM KELLYCO $125 BUCKS.
WORKS GREAT!
DAVE

RelicHound · Oct 28, 2008

most of our lakes and ponds here are that nasty black boot eatin coal mud..but most of the river down this way has a real rocky bottom,the main stem is mostly sand...seems im gonna have to have alot of tools lol im afraid im going to like this water hunting more than dirt diggin...the first place im going to hit is an old slough where i lost $400 worth of duck and goose calls...the calls are probably trashed now since they where wood but id like to have the leg bands back off the lanyard the calls where on...those are alum. i think.

hunting muddy bottom

RelicHound

whippy

Full Member

Capt.B

RelicHound

whippy

Full Member

Cfmct

Administrator

rover

Senior Member

Florida Tabdigger

Elite Member

6000 Di Pro

Senior Member

GaBeachsweeper

HEAVYMETALNUT

Attachments

RelicHound

RelicHound

HEAVYMETALNUT

RelicHound

Similar threads