Great Lake Hunters Get in Here

[Dirty_Coins]

Hello,

I am an experienced Minelab / Fisher user. Tonight I am purchasing a Tesoro Stingray 2 with an RTG scoop. My intentions are to use this as a water hunting machine on the Canadian side of lake Ontario.

Would anyone like to share with me their equipment preferences for hunting in the frigid waters of Lake Ontario?

Do you use waders? A wet suit? Do you scuba?

What months of the year do you hunt in the water?

What about footwear?

Any experience you care to share with a completely inexperienced water hunter and new Tesoro user would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lawbambam]

I mostly snorkel but I do scuba dive and wade. I just use water shoes for most of it but it depends when you go in. I crank the volume up on the inside so if I'm scuba diving I can hear it but if I'm just wading or snorkeling I hang the headphones around my neck so it's not to loud. It's a nice detector, have fun!

HH
Lawrence

 

[lawbambam]

actually I just looked at the picture, that isn't a Stingray 2, it might be a Stingray. By the way if it has the straight hinges on it like mine used to, I wrapped electrical tape around so it wouldn't get caught on something underwater and pop open.

HH
Lawrence

 

[mudpuppy]

Turn back now!

You might not like it one little bit! Its waaaay different than land hunting, seldom as productive, a lot more strenuous...just learning how to use that scoop will give you fits...chasing around a pulltab in rocks or deep water for 5 minutes is frustrating..as are those danged little split shots that fall through your scoop...However, if you live very near the Big Water like I do, you dont have a choice, you sorta gotta do it...The guys here have heard me say I hate every minute of it, and I honestly do, I'd rather be hunting a totlot for pennys than any wet work...you can hunt all day for a few pulltabs or a small handful of clad...then all of a sudden, when all hope is lost...BAM!
Mud

 

[Dirty_Coins]

Thanks guys for your input! Mudpuppy that necklace is amazing! You wonder how something like that could ever be lost on land....water seems like the place to be. I can see lake Ontario from my house, I go by the beach from time to time and there are often people swimming so here's hoping!

Actually its funny, I picked this thing up last night, the guy said that he bought it to find a gold ring he lost but he couldn't figure out how to use it. He had zero interest in metal detecting or metal detectors. Anyway, he told me where he lost it so maybe I'll go looking for it, its a bit of a hike from home though.

Lawbambam - Do you wear a wetsuit?

 

[lawbambam]

I wear a wetsuit if I find it to cold but most of the time just shorts and a Tshirt.

 

[Dirty_Coins]

Also Lawbambam I know you know your @#*$ because that was a Stingray one. How you figured that out from that tiny picture is beyond me!

 

[lawbambam]

I have the Stingray2 and it looks like the Tiger Shark. Tesoro makes great detectors so you should have a great time with it in freshwater and land. Let us know how it works for you.

HH
Lawrence

 

[mudpuppy]

You sorta gotta do it then, with the Big Lake being so close and all..

I have a buddy who hunts the Big Lake water with a Safari and waders...he does real good but takes great care not to dunk it...I got the F70 4yrs ago as my first detector, and started beachsweeping and shallow wading..got lucky on this big chain not a month into the sport up on the dry sand, thought, "Hey! This is easy!" ...after a while, a guy wants to go in deeper, so thats why I bought a dedicated machine I use in the water only...I use my 70 ONLY on the dirt now, and my other rig ONLY in the drink/beach..these cross spectrum disciplines make you a better overall hunter, and open up hunts that are no longer weather dependent...for gold/silver jewelry, yes, water is the place to be..theres some good loot up on the dry though..different tools for different work..looks like you got all bases covered now....If a guy lives close to some water, a fellow has to have a water rig like the TeeSharks and Rays.....theres a few of us here that are strongly thinking about advancing our skills into scuba this coming year...you should do real well since you have some great dirt machines and some experience...its about the same, only slower, wetter, and goldyer!... This metaldetecting sport has many skills and subsets within skills to master...it would take a guy a lifetime to learn them all, and that is indeed a great thing to look forward to..Good on ya for giving the wetwork a go!
Mud

 

[Dirty_Coins]

Thanks again! Scuba sounds like a good way to do it, although I always wonder how far out people swim in such a cold lake...I have been just ripping the silver out of the ground with the E-trac, but its time to take advantage of the beaches. There is no way I am risking that machine in the water. Also, its probably not that useful in the water anyway because as I understand it you can't really filter out trash when gold hunting anyway. I thought maybe there would be less trash too once you get out 10+ feet from shore but who knows.

I watch a lot of the water hunting videos on youtube, it amazes me that they still find old coins right on the surface. I guess it has more to do with the weather and the shifting sands as things change on the lake bottom. Lots to learn, looking forward to it.

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah! Those vids get a guy all wee weed up alright!

CarterNY has some good ones about hunting underwater with tanks...we also have an awesome poster here called 'Scubadetector' who hunts the Great Lakes and some inland freshwater ones with tanks and cleans the hell up yearly...He just got himself a 'Lab this year and is knocking the stink outta dirt silver, but up until recently, he's been a gold diver with a hotrodded CZ20...

Your other Tee brother here, 'Rainyday' from Wisconsin is gonna be someone to watch and follow..we have great expectations of him in the wet..do you have sand or rocks where you plan to hunt? Thats important for further dialog for us to steer you right..
Mud..

 

[Dirty_Coins]

There are a lot of different beach conditions. There are sand beaches where you can walk out a couple hundred feet, coarse gravel, and fine gravel. I'll have to check them all out to see what works best with my set up. I will definitely check out the Youtubers you mentioned.

 

[Rainyday101]

Okay, here is my two cents worth. As Mud has stated it's not easy work. We post our good finds but what we don't tell you is how many hours we go without good finds. It's all part of the game. The excitement comes from finding that new spot and hitting it hard. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it's a bust. The thing is you never know unless you try it and it's the anticipation of what you might find. It's an addiction, but it's a better addiction than most people have.

You now have the weapon in your arsenal, a good dedicated water detector. Do a google search on air test for your Stingray and see what others are getting for results. Duplicate the test and make sure your detector is up to snuff. If it's lacking, send it into Tesoro and have it gone it over. As you are not the original owner it's not covered under the lifetime warranty. Might cost ya $50 bucks or so, but when you hit the water you want everything in A1 shape. If it needs a tune-up, now is the time to do it.

Lake Superior and Michigan are cold down here. I would guess they are probably colder by you. For now I would recommend a lite-weight pair of waders, that fit a little loose. Most people want to go with thick neoprene, but in my opinion it restricts movement and is a pain in the butt to get on and off. With the light waders you simply layer clothes underneath them to stay warm. This way the waders are never to hot or cold, just layer accordingly. Get a wader belt to wear to keep any water out. Make sure you get the foot of the wader big enough to get a regular sock covered by a good quality wool sock. Up top I layer also but the outer layer is a windbreaker. The wind breaker really keeps you warm. Also get a pair of neoprene gloves. The nice thing about doing it like this is when you are done, slip of fthe waders and any wet top layers, hop in the car and go.

Your scooping technique is something that will just be trial and error. I can't really describe my technique, but it works well and is probably different than others. You will have to find what works best for you.

I have found good finds at all depths, but best for me is knee deep to nipple high.

Good luck and keep in touch with us!

 

[bik-il]

Go for it.
Work the wet sand and the surfline. Practice recovering targets in a foot or less of water while fighting the waves. You can use just about any detector for this,being careful not to dunk it as stated above by others in this thread.
Keep your expectations realistic and stick with it for a while. It takes time to get the hang of it.
Personally I love every minute of it and use the time as exercise rather than considering it a profit thing.
If you're not having fun, loving being at the beach, the fresh air etc, then stick to land hunting.
I use a pair of hip waders, the kind that are separate for each leg and hook on the belt. It limits how deep you can go but in calm water you can get out there. Not waist deep like with chest waders, but deep enough water to get the goodies dry sand hunters cant reach

Given a choice I'd rather shallow water hunt than land hunt, but that's just me. I love it so much I was out last night on Lake Michigan before things froze up. Three hours in 28 degree weather,knee deep in water after dark isn't most folks idea of a good time but I had a blast. Not too many targets but got a dollar in clad and a small .925 antique ring with a stone. That made my week!

Try the hip boots first before spending a ton of cash until you know you like it.

Good luck and keep us posted

 

[Rainyday101]

Bik-il, you rock being out in that cold detecting! As stated you WILL get some good exercise in the water. That is a good idea to start out fighting the waves in shallow water first until you get your technique refined.

I forgot to mention on the waders, you don't need to spend a ton of money. My lite weight waders are Frogg Toggs and they were around $80. Three years on them, no leaks, and still in great shape.

Remember that in the water you are pretty much in a dig/scoop it all situation. If you get a good clean beep from two directions, scoop it! Even some that aren't clean scoop so that you know what the detector is telling you. Keep the disc. just low enough to knock out small iron and nails. You are gonna find tabs and caps, it comes with the turf. I am the self proclaimed king of bottle caps and from my bottle cap statistic memory it appears Budweiser is still number one.

Have fun and stay safe.

 

[Dirty_Coins]

Thanks guys, great input. Luckily I actually have a pair of hip waders that connect to your belt laying around the house so I think I'll give them a go first. I spent some time doing air tests last night, I wasn't overly impressed with the detector's ability to discriminate compared to others I've owned but that's ok because I bought it assuming it was going to be a 'dig everything' detector for me. I was impressed with the fullness of the signal while waiving tiny gold bits in front of it.

I am hoping I can find a nice spot near me that isn't laden with iron bits. I have no problem with bottle caps or pop tabs. I am experienced enough to know you just have to hit them all to get the good stuff. I guess I was just hoping the garbage would be reduced a bit as you get to that midway point between knee and nipple!

Oh, and one other thing that makes this all worth while - the guy who sold this unit to me bought it to get a solid gold ring out of a 3 foot deep trench. He says there's only water in it in the spring time, and heavy weeds now and he couldn't figure out the detector after trying 5 times. He sent me a map of the ditch, and said its within 5 feet of the red X! It was worth enough for him to buy the detector and the scoop, he was having a fight with his GF and threw it in the ditch right in front of her.

I figure I can get that out of the ground in less than 10 minutes with my E-trac, first thing Saturday morning. The only problem is the ditch is alongside a major thoroughfare and I am going to look like a bit of a weirdo haha...

Again guys, thank you very much. I don't expect to get out too much before the summer. But hey, when you see a good deal on Kijiji (Canadian Craig's List) you've just got to strike while the iron's hot.

 

[Mike Hillis]

People drown in waders when they step off in a hole. Even some of our Findmall members have drowned in waders this way.

If you are going to be out in the lake wading around in waders, make sure you 'drown proof' yourself.

HH
Mike

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah? Go get that ring! Most people will be too busy texting and driving to even see you! You dont have to give that ring back to the guy once you find it do you?
Mud

 

[Dirty_Coins]

That's true about the drivers, but man that's a busy street. I guess you have to get used to looking like a knob from time to time in this hobby. Actually he piped up before I said anything, 'find that ring and we'll split it 50/50.' Not a bad deal! I just can't imagine how I would miss it unless it somehow sunk rapidly over the last year or so.

And also Mike, good point about the wading. I have been submerged in really cold water before and I know what's its like to feel that instant paralysis. I'll keep you words in mind.

 

[Rainyday101]

On Mike's point about the waders- That is why I recommend skipping the hip waders and going to full chest waders with a wader belt. One wave and them hip waders are full. I don't truly understand how people drown in waders. If the waders are full of water you are no more buoyant or less buoyant. I watched a You Tube vid of a guy jumping in a swimming pool, filling the waders, and then swim around to prove this. Despite this, many people detecting and fishing drown in them every year. There is more to this, I am just not sure what that more is.

In the spring when I am in the river and the current is swift and cold I wear a life vest over my waders. I always wear the wader belt also to prevent or slow down the waders from filling with water in case of a slip. Even though I watched that You Tube vid I don't want to test the theory myself. Next spring waders won't be a concern for me because I will be in wet suit with scuba gear, after getting fully certified of course.