Do I need a wider scoop or just better water skills ?

[NWMP]

Are any of the "big" as in wide scoops out there tough enough to stand up to heavy use in rocks and clay ? I am pretty new to water and just did a few whirls late last year out of curiosity. Even those few water experiences were an eye opener. Silver rings, a herring bone gold chain, it blew my socks off. I have an RTG 710 Longnose. It is super tough, no issues there, but the diameter of the scoop itself seems borderline too small. Maybe some of this is because I"m new to scoops and my skills suck, but I often have to dig maybe 4-6 times, or more, to get a target,......sometimes I nail it in a few digs, but less frequently. And the big stainless scoop is heavy half way through a hunt when bringing up clay and rock. Surely it must be easier to make a quick retrieval with a wider scoop bucket ? I have seen bits about Stavr, a 720, a T-Rex etc. But I am unsure which are really tough. Maybe I already have the scoop that I need for hard use and I need better skills ? I really don"t know. Anyone else go through this ? I live in Canada and between work and life I may not get to the water more than 12-15 times this year, although I am curious about a local creek............. So what stands up best, and did a wider scoop make much difference for you ? Thanks.

 

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[jyt2017]

It all depends. Google scoop spike pointed tip.


...it even took me a minute to find this. but a picture of mine is in here. For rocks and clay, you need something strong.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/beach-shallow-water/484580-carbon-fiber-handle.html

Also. Some scoops have literally no point. I don't know who though that some one would want to dig with a flat tipped scoop, but they are out there.

You will at least need a spade like shape. I sent a cut out to a company of a drawing made from a US army shovel. This was maybe in 2010. They currently now stock the item and offer it as an add on.

Mine is welded. It took 3 trys. About 400$ altogether.

To hunt 12 times a year, I don't know if its worth it. Good luck though. -Joe


My scoops 9.5 wide and can go down deep.

Are any of the "big" as in wide scoops out there tough enough to stand up to heavy use in rocks and clay ? I am pretty new to water and just did a few whirls late last year out of curiosity. Even those few water experiences were an eye opener. Silver rings, a herring bone gold chain, it blew my socks off. I have an RTG 710 Longnose. It is super tough, no issues there, but the diameter of the scoop itself seems borderline too small. Maybe some of this is because I"m new to scoops and my skills suck, but I often have to dig maybe 4-6 times, or more, to get a target,......sometimes I nail it in a few digs, but less frequently. And the big stainless scoop is heavy half way through a hunt when bringing up clay and rock. Surely it must be easier to make a quick retrieval with a wider scoop bucket ? I have seen bits about Stavr, a 720, a T-Rex etc. But I am unsure which are really tough. Maybe I already have the scoop that I need for hard use and I need better skills ? I really don"t know. Anyone else go through this ? I live in Canada and between work and life I may not get to the water more than 12-15 times this year, although I am curious about a local creek............. So what stands up best, and did a wider scoop make much difference for you ? Thanks.

 

[CASPER-2]

gonna PM you link with articles ive written
some may help you - if you then have more questions - always here to help

 

[adamBomb]

Are you finding that you are sometimes off by an inch or two to the left/right? If so then yes a wider scoop will help. Your RTG is 5'' in diameter. A 7 or 9 inch will help a lot. I have an RTG 5 inch as well for travel and I find I am many times an inch or two off. My 9'' Stealthscoop is never off. I still need to dig to depth but mostly its a 2 scoop max.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I use only 8-10 inch scoops, anything smaller is useless to me.....

 

[Sandman]

I've used many scoops of the years and have settled on the Sunspot Stealth has the best for my hunting. If you handle them like a gorilla they still have a lifetime warranty and are plenty big enough.

 

[NC Digger]

gonna PM you link with articles ive written
some may help you - if you then have more questions - always here to help

Could ya pm me some too! Would love to read anything you have about water hunting and everything that goes with it!

Thanks!

 

[CASPER-2]

Yes ...yes I can

Could ya pm me some too! Would love to read anything you have about water hunting and everything that goes with it!

Thanks!

 

[NWMP]

Thanks for the help everyone, much appreciated.

 

[tony curnick]

I made up my own scoop for soft beach sand and i made sure it was as wide as the coil ,a wide scoop is however harder to push into the sand but i hunt in rough surf and its difficult to stay over the target...so i went wide.

 

[tony curnick]

Here is a pic

 

[stavr]

NWMP. the ideal width of the scoop 8 "
for 10 "coil

 

[jeepGold]

just as important is the right gear is the right techniques. So many times in the water where I'm getting bashed by white water and waves I've hit "the perfect" sound with the excal and the perfect numbers on the ctx. I dig and lose it. SOB!

When I am "latched and seated" on a target with my scoop I wait until either the water is neutral flowing (meaning the tide coming in and the the current going out meet up and the water stalls) or at least when the flow is in the direction of the opening of the scoop. Don't be in some crazy panic to pull it in excitement. Patience is very important.
Back to your question. If you have excellent pinpointing then you don't need a wider scoop. If your coil has a strong halo effect then yeah, a wider scoop helps. I absolutely love my Stealth 920ix and Stealth Carbon fiber handle. Not cheap but when you buy cheap 2 or 3x you'll realize that expensive once is much more logical.

 

[Hydro Man]

NWMP you're going down the same road I've traveled!
I'm in Canada as well and also started with a 5" RTG 711.
It is a well made scoop however the small diameter meant I had to be very precise with my pin pointing and as you mentioned it often took multiple attempts to recover the target.
All that extra recovery time = less time searching = less Gold!
As a guy who started with small scoop I can definitely say big is the way to go.
I am now the proud owner of a 9" T-Rex, Stealth 920ix, and a 6" RTG Alum travel scoop.
Which one is the best you ask?
I like them all and which one I use depends on the bottom makeup.
For pure sand I like the T-Rex with the 3/8 holes, beaches with pebble/rocky substrate the 920ix, and for travel the Alum RTG.
If I had to go with just one it would be a 9" with 1/2" holes. The MONSTRIK-9 is well worth consideration.
Also I'm 6'2" so prefer a 5' handle

And there it is,.....my two cents.
Good Hunting

 

[NWMP]

NWMP. the ideal width of the scoop 8 "
for 10 "coil

Thank you sir. I may be sending you some PayPal funds in the near future. I have to figure a few things out first.

 

[NWMP]

NWMP you're going down the same road I've traveled!
I'm in Canada as well and also started with a 5" RTG 711.
It is a well made scoop however the small diameter meant I had to be very precise with my pin pointing and as you mentioned it often took multiple attempts to recover the target.
All that extra recovery time = less time searching = less Gold!
As a guy who started with small scoop I can definitely say big is the way to go.
I am now the proud owner of a 9" T-Rex, Stealth 920ix, and a 6" RTG Alum travel scoop.
Which one is the best you ask?
I like them all and which one I use depends on the bottom makeup.
For pure sand I like the T-Rex with the 3/8 holes, beaches with pebble/rocky substrate the 920ix, and for travel the Alum RTG.
If I had to go with just one it would be a 9" with 1/2" holes. The MONSTRIK-9 is well worth consideration.
Also I'm 6'2" so prefer a 5' handle

And there it is,.....my two cents.
Good Hunting

I am the same height so there are many valuable correlations here, thank you.

 

[NWMP]

NWMP. the ideal width of the scoop 8 "
for 10 "coil

Payment sent to Marina.

 

[RustyGold]

I too, started with the RTG scoop but found it too small to use effectively. After several purchases I finally spent the money on the Stealth 720i with a carbon handle.
It's the perfect width and depth for me.