Rigging lines at night

[on-one]

I took my children fishing overnight recently which meant I spent a lot more time sorting tangles, bait and re-rigging than I normally do.

I'm getting to the point where I need glasses to read and found seeing what I was doing slowed me down to the point where I didn't really get to fish myself until the kids fell asleep. I don't want to have too bright a light in the cockpit and ruin everyone else's night vision but need to be able to see what I'm doing - what is everyone else using?

[stevej]

I just use a head torch with a red light

but then when I took kids fishing I didn’t fish myself
was a lot more enjoyable knowing my job was to keep them safe and having fun

go fishing in my own enough not to care about the times I take them out


I did a fishing charter a few months back and told the guide just want my son to catch fish or have a chance I’m happy to just throw lures from the rear of the boat while he got all the prime first casts

end result son got 4 cod and I managed my biggest cod so far blind casting to weed beds

[gazza2006au]

No one, i like my boats lit up very well i'm actually not worried about seeing the distance at night because if your well lit up otherpeople can quiet easily see u from kilometers away

The bestlight i have found in a runabout is aled strip about 1.2 meters long across the top of the windscreen facing towards the back of the boat

Onenight wegot pulled up the waterpolice commented on the well lit up boat they motored off 300 meters and sat there for 45mins waiting for us to turn off the lights

Best thing ever is a well lit up boat, nothing worse when all u have is a all round incandecent white light

Once u turn the bright lights off it only takes 5mins for your eyes to adjust to darkness, let your enging warm up

[NAGG]

Good lighting is a must for nightfishing ...... something at gunnel height for when you are looking down towards the floor - otherwise & I think is also a must is a good headlamp that is adjustable . Our past night barra trips were totally reliant on headlamps because you did need your night vision when casting.

Chris

[shaungonemad]

I had a heap of light but rarely used them, most of the time all I used was the white light ( led) on top of canopy and a foot long strip light underneath the canopy and it was only turned on when needed. I found a headlamp was just as good as anything you could look at or pretty much do anything without shadows or not quite shining where you want. I also had led strip lighting under the gunnels but mainly just used that for packing and unpacking the boat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tunaticer]

For a start, get off your arse and see the optometrist for the correct spectacles, then a headlamp is all you need.

[stevej]

124537
I lure fish for cod at night, well until the cold gets me off the water
no lights at all and rig three to four rods so don’t have to retire at night

fingers are frozen normally anyway to tie new knots it gets bloody cold at night on these dams -2 or worse

[TheGurn]

I just have two seperately switched tiny lights on a bit of flex for the baitboards (one each side) and one bright deck light at waist height on the console pointing at the floor for rigging or finding where I left my beer.
I'm over all those under gunnel strip lights.

[Kev_McC]

I do a lot of night fishing with lures for barra and have found a lightweight headlamp is the most important thing in the boat. Needs to have a red light mode if you want to keep your night vision. Doesn’t need to be powerful, comfort and light weight are more important for that close up, need-it-now light. It can be hard to find one that has switching that enables you to select the low power, red light first up. Most of them want you to cycle through a couple of white light power levels, and often a super annoying white strobe , before you get to a red light setting. My current red light model is a Coleman I’ve had for years.
When I need something more serious for walking a night, or around camp, the Olight Perun 2 is the go. Much bigger but still reasonably comfortable, no red light option though.

[on-one]

Thanks all - have ordered some more lights, I think I'll do a variation on the lights either side of the batiboards idea mentioned above although I've also ordered a couple of headlamps.

[TheGurn]

Good call. Under gunnel lights are only good for show and finding stuff in side pockets. Useless for rigging when you get a bit of age on your eyes. Also, I have 2 removable baitboards that clip onto port & starboard rear gunnels with a light on each. Got sick of the deckies always turning lights on and off in front of me. (And the switch was on my side).
The deck light is a proper deck/spot light. Nice'n'bright when you really need it without getting in your eyes. Lights the whole deck. And a waterproof light in the side of the livewell. Couldn't catch a bait in there in the dark. Ha.

[Dignity]

I originally had a flood/spot LED lightin the centre of my rocket launcher for the cockpit. Found that when I was at the bait board it was in shadow so swapped it out for to small floods at each side of the rocket so that there is always light available.