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| Wondering how many guys use a head lamp continuously during night fishing? Using it to look down into the water during every retrieve to see a follow and figure 8? I have seen others do this. Tried it myself several times unsuccessfully. Just seems like you would spook em. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Nobody I know leaves their headlamp on when night fishing. As you figured out they spook fish. Do your figure 8s every time a couple of times and be prepared to set the hook. |
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Posts: 3908
| Don't do it. |
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Location: Hayward WI | What about red led's? I've been looking into getting one just for nite fishing. You don't loose your night vision and they aren't supposed to bother the fish. |
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Posts: 400
Location: North/Central WI | I basically have my red LED headlamp on the whole time I am night fishing. I have never had a fish spook from it...have caught numerous fish boatside with it on. It looks pretty cool at night when you get to watch a big one eat in the red light too. |
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Posts: 519
Location: Bloomington, IL | My buddy and I use a green light and it doesn't spook the fish. I agree with Nateoz that it is very cool to see the fish come in - fiure 8/eat at boatside. |
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Posts: 11
Location: Moorhead, MN | The one time I night fished we used red lights. We didn't attract near as many bugs as when we switched to white, and you could see your bait. I thought it worked well. |
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| IMO better to do multiple figure 8s after each cast in the dark than use your headlamp. people say they don't spook the fish they see in the dark with the headlamp on, but how many pull up and disappear before they even get to the light? getting suprised in the dark is too much fun. |
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Posts: 21
| I agree no light is better!! I actually enjoy it more myself...Lights are a bother until you hook up!! |
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| I think everyone should use a headlight all night, the brighter the better, especially if I am on the same lake! |
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| Even though I do not use a headlight at night I would have a hard time believing a red light would do much to spook a fish. I could see a huge advantage with the increased visibility of following fish. I would like to know if anyone has actually had a fish spook because of a red light during the figure 8. |
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Posts: 400
Location: North/Central WI | The ability to see following fish is a huge advantage while night fishing. Not every following fish eats in the figure 8 at night...that is a fact. For example, two seasons ago a friend and I had 3 follows after dark on dbl 10's from one weedline. Every fish was aggressive and turned in the 8 but none ate. We made another pass through the area throwing cranks parallel to the weed edge and put two in the bag. Without knowing those fish were there and active, we probably would have never made a second pass through the area. I also hate to waste time...and making multiple figure 8's every cast when there is no fish present is a waste of time IMO. I make one large 8/oval after every cast and fire another cast if no fish is sighted. I typically only fish extremely clear water after dark so it is not difficult to see a following fish with the red light...even from a distance. Generally I notice intense, short feeding windows after dark. The more fish you present your lure to during that window...the more fish that you catch. I want to hit as many spots as possible while they are eating. Once the action tapers off, I will slow down and pick spots apart more carefully. This results in many multiple fish nights for me. |
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Posts: 3908
| "I would like to know if anyone has actually had a fish spook because of a red light during the figure 8."
How can people count what they don't see? Prob the same folks who can measure a follow fish, never hooked, to the inch. "We had a 52" blow up on a Topraider today; the fish missed but followed to the boat and we saw it was really a 53"er!!"
Well my Richard looked like a 8"er back when I could stand up and look down and see the thing. Now I'm building a monument to a dying Peter, and can't even see my toes without bending forward. |
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| The question was has anyone ever seen a fish spook because of a red light which would imply that the fish is at boat side where you can see them. Also I'm not really to sure what your Richard has to do with it but with some experience there is a lot of people out there that can geuss (to the inch) the length if a fish relatively consistently even at a quich glance. |
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Posts: 3908
| Lights spook fish, period. I believe this because I began hooking lots more darktime boatside fish on 8's once I stopped trying to use lights of any color to see follows. I also put black electric tape on the side of the rear boat lite facing my right to darken things even further as I went into 8's. Some folks shove a white sock over the rear lite; never tried it myself 'cause all my white socks are sorta sticky/stiff since the divorce.
Bringing Richard into the discussion is part of making fun of you folks, mostly semi-newbies, who think you can measure a follow fish to the inch. In the dark. |
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| i use a headlamp when its just impossible to see because its cloudy or just not a bright moon. i try not to look right into my figure 8...sometimes i just lay it down beside me so i can at least get some light in the boat. not sure on red or green
ranger your kind of a richard, no one was talking about measuring fish on a follow
im glad you can entertain yourself, i hope your mom washes your socks for you once in a while
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| Lights spook fish, period. I believe this because I began hooking lots more darktime boatside fish on 8's once I stopped trying to use lights of any color to see follows.
This is the argument that I don really care to hear. There are several factors that will increase your catch rates. I am assuming you used a head light when you were a "semi- newbie" which means you were not very good at a lot of things like staying on structure at night, locating fish, selecting the right bait and placing those baits in front of fish. I am sure that once you stopped using the light and became semi-pro all of those things have changed which would mean you are going to catch more fish after dark not neccesarily because of the light. The fact is I have never ever used a light when I fish because everyone that taught me how to fish said don't they scare the fish but whenever i ask if anyone has actuall seen a fish spook at boatside no one has an answer. Hense the question. Lastly, I would seriously question your experience if you can't judge the length of a fish at boatside, if you can see that it followed you should have an idea of how big it is. I geuss maybe you spend a little to much time pumping one out and making sock statues under your bed. |
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Posts: 71
Location: Waukesha, WI | Ranger, I know you. I believe you unintentially forgot the decimal point when you typed the numeral 8.
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Posts: 3908
| Ha! Great ones folks. I Be The Richard. Be mean to me at your own risk.
"whenever i ask if anyone has actuall seen a fish spook at boatside no one has an answer"
Here: Saw a number of fish flash by my bait (Balck/Silver Raddawg) near the boat at nite wearing Cateyes on my ball cap. I was holding off a wind-blown weedline at nite. Came back without lights and boated fish.
Lites on, no fish, lights off, fish.
Your experience might be different.
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| See now I'm actually getting something from your post. That wasn't so bad was it. |
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Posts: 3908
| No, but it wasn't as fun, either. |
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Posts: 1460
Location: Kronenwetter, WI | There's a new light color called Jasmine Jade that was developed by Illumination Technogies that allows an angler to see follows but is not dectable by fish. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Cowboyhannah - 8/1/2011 1:24 AM
but is not dectable by fish.
Ah come on. How can this be true. How do you even know they can't see it? Its one thing to not be spooked by a certain color light, but its another that they can't see it. If we can see it, how is it that they can't? |
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| Not saying I know all the research behind it but it is not right to assume that just because we see it a fish can. There are a lot of wavelengths out there that other animals can see that we can not so it's very possible that there is things we can see that fish cannot. Plus I would assume that it's more about the intensity if the light that spooks the fish. Ex. you take a million candle power spot light and shine it in a muskies eyes it will undoubtable spook but if it is a faint very dull jasmin colored light that barely penetrates the water it will have a different effect. IMO |
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Head lamps for fig 8's?