Rigging boat for night fishing

[Seabass77]

I am looking for tips on how to rig my boat for night fishing. I’m heading to Mille Lacs on Friday and I hear that the night bite is pretty good but would like to see enough to tie lines,un-hook fish etc.

Any help is appreciated.

[redhooks]

Hey Seabass-Millelacs can be a blast nightfishing. As far as rigging- as long as your nav lights work your legal, other than that a headlamp is a must-they can be turned on and off easily enough and will give you the lights you need to tie hooks and net/measure fish and operate your boat. A handheld spotlight is nice for finding a dock or landing along the shore.Light up slipbobbers are key somenights and come in different colors to help differentiate lines. Some people rig up lights or lanterns in thier boats while fishing but I think too much lights may attract bugs and repel walleyes so I'd suggest keeping it simple w/ headlamp or two. Other than that it's a good idea to have all yor equipment rigged before you head out and be on your spots before sunset to orientate your self. Bouys that light up or have reflective tape will also help-good luck and have fun!
redhooks

[bicfish]

If light scares the walleyes away,why do all the launches light up like main street when it gets dark. This last week end I caught no fish at night until I turned my light on,but yes they do attract bugs,which attracts minnows,ect.ect.Just my thought.I use two 12 volt garden tractor lights on big clips.

[Steve Foss]

I picked up the Princeton Tech Aurora headlamp for night ice fishing, and it works really great for open-water night fishing as well. I keep a giant maglight in the boat in case I need serious light, but I can do anything I need in the boat (knot tying, netting fish, repairs, baiting hooks) by the light of the Aurora, and at $25 it might be cheaper than outfitting the boat with interior lights.

It's definitely less hassle, and less hassle means more fishing.

------------------
"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 06-16-2003).]

[Fisher Dave]

A decent head lamp and a battery operated flourescent lanturn are worth there weight in gold for night fishing. The lanturn comes in handy when good light is neccesary in dealing with *midnight oops*.

[bigeyes]

The 1st must is a head lamp, interior boat lights never seem to shine where you need them and just attract bugs. I night fish quite a bit, and lots of people will tell you that you need a spendy head lamp, but mine was 7.99 at Gander and I won't trade it for anybodys. Just make sure you pick one that is small, light and compact(mine uses 2 AA batteries, remember you don't need much light). A big spot(1,000,000 candle power plus) light is also very nice to find shore and get you out of jams if you break down at night. Seabass I am fishing milly on a Friday or Saturday night about every other weekend from now tell freeze up, E-mail me if you want to go. [email protected]

[JWB475]

I would recomend a headlamp that uses LED lights instead of the normal bulb. The LED's produce a bright white light that makes everything in the boat clearer than the yellow light of a bulb. Plus they are easy on the batteries, and never burn out.

The downside to LED's is that they are only good for close in work around 10 feet, after that the light will not penetrate the darkeness.

I have a headlamp made by Black Diamond that has both and LED bulb and a regular bulb in one unit. It is very resourceful, when I head in and need to find the dock, I use the regular bulb. When I am messing with rods or landing fish I use the LED. Plus it will last 1,000 hours with the 2AA batteries on the LED light....

It costs more, around 30 bucks but I use it when camping as well...

[EBass]

I have the Black Diamond Moon Light. I've had it for two years and love it. My .02

Otherwise it seems like all the bases were covered as far as getting rigged up.

[Seabass77]

Thanks for all the help.

[Northsider #13]

Years ago (many) before battery operated bobbers we used to bungie and duct tape a Coleman lantern to the top of our outboard motor, We would then wrap tin foil around the half facing the boat so you didn't blind yourself. Later we used 12 volt bulbs in a painters light (clamp on style). I always had two, one out the back and one inside. I also use it in my portable for night fishing (very bright, quiet and no smell).

>')))))><

Brian

[chunkytrout]

12V amber marker lights for interior general lighting. They're cheap, easy to install, nobody goes blind, and a little easier on the bugs. I use them when a fish is on or for finding things in my not so organized boat. For tieing rigs, I don't think you can beat a headlamp. A spot is a must for night time navigation.

chunky

[Borch]

Maybe I'm a bit odd. OK No Comments....

But I general go the other direction. I night fish a lot. I would say about 50 % of my outings are in the dark. What I do is simplify things as much as possible. Get rid of as much stuff as you can so you're not tripping or tangling your line on it. The headlamps do work well. You can use them for unhooking fish, untangling line, and landing fish on dark nights(cloudy or no moon). The spot light is nice for looking for hazard bouys or finding the dock(cloudy or dark nights). For landing fish I used to tape a small flashlight to the handle of the net and turn it on when landing fish.

Most nights your eyes will adjust to the available light. Even on fairly dark night your boat light will give off enough light to see what your doing(except tangles of course). I see so many boats light up like a christmas tree. They are continuously blinding their selves and losing their night vision. Also don't use 1,000,000 candle power spot lights to land walleyes. I wonder if they will ever be able to see again after they've been light up with one of these.

If you're trolling, lighted markers are great. You don't need anything expensive. A two liter pop bottle with a 6" cylume stick in it with sting and a weight will get you by.

Good Luck!