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Posts: 109
| Im going to try my first shot at night fishing and was wondering how you guys approach this in lighting terms. Do you guys have a spotlight or anything for travelling or just use headlamps for driving and fishing. Thanks |
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Posts: 323
Location: Elk River, MN | You shouldn't need anything for driving, you'll see better without a spotlight. All you do is blind anyone else and impair your night vision. Headlamps are excellent for everything else, some fish in the dark and some fish with a headlamp on. I prefer to have a headlamp with a red light on usually when fishing to spare my night vision and still provide a little light, then I can also see my bait when it gets close, especially those with reflective tape. |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | Put a sock over your nav lights. This will improve your night vision and they with still be bright from other boats perspectives. Wear a head lamp and use it when you need it. Any additional light will surely diminish your night vision. It's pretty cool how your eyes will adjust to the dark. Maybe use a spotlight if your unfamiliar. But I don't recommend tackling unfamiliar water at night. |
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Posts: 2318
Location: Chisholm, MN | Spot lights can be helpful if you need to see shore or anything under a new moon, but if there is a moon, you won't need it. I don't turn a headlamp on except to unhook or net fish, or change baits really. The red light could help if you're concerned, but I think it spooks fish. If I'm fish in shallow water, I won't shine the light out of the boat. Fish will see you.
As far as putting a sock over your light, you're putting yourself at risk and others. That said...if no one is on the lake go for it. Fish will also see your boat lights and get spooked. But keep them on anyway. |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | Kirby Budrow - 6/21/2016 9:40 AM
As far as putting a sock over your light, you're putting yourself at risk and others. That said...if no one is on the lake go for it. Fish will also see your boat lights and get spooked. But keep them on anyway.
They are still easy for other boats to see with socks on them
.... just less blindness for those in the boat. |
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Posts: 2318
Location: Chisholm, MN | JakeStCroixSkis - 6/21/2016 10:17 AM
Kirby Budrow - 6/21/2016 9:40 AM
As far as putting a sock over your light, you're putting yourself at risk and others. That said...if no one is on the lake go for it. Fish will also see your boat lights and get spooked. But keep them on anyway.
They are still easy for other boats to see with socks on them
.... just less blindness for those in the boat.
Very well could be, but a warden may not think the same way. |
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Posts: 157
Location: West Central WI | Kirby has a good point. In WI, red/green side lights must be visible from 1 mile on a dark, clear night and white stern light visible from 2 miles on a dark clear night (quoted from the latest Handbook of WI Boating Laws & Responsibilities publication from the WDNR). It probably depends on the sock so if you're using a white thin sock, maybe okay or a black sock, maybe not - how would you know on your own boat? You'd need to test and see your boat at night from those distances to ensure you're legal so just putting a sock on your lights may invite a ticket, or worse, someone running into you. Remember that lights are to keep you separated from others so if they can't see you.... Be safe and think of some of the other good recommendations. I love fishing at night and have caught many with my nav lights on - that's the least of your worries. I have a headlamp I turn on when a fish is close to netting (put mine on when my partner has the fish on) and when removing or changing baits. I also prefer to fish with a partner at night for safety and I always wear my life preserver at night. Call me conservative, but I spent many a dark night over the ocean in Navy helicopters and you'd be amazed what you CAN'T see at night. I also spend a few minutes cleaning up the boat before it gets dark, from loose baits and any other tripping or potential injury hazards. If I'm using 4 rigged poles during the day, I usually remove baits from two of them and use just two poles at night, but that's just my preference. Enjoy night fishing. It's very exciting! |
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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | A friend of mine - a very good musky fisher - leaves his boat lights 'on' at night. Says he's boated hundreds of fish that way. Myself, I like the dark.
Has anyone actually seen fish spook off due to the boat lights being on? I tend not to want to risk it. |
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Posts: 2024
| I don't fish much, 2 weeks a year probably, and love night fishing. And I bet almost every other night I run into some dip@#% with no lights on. Turn them on, it's the law, and also simple courtesy to other boaters approaching a spot. Is a fish worth it? Maybe it should be an unspoken rule in musky fishing... if you come up on a spot with someone without a light on, wasting our time heading to the spot to be shot down by some dumb@#$, you get to run over the spot to ruin it for them. Or just jump in ahead of them.
If you're worried about lights being in your way, get a clamp on light for your transducer, or telescoping one, so it's not in the way for casting. |
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Location: MN | I keep a spot light handy when fishing lakes that are still busy at night. I have had trolling gear taken out by passing boats and have been just about run over. Those situations may have been avoided if I was able to send a million candle watt spotlight in their direction. The spotlight can also be handy if you are trolling boards and you want to check the baits without pulling them all the way in.
I turn the lights off when I know for certain I am the only boat on the lake. I think the white light does spook fish.
I like a very dim red headlamp to help with boatside maneuvers and to help see follows. I've caught some fish next to the boat that didn't seem to mind one bit.
If you fish topwater at night bring some TP and a spare set of underwear and pants. |
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Posts: 386
| Kirby and I both fish A LOT after dark and I will be the first person to tell you, DO NOT TURN YOUR STERN LIGHT OFF. Yes it sucks, yes it's bright and blinding, but it's the law. I don't think fish will blow off from the stern light but I know they will from a head lamp. |
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