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The bottom
of lakes can have many different compositions. Sand, rock, clay,
peat, silt, shale, pea gravel, etc. If you know what the bottom
consists of before you start, then your hunt will go a lot easier.
I personally have three different scoops that I use, and all three
have a different type of bucket attached.
Pic #1 - This is my all terrain scoop bucket. Made of heavy gauge
stainless steel. This bucket will go thru anything mother nature has
to offer. When I hunt a new area for the first time, this is the
scoop bucket I will use. The holes are 5/8" in diameter and
99% of your rings will not fall thru.
Pic #2 - This is the same bucket as in pic #1, except there has
been wire mesh added to the inside to catch the tiny targets. A
strip of stainless steel was spot welded to the inside of the
front, and bailing wire was twisted together to keep the wire mesh
snug. As is, this bucket even with the thin wire mesh on the
inside can be used in tuff terrain to dig deep tiny targets.
Pic #3 - This scoop bucket is the weaker of the three. It is used
to make quick shallow recoveries on "filled" swim
beaches that contain sand and pea gravel. Again, note the wire
mesh in the back of the scoop. That wire mesh has been secured by
twisting small pieces of bailing wire together. Neck chains,
bracelets, stud earrings and earring backs might escape the first
time, but they will always be recovered with this scoop.
There are a lot of water scoops on the market today. A thick
stainless steel bucket on your scoop is a must. Try not to
"pry" against stable objects with them, as this
will put too much pressure on the joints of your scoop, and
could damage it. The wire mesh that was used inside the scoops can
be picked up at most hardware stores. Stainless steel nuts, bolts
and washers are something else you might consider for your water
scoop at sometime in the future. The ones that came with your
scoop are most likely not stainless steel. Having the
right scoop for the different types of lake bottoms, is one of the
keys to successful shallow water recovery.------ L.W.
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