Water hunting scoops

Let's talk about scoops for a minute.

What kind of scoops do you water/beach hunters use? I have been gaining a collection of them while trying to find the best one that suites my needs.

I started with a aluminum RTG but it was small and couldn't dig deep enough, and almost useless in water...it only has about a 5" wide opening. I replaced it with a Nuttall Diamond and it is heavy duty scoop and much better for rocks and clay. It is great for digging deep in damp and dry sand too. The problem with it occurs in the water itself, where you are scooping blind. The opening is only 6.5 inches wide. In shallow water, it's not that much trouble because I can see the bottom and the coil in most areas. In waist to chest deep water, I can't see the bottom any more and am going more by guesstimating. It takes me a fairly good amount of time to scoop a target up, even if it is shallow. Some times I get lucky and get it quick, more often, it takes me a while. SO I am looking at scoops again. This time I am wanting a wider mouthed one...I think one 9 inches or better would be about right. Leaning towards a Stealth scoop or one like it...particularly the 920 model. Any recommendations or words of wisdom? I was getting ready to buy one and saw where they said their welder was hurt and to expect a long delay in orders. I do not know how current that message was from though...sent them an email asking. On eBay they have a couple listed but it says Sept is the expected delivery range, which is a little later than what I want.

Only been out with it once so far, but my 8" T-Rex seems decent. Was thinking about trying a Stealth or Stavr but figured the T-Rex would be a good starter scoop.

Dirty ol' Digger

Heres a tip or two........and haven't water hunted in years.....get one with a step on it to push in and make sure it has a sturdy handle or it will bend or break as lots of pressure while scooping.....many metal handles sink and had one with oak wooden handle that floated...shop around taking this into consideration...Water hunting is hard work and scooping is the hard part.

Stealth 920IX is about as wide as they come and with it full of sand or clay can be a beast of a load to lift. I've done as you did and actually have 5 in the shed as backups various sizes and manufacturers and the stealth with a carbon fiber shaft is what I rely on most of the time. Most of the backups have been repaired, only one that hasn't is a Stavr M9.
Cliff

Funny you should mention....Daniel. i JUST ordered a Stealth 920-iX with a CF (Carbon Fiber) 47" rod..... and a heavy-duty D-handle...... about 16 hours ago. I have been researching scoops for quite some time now. Currently........ I'm using a 6" 'round' x 11" deep.... with 5-1/2" depth full Stainless scoop with chicken-wire/hardware cloth for ease of sifting. (There are solid stainless 'kickbars' protecting the chicken-wire from being crushed.) This entire scoop ..... including the solid stainless handle...... is approx 11-pounds. A very heavy scoop (of which I like/prefer). I hunt in heavy undertow Atlantic Ocean surf. Right now..... with this scoop........ it is taking me a (nominal/median avarage) of 4-scoops to capture a target. (((This is unacceptable))). The chicken-wire/hardware cloth is critical.............. for rapid sifting. But......... my biggest problem is; approx 70% of my targets are lost....... due to the 1/2" holes (square holes) from this hardware cloth. The targets: primarily earrings. I can catch/capture rings, coins, sunglasses, cell phones........... but 70% of my targets are small enough (usually earrings)...... that they fall through the scoop. There is nothing that can be done about this. Sooooooooo........... when I speculate that I have found/captured a earring.................... it has become 'a way of life' ...... that i MUST walk out of the surf...... up to the damp slope (completely out of the water)....... dump out the scoop basket....... find target.............. then return back to the water. ,,,,,,,, Years ago......... I tried a scoop that had 1/4" holes in it........ that would capture about half of these earrings............... and quickly learned that ..... these 1/4" holes would NOT sift out my fine-grain sand. i STILL had to walk out of the water....... up to a dry spot on the slope........ dump out the basket....... find target...... then return back to the surf. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, There is an option/upgrade on the Stealth 920-iX...... where you can have the back-bottom of the scoop custom made with 1/8" x 5/8" slits....... so as to capture 'some' of the earrings............ IF IF the earring 'happens' to be close to the back/bottom of the scoop. Problem is.......... sand....... even fine-grain sand....... will nearly NOT sift through these slits.................... IF the earring happens to be captured close enough to these slits.... to be found...... which ...... most of the time....... the earring will 'find' a larger hole in the scoop to escape.......... and problem starts all over. Actually......... the problem is accentuated ...... because NOW you have a earring that is out of the excavated hole...... and riding the powerful undertow/surf......... and is usually completely lost. I did not opt for the 1/8" x 5/8" slits.

This Stealth 920-iX scoop has 1/2" holes that are very close together...... and the holes completely cover the scoop. No area is 'hole-free'. The tip-to-heel of this scoop is 13-1/2".......... which is one of the deeper digging scoops. I'm not sure I'm "man" enough to pull out 13-1/2" of wet concrete-sand out of the maximum-suction bottom of the ocean............. but I need to give it a try.

The Stealth comes with a lifetime warranty....... to include the Carbon Fiber lifetime handle.

A earring gives a very short, quick, blip audio ......... and I know I have found a small target. A coin or ring gives a normal length audio....... and this is where I will 'try' the sifting abilities of this (Stealth) scoop..... by swishing it in the water ...to filter out the sand.

I will never accept/use a aluminum scoop. Besides............. most of the drilled holes in an aluminum scoop are far apart from each other........ making sifting/draining a VERY slow process. Unacceptable.

I nearly bought a T-Rex........ but there were a few reasons preempting me. There are plenty of other scoops out there; yet, my stringent requirements have narrowed the field/selection down...... in short order.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2017 03:46PM by NASA-Tom.

I just got an email reply back from Stealth. They said they are good to go on orders and only a 1-3 day weld time on them. I just ordered the 920 with carbon fiber shaft as well. Was more than I wanted to spend but somehow I had $200 in my PayPal balance that I had forgotten about, so that helped ease the pain. Haha.

NASA Tom -- I think if I could successfully scoop the target in 4 scoops average, I would be happy lol. You have much more experience at it than me though. It is taking me far more attempts, especially in deep water. I found a tungsten ring the other day that was a recent drop in about chest deep water. I almost gave up on trying to scoop that thing up but finally got it.

One tip I will give that I learned the hard way is to mark your scoop handle somehow that shows what direction the tip is pointing. In murky water, if you don't have a reference, you will only make it harder on yourself. A permanent marker mark or wood screw so that you can feel it...something like that.

The Nuttall is a great scoop for the money...much better than any aluminum scoop. I just wish it were wider. I am using the CTX 3030 as my water machine; the smallest coil I have for it is the stock 11 inch coil, and here lately the coil I use the most is the 9x14 for the weight.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2017 08:11PM by Daniel Tn.

You will be happy with your Stealths. As mentioned, there is no better warranty. Sunspot are also fantastic people to deal with.

Daniel.......... looks like your scoop & my scoop will be built at the same time.

One other inevitable water hunting issue that can not be avoided: Many targets that you pull out of the sand..... will be at/on/near the tip of the scoop. Because these recovered targets will be (up to) several inches above the basket (but still on the scoop tongue) ...... will 'wash off' of the top of the scoop. And.......... if undertow/wave-action is strong........ these targets risk being lost for ever. I do not believe that a scoop exists..... that can mitigate........ or circumvent this common occurrence.

Nasa Tom -- I am hunting freshwater beach/swimming areas up here for the most part. I only get my shot at the saltwater beaches when I go on vacation but I totally understand what you are saying about scooping targets. This seems to happen quite a bit in the videos I watch. I like watching "gravediggermaxx" on YouTube and some of the others. It happens a lot to Maxx. He did a review on the Stealth 920 and went over the reason he likes that scoop...something about the lip or flanges on it that helps keep targets from being knocked up and out of the scoop. But I noticed in his later videos that he seldom seems to be using the 920, and is using a scoop with smaller holes instead. I think he goes by what targets they normally dig at the particular beach they are hunting, and chooses his scoops accordingly, that way he doesn't chase small targets that keep falling through. I dunno. One thing about his videos, he and his crew aren't shy about getting in the water around people. I like going early or really late when most people are out of the water.

What i found in my few days of water hunting is...... the round nose scoops like the RTG is almost impossible to keep from rolling on you out there very deep and a lot of targets gets pushed out of the basket. The T-Rex..... those 1/4 holes catch a lot of small targets..... BUT they keep a lot of material too if you arent in just sand. Ive got an older model that Steve made called the ProScoop...... its on the wall. You have to love Chucks scoops...... hes always improving them and will give you what you want with a lifetime warranty. But it comes at a price. Had a buddy who BENT 3 of them and broke a couple of wood handles. Why..... because he tried to bury the darn thing and lift all that material. Chuck made them right.... but some of those improvements are because of his 6 ton guerilla hunting style. Hes not broken or bent one for some time now. Which could mean hes learned HOW to use it properly. His scoop designed the way you need it is just hard to beat. I also use a Starvr scoop M series. It has a bit shorter basket, you dig less material, and about the only thing that gets out of the basket are pennies...... hate those floaters. Ive had it for years now and use it mostly. Down side to StarvR IMO is the handle hold. Unlike Chucks which uses the U bolts to secure the handle his is inclosed with a small hole to low to the bottom. What i found was if you like to use a HOE HANDLE made of fiberglass...... all that twisting and pulling to get it deep out there splits the handle even with a wooden dowel. I modified mine adding a U bolt area solved that problem. All that said....... its considerably cheaper and is made to last.... i like it. You need a good scoop that wont roll on you .... one that will get into the material you are dealing with......holes that work to get rid of the material you are dealing with....... solid handle lock........ one that wont rip apart at the front top corners, thats where most fail. As far as material goes....... yes a basket holding to much material can really take a physical tole on the body especially if you are using a PI........ BUT i believe thats that the learning curve. Once you learn how much material you can move with it ..... you should be good. So IMO Starvr and Sunspot are about your best choices.

Yet another additional thought:

The lighter the scoop....... the more difficult it will be to shoot your target with any accuracy.... in heavy current/undertow/surf. A light basket/scoop gets jerked around ever-so-easily with any form of water movement.

And....... where the shaft enters the scoop....................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,....................... that's about how deep you will be able to sink the basket into the sand........ as the shaft & shaft mount does not cut through (sink) in the sand.

Hi Tom, I don't do a lot of water detecting but to keep those small earrings from getting lost, I used a water needle, the foam things that kids use in pools. Make a round loop and put fiberglass screen that you put in screen doors, and tie with plastic ties. This way you can run your detector over it and be sure you got the target. Just dump the scoop on it and it will clean it self. I put a short line to my waste and it will fallow you any where. It works for me.

I've been using a T-Rex for for years and doing fine. My hunting buddy has a top of the line Stealth and its lighter and deeper. While I think his is a better way to go for our sandy beach/surf hunting, its not enough so that I would toss my $300 scoop for his $400 unit (both have carbon fiber shafts).

Past(or)Tom
Using a Legend, a Deus 2, an Equinox 800, a Tarsacci MDT 8000, & a few others...
with my beloved, fading Corgi, Sadie

I was thinking maybe a float would work also. You guys need a vacuum cleaner on your back! I'll stick to the wet/dry sand with a shovel.

I have been thinking of hitting the dry sand some next vacation with a light weight aluminum short scoop for gold chains. I have a heavy duty stainless for wading, but it didn't click for me. I can't swim so that may have had something to do with it. Need to put it on the forum for sale sometime.

Here's what I use Daniel --- it's a stainless steel scoop. 6" diameter x 12" deep bucket -- takes all the abuse you can dish out. I've used this one for approx. 15 yrs now and no sign it's going to give out anytime soon. $150 new.

My buddy uses a stealth 920 but it's a beast/heavy imo. Too much so in freshwater more muddy/mucky type bottoms as you can't even lift it out if you sink it in all the way to the hilt. In the pure Sand bottoms it works pretty good but is still a bit more than I like to deal with.

I have that same scoop. Yellow handle and all.

Rick

Rick, N. MI Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have that same scoop. Yellow handle and all.
>
> Rick


Oldies but goodies Rick and a bit hard to find these days

Flintstone.......... I'm not sure that would work...... in my crashing waves. . . . . yet.......... triggers some thought(s).

I ran into a chap today of whom was using a ATX on the beach. First time I've seen one on my local beaches. He was also using a fairly large basket aluminum scoop. 9" mouth. 5" tall......... and about 11" deep....... with about a 6" deep basket. I asked if I could borrow it..... just until I located AND RECOVERED a target. In the crashing waves.................. this large ""surface-area"" basket...............made out of aluminum........ got jerked around enough in the surf that......... because of the scoop NOT being mine........ I nearly got deployed out to sea. It was actually difficult to just simply pull the basket out of the water. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Hopefully ...... the stainless Stealth will be a bit heavier ..... giving more control.....in the crashing waves.

Daniel.......... looks like my scoop was shipped out yesterday......... with a ETA of this Friday. I speculate yours should be about the same.

Stealth 990ix with carbon fiber handle does the job in the surf. But ... the bucket will grab a heavy load of dirt/coral/rocks. My problem is that I use mostly my left hand/arm with help from the left leg to torque the scoop up to the surface... which has caused problems with my elbow joint. Technically it is tendinitis in the tendon that attaches inside the crook of the arm. Each time I lift the heavy scoop it puts a strain on that joint. I haven't detected for quite a while and it still is sore if stress is applied. Looks like it's going to be a permanent problem.

So, be careful with the large scoops like the 990ix. If you feel pain around the elbow or inside the crook, you'd better stop.

By the way, small targets are going to fall through with this scoop. I've used window screening stitched into the inside of the scoop. It works but also traps the dirt and only serves to make lifting the scoop worse for tendinitis. No good solution.

John.......... Exactly a few points I was looking for.

I use the 920 ix rugged pkg w/carbon fiber handle and 5/8 holes....don't worry 'bout the smalls. I wanted lightweight and fast-draining...I'm gettin' older. Best scoop I've ever owned. Like most things, there are tradeoffs b/w different scoops/designs/hole size/weight/handles...etc...but, stainless cuts better - sand/mud doesn't stick as easily as it does to aluminum - and is much more durable. CF handle is great...got a travel handle too. Expensive I know, but all my equipment pays for itself. Good luck with whatever you decide to get....main thing is to get out there and hunt. gl and hh!

Tom, i have one of the larger aluminum scoops..... which now decorates my garage wall. I dont think ... because of the thickness of the aluminum that you are going to find the SS is heavier. Then came the CF handle...... even lighter. Straight down with an almost 12" scoop..... well that hurt you over time with a lot of material that doesnt leave the scoop. Looks like thou hes hunting more in the Gulf ..... not quite so bad. No a lot of waves so i normally prefer to dig, lift a bit and dump on deep targets....... then find the targets. Little more time....... but its not a race to me. Like Tom...... dang i hate to let those little targets go. I believe which scoop gets asked as much as which detector for water hunting.

Dew

No word on my scoop yet. They sent me an invoice for shipping in which I paid but no shipping notification as of yet.

I've decided the best time to hunt the lake beaches is during rainy days. It sure beats getting up before dawn and only getting to stay til 10 or so...when the swimmers and sun bathers begin showing up. Rainy days, a man can take his time and hit more than one spot in a day. I've also began to utilize Facebook as recon. A lot of friends and their friends go to the swimming holes and take lots of pics and post them. From those pics I can see the hot spots of each given area.

Daniel,

I received my scoop yesterday (Friday) and have assembled it. I can see the 'years of evolutionary process' that has gone into this scoop. It does indeed seem fairly sturdy. The carbon fiber rod ( 46" ) is nearly a foot longer than my current stainless scoop..... which should provide much more foot-pounds of fulcrum-leverage. I have mounted the Heavy Duty 'D' handle about 10" above the basket......... with the understanding that I'll probably need to readjust/relocate it as usage/experience accrues. . . . . . . or.......... possibly even remove the 'D' handle all-together.

My total cost was: $441.00 U.S.D.

Now....... I'm waiting for Full Moon ((better tide-delta)) to take this new scoop out for its first/maiden voyage.

If i was a NEWBEE........ or even a dirt digger who had been used to coin finds i never sold....... prices for top of the line items needed for water hunting would scare the beeeegggggs out of me let alone telling the wife i need the best lol. Been there.... its not easy telling the wife whose used to you bragging about IH penny values to telling here you are about to start beach hunting and need a CTX and scoop. Oh..... im divorced now.

Dew

Maiden voyage. I took the Stealth 920-iX with Carbon Fiber handle........ and heavy D-handle attached out to the wet surf.......... during a terrible tide-delta; yet, I (very much) needed some answers. Results thus far:

* I had a fairly large concern that the surface-area...... (size of the basket).................. would allow the heavy undertow/crashing-waves to yank that basket/scoop and jerk/deploy me out to sea. --- Not true. My concern has been abated. There are SO many holes in this basket...... that 'relieved' the water pressure 'pull' abilities. It still 'pulls' ........ yet, is quite manageable.

* Very large; yet, light scoop to carry.

* Initial/prelim data expresses about 45% (nominal/median average) loss of targets. This is a much improved % ratio........ as compared to my previous/old scoop....having about a 70% loss of targets. This is to include small target losses....slipping through the sifting holes of the scoop...... OR ....... the other way to lose a target; which is: "washed off" the tip/tongue of the scoop. I do feel there is a slightly reduced propensity for targets to 'wash off' the tip of this particular scoop...... for some reason.

* Now................. I have only hunted the beach just once with this new scoop. But....... it 'seems' (too preliminary to tell....yet).......... it 'appears' to be more difficult to drive/push this scoop into the sand. My old scoop (with a non-pointed, duck-bill tip) would sink into the wet sand easier. This new scoop..... with its pointed/triangular sharp tip..... (albeit ... larger surface-area) 'appears' more difficult to drive into the sand....... and break that initial 'surface tension' of the first couple of inches of sand. Now............ I'm hunting the beach at a completely incorrect time........ with a very low tide-delta......... sooooooo .......... the sand may be more harder/compacted........,,,,,,,,,,.......... giving/presenting this exact resultant; yet, I was not finding more dense/heavier targets to justify/quantify this observation/concern. Incomplete data; more to follow.

* The Carbon Fiber handle 'feels' more durable ...... than my previous expectations. Does not feel like it's infringed (and going to break) with thousands of fulcrum pounds exerted on it.

* The stainless basket seems quite durable. At any given time....... I did not feel like I was going to break a weld........ nor did I feel like I was going to kick/cave-in the back/bottom of the scoop as I stepped/crushed it into the sand.

* As of right now........... I feel the size of the holes (1/2") is a good choice........ good balance .... for my specific intent.

* I (unsuspectingly) required more use of the detent/notch on the Carbon Fiber handle tip........ so as to locate/know the orientation of the scoop.......whilst in deeper water. You can not see the basket...... and can not see the direction/front/orientation of the basket when its under the crashing surf.......... soooooo............ a tell-tale mark in a different feel'able/see'able location ..... is critical for your performance/success. j

* Returning home......... I have since relocated the heavy duty D-handle. Instead of being about a foot above the basket....... I have now relocated it to just a couple/few inches above the basket. When the D-handle was about a foot above the basket........ I found this location to be very imbalanced/cumbersome. Trial-and-error to continue......... until I get it right. This might include: completely removing the D-handle ..... and abandoning its use. Time will tell.

* I cannot believe that I am putting THIS much 'focus' on a digging tool............. instead of a detector! ; yet............. the time-efficiency factor is paramount. Anything that you can do to efficientize time/labor/efforts........ directly equates to greater overall success.

((( Daniel....... do you have your scoop yet? )))

Tom -- My scoop just came yesterday. The SunSpot people said my order must have slipped through the cracks. They had to check into it and then got back with me saying their welder was putting my order as priority and we're shipping it that same day. They shipped it Monday and it came Wednesday.

I put it together and liked it right away. My Nuttall Diamond scoop is one heavy beast. The Stealth is 3 inches wider and overall bigger, but is about half the weight. I see right away that I should have gotten the longer carbon fiber handle. I'm just 6' 1" but the handle is much shorter than the one I have been using. I can probably get used to it but in anything over chest deep water, it is going to be fully submerged.

Daniel......... glad you finally got it. Curious to know how/what you think of it........ after a few hunts.
Is there a longer Carbon Fiber handle? Longer than the 46" one?

Tom -. I misread their website. The longer handle option is for the wood handle and not the carbon. I still wish it were longer. I wonder what length the Anderson carbon handle is? If it's longer I may get it for the Stealth and transfer the other to the Nuttall. It would be a good one for my better half to use in the wet and dry sand. The fiberglass handle on it weighs quite a bit. Won't get to use it for awhile...will be shooting bows at a national Pro/Am the next few days. When the kiddos return to school next week, I should have most of the swimming areas to myself during the week.