What does your water hunting arsenal consist of?

[JimmyCT]

I just plunked down some cashola for an AT Gold and I am waiting for its arrival. Having never really hunted in the water (brooks, streams, ponds etc) what kind of digger and other detecting paraphernalia do you bring? I saw in one post Big Cat Daddy had some type of floating apparatus to screen out the goodies. Living in the Northeast part of the country (Connecticut), I plan on purchasing hip / chest waders as the water takes a long time to warm up. I want to travel as light as possible as I will be performing some lengthy walks to my destinations. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas. - Jim

 

[mudpuppy]

Great! You should be good at this! Yes good neoprene chest waders, if you are walking in long distances like I sometimes have to do, I sling the waders over my shoulders and put them on at the location. A good scoop is a must. I have one with a wooden handle so it floats upright if I let go of it, plus I think it may be lighter...I have not got the floating sifter yet, just because I hunt mainly sand bottoms so I just shake the scoop. Fast light and comfortable is the key to maximizing your hunting time and enjoyment. Also, just make sure you pay attention to your Golds battery level, carry spares with you, or change them out when they start to drop...down to one bar, and your car is a mile away, is a bummer.
Mud

 

[BigCatDaddy]

Whatever kinda scoop you get, make sure it's Stainless steel. The aluminum ones just don't hold up as well, especially in the gravel, mud and small rocks that you might encounter. I also wear good diving or water skiing gloves. No telling what pointy pokey things you might encounter in the water. Some decent water boots are a good idea too. And since I've had a few slips and gone under and danged near drowned, I also wear a PFD now. There have been a few water hunters who have drowned just because they wouldn't let go of their gear. Just my Dos Centavos!!

 

[flysar]

I see Stainless water scoops listed from $150 - $250. Is this one of those cases where you get what you pay for or as long as it's stainless it should hold up. 99% of my water hunting is going to be freshwater lakes and rivers where I expect rock, dirt & muck and not much beach sand.

I'm going to meet a guy who sells Stealth Scoops tomorrow and he said after 20+ years of warm water ocean/sand hunting he likes these the best but they're a good chunk of change.

 

[JOE in MD]

Here's my set up...

 

[GunnarMN]

Jim dont get a scoop with a 90 angle its very hard to dig with and makes you prone to fall over , the scoop should have a lesser angle they are so much easear to use nice to if you could find one under 5 pounds

 

[JimmyCT]

Thank you everyone for the great ideas! Definitely will carry extra batteries too! As far as falling in, if it comes down to that the AT Gold can float all the way to the ocean. The way I see it, I can always buy another detector but not a life. Thanks again and HH! - Jim

 

[John-Edmonton]

Wet Suit, wet suit jacket, water shoes, 2 x water scoops, 5 x water machines, chest waders, sun glasses, cap with ear protectors from the sun, 2 x goodie pouches, sun screen, car and understanding wifey.

 

[JimmyCT]

Wow John I think you have it all covered. Good info( especially the sun glasses) as I didn't even give that a thought being in the water. Glare off the water would give me a splitting headache in no time. Thank you - Jim

 

[togamac]

Good subject. I need help too!

The streams in my neighborhood are very rocky with the size of the rocks varying from a few inches to a few feet in diameter. I've been racking my brain on how to hunt them since they obviously contain swimming holes that were used for a couple hundred years. I'm thinking that any coins would be found on the downstream sides of the rocks.

To detect around the rocks, I'm thinking of using my Super Sniper coil or my ProPointer (after water-proofing it of course). As far as digging any finds out, I'm at a loss. A scoop will not work because of the size of the rocks. I think a dredger would be ideal but not too smart. The EnCon folks have this thing about people dredging without a permit.

Any ideas??

 

[MrPopTop]

To detect around the rocks, I'm thinking of using my Super Sniper coil or my ProPointer (after water-proofing it of course). As far as digging any finds out, I'm at a loss. A scoop will not work because of the size of the rocks. I think a dredger would be ideal but not too smart. The EnCon folks have this thing about people dredging without a permit.

Any ideas??

I would like to know as well.