I have just started to work the lakes here... but I get many hits where I am working and cant find them. I was just wondering if anyone has any tips for me on recovering hits in the water pinpointing is very difficult with this machine.
Pinpointing with ANY water machine is a challenge. What I do is get the coil on the target, then move my toe to the coil. I scoop in behind my toe and retrieve the target that way. This is why you need a long handle scoop, preferably one with a wooden handle which floats upright.
I dont always get my target the first time, either, so keep at it. You may also have your DISC and/or SENS set wrong and are picking up small bits of trash, lead fishing sinker bits earrings or their backs - all sorts of little things can palgue you with these troubles. Something you can try if you have a sandy bottom or is to affix smaller mesh inside your scoop to prevent these teensies from falling through.
If you have a rocky bottom, then a float basket to dump your scoop into is helpful.... make sure it has the smaller mesh also.
I suspect the largest part of your problem, however, is the fact that you are using a PI unit. They detect everything - including small bits of iron. Dont believe hype that says they discriminate well.... they don't. In fact, your Surf Dual Field doesn't even mention it. This means YOU end up reacting to and trying to recover everything that beeps. Here's why that's bad.
In fresh water, the amount of iron can be jas bad as at the salt shore. Iron is probably the most prevalent trash item in the water. Think dock fittings, fish hooks, rusted out bobby-pins, etc. You get the idea.
However, in fresh water the detector isn't affected by salt, so you can use some DISC to help knock out this iron! Well, unless you are using a PI unit.
If I were to be working fresh water, I would have a VLF unit of some sort. That way, I could enjoy the benefit of iron ID and/or DISC. You may wish to rethink this whole water detecting thing and get a Tesoro Tiger Shark (my choice), Fisher 1280-X (my second choice) for the freshwater. Or, get one of the VLF multifreq's like the BHID-300, CZ-20/21 or Excalibur - these let you hunt in both fresh or salt water.
I am using a new Surf Dual Field I call it the yellow banana with the stock 12 inch coil and it wants to float to the top all the time.
I had the same problem with the first Whites BHID, due the clamshell coil. With Whites new molded epoxy coil design, this should be alleviated. However, you still have a control box full of air and the natural bouyancy of the coil itself. This is of little matter on the beach, and up to about waist high in the water. But, go out further and it becomes problem.
About all you can do is move things around, or try adding a weight. Try the housing below the hand on the rod. I find that helps, once in the water, and I prefer it. Some people have used a sock filled with rocks or sand, attached to their rod to help neutralize the buoyancy. It looks stupid, but it supposedly works.
Also where do people search in the water at a beach? I do OK on the wet and dry sand but want to get into the water but have no idea where to start.
Remember that as a detecorist, you are a scavenger. In the truest sense of the word, you come behind others, hoping to find what they have left.
So it behooves you to follw where they go or have gone. Find the most crowded sections of beach and head straight out from there. Sit for awhile and watch the people:
Where do the most people congregate in the water?
Are there structures in the water, like slides or platforms?
Are there beach structures, like picnic shelters, lifeguard platforms or docks?
Where are the teens wrestling and tussling?
Are there moms with little ones in the shallows?
Remember, you are following the people - so watch them before you take your detector into the water.
I have found most jewelry in the depth range between my shins and my chest. The nice thing about freshwater hunting is that items remain where they fall, since there is no tidal action to move them around.
