Night Fishing, light set-up for boat

[fishon68]

What types of lighting do you have in your boat for night fishing?

[JimBuck]

LED's are the only way to go IMO. I'm installing a couple strips of 20" HK Best lights this weekend...very low draw and the diodes will probably outlast me.

[fishon68]

I have those in my fish house, very bright and draw hardly any battery.I did have a couple diodes not work though.But still a great choice.

[harvey lee]

Watch the Outdoor Pro Store for new LED lights in the near future. Either ones with a AA battery box or a ones with spade connectors to hook up to your battery.

[fishon68]

ttt

[Ralph Wiggum]

I have a couple courtesy lights in the boat, but I rarely use them. I pretty much just use the light from my stern light and headlamps. If I really need some light, I have two spolights onboard.

[riverrat56]

I just wear a head lamp, the light from the stern light gives off enough to see to fish just not for tying up jigs or unhooking fish. I did install a large light upfront for traveling at night thought.

[Aaron Carrell]

Watch the Outdoor Pro Store for new LED lights in the near future. Either ones with a AA battery box or a ones with spade connectors to hook up to your battery.

Wow, that would be fantastic. I'm been considering putting then under the rail inside my boat this year and if theres a fairly cheap solution I'd love to know about it. My only concern was the best way to route power to one of my batteries and should be on the cranking or trolling motor battery.

[fasternu]

I got 2 sets of the LED rope lights from a Big C store in Owatonna. 6 feet long for only $15/per. I mounted them under the rail on each side, then connected the wires to the regular courtesy switch. It was actually very easy to mount and hook up, and they look awesome! I used them last night and was impressed.

[eyebjim]

I use a headlight that has red and white LED. I almost always use only the red LED at night cause it doesn't make your eyes dilate so much and you adjust back to the darkness much quicker.

[harvey lee]

Aaron, no need to worry about a power source as one of the options is a LED light string with a small battery box that holds 2 AA batteries.

[Aaron Carrell]

I got 2 sets of the LED rope lights from a Big C store in Owatonna. 6 feet long for only $15/per. I mounted them under the rail on each side, then connected the wires to the regular courtesy switch. It was actually very easy to mount and hook up, and they look awesome! I used them last night and was impressed.

Fasternu, you said you connected them up to the courtesy switch... I'm assuming you're just talking the light switch for your stern and bow lights? Thats exactly what I'd be looking for I think. Is it as simple as splicing the wires in just behind the switch? I have fairly easy access to all my wiring right under the console.

[crothmeier]

a couple strategically placed tap lights do the trick.

can be bumped on with a foot or a knee when your hands are busy reeling in your monster catch.

[wplatehunter]

I use the leadlight along with interior lights in the boat. The lights inside the livewell are also nice to have.

[fasternu]

Aaron,

You could hook them up that way, but I have a separate switch just for courtesy lights. I had a factory switch, but no interior lights. I just had to make sure I had power to it and then splice my light wires into it. You could hook them into your stern/bow lights, but then you might attract bugs being on constantly. You could pretty easily buy and add another switch to hook them to, just run the negative to the ground block, and the positive to the "back" of the switch. The switch itself would get hooked into the main lines coming into the rest of the switches, off the battery. Sounds confusing, but if I can do it, anybody can. It just took a little experimentation with a test light to find where to hook everything. I got some help on here when I started it, and people gave me enough suggestions to point me in the right direction.

[jigginjim]

I use my stern light for some of the lighting at night. I also use a head set for some minor things( changing lures & jigs), I have a black& decker led light bar(rechargable trouble light) which is also 12 volts for badly hooked fish. Traveling at night is aided with a 12volt / rechargeable 1 million candlepower spotlight. Great for finding the shallow water bouys, and boats without lights.

[PerchJerker]

I do a lot of night fishing. My stern light is always on and is usually the only light that's on. We wear LED cap lights and use them as needed, they are very bright, very lightweight, and one great thing about them is the light is always shining where you need it. Other than that I have a couple tap lights that I rarely use, usually only when working on tangles or something like that. And a couple powerful flashlights or spotlights that are stored in an easy to get to place in case needed.

[fishermatt]

I will soon be selling the Best HK waterproof LED strip lights that I have modified with 8 feet of heavier duty wire and alligator clips installed. Patent Pending. Easy to attach to any 12 volt Battery. Super bright and very low draw on the battery. Tested to last over 50 hours on a vexilar battery, and over 300+ hours (over 2 weeks straight) on a full size deep cycle battery. You can use Velcro to attach them anywhere you want. Very durable too.

If you have questions, email me at: mhsauer at arvig dot net.

[picksbigwagon]

I took an old seat mount post(the one that attaches to the seat underneath.) I attached a scrap piece of plywood to that mount and I screw one of the bases that come with your coleman lanterns. I use a single mantle burner usually, Haven't tried the Northstar in the boat yet. It kicks out more than enough light and a little heat too........I put the table into a seat post so it doesn't get very high in the air....

the lantern top fits on one of my marker bouy holders and the propane goes in dry storage up front.