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Thread: Floating Fish Lights?

  1. #1
    Crappiedude Guest

    Default Floating Fish Lights?


    Anyone have any experience with those floating or sinking fish lights that are supposed to attract fish(crappie). Do they work? What kind is best? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

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    Default Sinking Lights

    I recently have been reading about fishing for crappie at night in this forum. So I finally broke down and purchased a quartz type DC powered 250,000Million Candle Powered Light. I have not had a chance to use it yet. I hate bugs and I need to get me one of those black lights to use in the boat. I also will have to get a new battery to power all this new stuff. I will most likely have to get one of the optima type yellow top batteries for this extra stuff. Either than or I may get one of those portable charger units that come with the power inverter built into the unit itself. That way I can watch TV if the fishing gets boring LOL. Those portable charger units come in different styles. Some come with a power inverter that provides AC power off the lead acid batteries. Some have buillt in lights and air pumps. All have a DC power outlet where you can plug in a cigarette lighter like plug to get DC power for your stuff. I saw Jerry Blake using one last November at the TeeZur Crappie Fishing tournament. He was using it to power his DC electric Filet knife and it appeared to get the job done. And if your boat battery or truck battery ever needs a jump start these things come with built in jumper cables too. For $100.00 it's a good thing to have around especially for night fishing trips. I need one that can power the black night and my sinking fishing attractor light.

    I think there is a article about night fishing for crappie in the Crappie World Summer Special Issue this year.

    I have the Brinkman Starfire II light for my boat now.

    I also purchased one of those coleman propane lanterns (regular size) and then one of the coleman small portable propane lanterns. I took them over to the fishing lake and got them going and man the bugs came from miles around. I covered my entire body with DEEP WOODS OFF and it paid off. The mosquitoes buzzed around me and one got inside my truck while I was trying to read the instructions on how to put the lantern together. I was trying to read by the dome light and swat at that darn mosquito at the same time. LOL I finally got the lantern put together and I think that the mosquito finally flew out of my truck cab. There is nothing more annoying than having a tiny mosquito buzzing around your head when trying to read a manual.

    When I get setup to finally do some night fishing I will report back on my experience. I do know that I will have lots of bug spray along with me or I won't go out at night. One of my neighbors went to the doctor complaining of paralysis in her arms and that is one of the sympthoms of West Nile Virus which is carried by mosquitos in this USA these days. Where I fish there are lots of Wild Canada Geese and they provide another way for the Virus to spread between birds, mosquitoes and mankind. I would imagine that any warm blooded animal can be bitten by the mosquitoes and harbor the virus.




    Quote Originally Posted by Crappiedude
    Anyone have any experience with those floating or sinking fish lights that are supposed to attract fish(crappie). Do they work? What kind is best? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
    Regards,

    Moose1am

  3. #3
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    Hey Crappiedude , the lights deffinately work.Now they aint gonna bring 'em in from miles around , but they will attract the ones off bottom where you're fishing.I started with the floaters but soon moved on to the sinkers because they are much brighter and attract less bugs being in the water.Bugs will come though , its just the nature of the beast.Try anchoring off of a steep drop in the main channel and see what you can get going.Summer has not been kind to me , but I'm sure they are coming back soon.lol.Eric.
    Commercial fishermen help feed the world.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Moose1am
    I recently have been reading about fishing for crappie at night in this forum. So I finally broke down and purchased a quartz type DC powered 250,000Million Candle Powered Light. I have not had a chance to use it yet. I hate bugs and I need to get me one of those black lights to use in the boat. I also will have to get a new battery to power all this new stuff. I will most likely have to get one of the optima type yellow top batteries for this extra stuff. Either than or I may get one of those portable charger units that come with the power inverter built into the unit itself. That way I can watch TV if the fishing gets boring LOL. Those portable charger units come in different styles. Some come with a power inverter that provides AC power off the lead acid batteries. Some have buillt in lights and air pumps. All have a DC power outlet where you can plug in a cigarette lighter like plug to get DC power for your stuff. I saw Jerry Blake using one last November at the TeeZur Crappie Fishing tournament. He was using it to power his DC electric Filet knife and it appeared to get the job done. And if your boat battery or truck battery ever needs a jump start these things come with built in jumper cables too. For $100.00 it's a good thing to have around especially for night fishing trips. I need one that can power the black night and my sinking fishing attractor light.

    I think there is a article about night fishing for crappie in the Crappie World Summer Special Issue this year.

    I have the Brinkman Starfire II light for my boat now.

    I also purchased one of those coleman propane lanterns (regular size) and then one of the coleman small portable propane lanterns. I took them over to the fishing lake and got them going and man the bugs came from miles around. I covered my entire body with DEEP WOODS OFF and it paid off. The mosquitoes buzzed around me and one got inside my truck while I was trying to read the instructions on how to put the lantern together. I was trying to read by the dome light and swat at that darn mosquito at the same time. LOL I finally got the lantern put together and I think that the mosquito finally flew out of my truck cab. There is nothing more annoying than having a tiny mosquito buzzing around your head when trying to read a manual.

    When I get setup to finally do some night fishing I will report back on my experience. I do know that I will have lots of bug spray along with me or I won't go out at night. One of my neighbors went to the doctor complaining of paralysis in her arms and that is one of the sympthoms of West Nile Virus which is carried by mosquitos in this USA these days. Where I fish there are lots of Wild Canada Geese and they provide another way for the Virus to spread between birds, mosquitoes and mankind. I would imagine that any warm blooded animal can be bitten by the mosquitoes and harbor the virus.
    Hey Moose--here's a tip that will help keep some of the bugs off ya. Make sure ya got everything ready to go when ya get to your spot. All your rods tied up and mounts for the lights ready etc. I realize this suggestion might be hard to follow for a guy that goes to the lake and tries to assemble a lantern by the truck domelight... but it'll help. Get set up at dusk while there is enough grey light to see what you're doin. By the time it gets dark and the bugs really come out you'll have your baitlites out and the bugs will be hoverin around them. They should provide enough lite for ya to see your rodtips adequatly and do what ya gotta do in the boat, like locate a malt based beverage and an opener. If ya need more lite in the boat to tie on another hook or somethin just turn on the boat lite long enough to handle the task and then turn it off. I carolina rig my rods and snell leaders so that all I have to do in case of a breakoff is put another leader on the snap swivel instead of tying another hook. Its faster and I can turn the lite off sooner. Having said all this...take the DEET! If the lite ya got really is 250,000 Million candle power bugs shouldn't be a problem. They'll just spontaneously combust when they get within 20'....
    One taste of the bait
    is worth the pain of the hook

    clubeclectia.blogspot.com

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    Thanks for the tips.

    It was windy that night and I was trying to burn the mantle for the first time. I was just killing some time by reading though all the manual which was only a few pages long. I had bug spray but still I can't stand to hear them little buzzazrd mosquitoes buzing around my ears. Just the sound of those things gives me the creeps. LOL

    I spend more money than I should have and I didn't want someone to know that I had bought the new laterns, Well not just yet. Which was why I drove over to the lake to play with it. That way I could play with the new latern in private without having someone bitch at me for spending the money. LOL

    So I actually got to put the new lantern to work Friday Night. I went fishing about 8 PM long before it got dark. I was set up with my new submergeable light and had the small lantern hung from my spotlight. I had the boat all packed and the rods and reels all ready. The only thing I need now is a UV light and some fluorescent fishing lines on my reels. I can't see the lines at night even with the new lantern going. I carry one of those small mini flashlights and that came in handy. Actually I have two of them. One I carry with me on my person and the other stashed away in the glove box of my truck. I have the little headband that allows you to stick the flashlight in the head band and put the head band around your head so that you can use the light and still have your hands free. That is a great little tool. I found that the bugs were not too bad. There was a breeze last night which blew the mosquitoes away. I had a few cadisfly flying around the boat though. The submergable light Starfire II worked great. It has a 10ft cord with the fuse and the battery clamps on one end the and the quartz light on the other end. I lowered the light into the water and setup near my crappie attractors that I built and installed last Fall. I fished from dark to around 10:45PM and called it quits early. I was by myself and wanted to get back home and watch the news and some tv before hitting the hay. Fish were not biting. I should have picked up some live minnows but I didn't. Next time I will use live bait. I used my jigs and didn't get a single bite. But I have fish these crappie attractors all spring and summer and not caught one fish off them yet. Last Dec a week after I put them into the water I was catching small crappie over them. Maybe someone found and removed them. They don't show up on the depth finder since the PVC pipe is hollow and does not reflect sound waves very well. Unless they are covered with algae they won't show up on someone's depth finder. I think that they tipped over and are not standing upright anymore or else someone snagged them. I found another spot on this one pit that holds lots of crappie but it was too windy Friday night to get to that spot. I am running the tolling motor and the new high intensity underwater light off the same Blue Top Deep Cycle Optima Battery and I wanted to make sure that I could have enough juice to get back into the boat ramp. Now that I know that my battery still has plenty of juice after running the light for 3 hours I will venture out to the better spot on the next calm night that I go fishing. I still need to order that $50.00 black light kit from BPS before my next night trip. I have bad eyes and even with new eyeglasses my night vision is not so good. I need all the help I can get when it comes to good lighting.

    PS I found taht the new bug stuff called NEW! OFF! Botonical Plant Based Repellent. This stuff have been working pretty good and does not stink like the deep woods off. The active ingredient is p-Menthane-3,8-diol*
    * cis/trans isomer ratio min 60%(+-) ccls and max 40%(+-) trans.

    Bottom line is that it works. I used it first last year or should I say I let my guests use it last year to see if it would work. We had a cookout on my back deck and sometimes the mosquitoes are so bad they carry me away. I didn't use any insect repellent that night but my friends did and they didn't get bit. In fact the girls said that they thought it smelled good. LOL I had to duck back in the house when the mosquitoes started to bite me good. That ended the outside part of the cookout. No one else was getting bit except for me. I just finally broke down and started using this stuff this summer. So far it's worked. With West Nile Virus spreading across the country it's best to take precautions when going outside after sunset. This new stuff does not contain any DEET from what I can tell.

    My next vernture at the local fishing hole will be in a spot where there is a lot of underwater junk. There are lots of crappie in this spot but also lots of hangups. Even with the use of weedless jigs I still end up loosing a few jigs. I want that UV light so that I can see the lines better so that I can tie on new baits easier.

    I was hoping that maybe after the sun goes down that some of the larger crappie may be easier to catch.

    But I must say that the new underwater light worked pretty good and I was amazed at how much light it put out even when it was 8ft under the surface. I want to figure a way to hook the light up on the bow of the boat. I need to figure a way to attach it to the cigarette lighter that I have deck up near the bow of my boat. The clamps won't work with the cigarette lighter so I need some kind of an adaptor to make the connection. Going to have to head to wally world to find something that will work.




    Quote Originally Posted by kunes
    Hey Moose--here's a tip that will help keep some of the bugs off ya. Make sure ya got everything ready to go when ya get to your spot. All your rods tied up and mounts for the lights ready etc. I realize this suggestion might be hard to follow for a guy that goes to the lake and tries to assemble a lantern by the truck domelight... but it'll help. Get set up at dusk while there is enough grey light to see what you're doin. By the time it gets dark and the bugs really come out you'll have your baitlites out and the bugs will be hoverin around them. They should provide enough lite for ya to see your rodtips adequatly and do what ya gotta do in the boat, like locate a malt based beverage and an opener. If ya need more lite in the boat to tie on another hook or somethin just turn on the boat lite long enough to handle the task and then turn it off. I carolina rig my rods and snell leaders so that all I have to do in case of a breakoff is put another leader on the snap swivel instead of tying another hook. Its faster and I can turn the lite off sooner. Having said all this...take the DEET! If the lite ya got really is 250,000 Million candle power bugs shouldn't be a problem. They'll just spontaneously combust when they get within 20'....
    Regards,

    Moose1am

  6. #6
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    CrappiePappy is offline Super Moderator - 2013 Man Of The Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Smile Moose - couple of "tips" ....

    Moose - if you are referring to the $30 BPS Ultra Nightstalker III "black light" ... I have had occasion to fish from a boat with "small" units, similar to these. I didn't find them to be very satisfying in lighting up my fluorescent line (and I was using 12lb test BPS Excel at the time). They seemed to work OK if you held your rod directly over them and your line stayed close to them ... but they didn't seem to have that 50' range, that the Nightstalker III claims to have. For "my money" ... I'd go with the $40 Ultra Nightstalker (BPS # 38-564-903-00) -- and, just as a warning note, even this unit isn't set up the way I'd prefer it to be. The "black" light is on one side (facing away from the boat) and the "white" light is on the other (to light up the interior of the boat). Being made for "worm fishing for Bass at night" - these units are not set up to take the place, or augment a lantern or other type of light. The more expensive units have two bulbs (black/white or black/black) sitting one above the other, facing the same direction. And on those units with a white light, some have a rheostat switch to brighten/dim the light to the anglers preferrence. (but we're talking $$$ even for the cheaper end models of those units).

    For connecting cigarette lighter plugs (which most Black Light units come with) to your battery ... there are several models of connectors to choose from - I found mine at Wallace World -- I have two different ones : one is a female cig lighter plug with two alligator clips ... the other is a male cig lighter plug with two female cig lighter plugs. I have two Black Lights - a BPS Nightstalker and a Stan Sloan/Zorro Fliptop ... both have male cig lighter plugs. With my two connectors, I can plug both lights into the male/2female connector - then that connector into the female/gator clip one - then to a battery. OR, as I usually do, just use the male/2female connector ... and plug the male cig plug into my portable jumper battery.
    Sorry - neither of these connectors has a "brand name" printed on them ... but I'm pretty sure I got them at Wally World for around $5-$8 each.
    And don't bother buying an "extra" black light bulb ... the original ones will probably outlast the unit itself. I've got "extras" ... one I bought as a "back-up" and the others came from a unit that finally died (after being used for 20yrs). I'm referring, of course, to the 16 inch long 12V / 15Watt light bulbs ... and not the shorter 12V/ 6Watt 8.25inch lights that the Nighstalker III unit uses.
    And the Black Light units WILL draw bugs ... but they will also draw their fair share of minnows, too, even without another light source being turned on. I've noticed schools of Silversides and even Shad following along under the Black Lights ... as I eased along the banks at night, worm fishing for Bass.
    I've also used the Black Light units in conjuction with the floating headlight type Crappie lights ... just to "light up" the fluorescent lines, especially on those rods that were away from the floating light's influence. I've never had to use any other "light source", when using my Coleman lantern .... that's probably why I prefer using it, to most of the "other" styles of lights, for night time Crappie fishing.

    And thanks for the tip on the "Botanical Off" ..... though I'm rarely bothered by mosquitos, my partners are not so lucky. I should probably get some, just for them !! .......................luck2ya .............cp

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    Default Thanks for the excellent advise CP

    Good to hear about those black lights. All that was brand new information to me and that will really help me make a decision. Right now I may just stay with the coleman lanterns instead. I may try new lines also. I will start a new thread on fishing lines to see which ones are best for night fishing. ie which ones show up better at night under both regular coleman lantern light and UV Black lights.

    Yesterday I went to my mother's house to help here take care of the yard. I cut most of the grass with her push mower while she went grocery shopping. I need the exercise. LOL Anyway I found about 30 rods and reels that Dad had left in the house after he passed away. I brought them all home. They range from a STEEL pole, bamboo fly rod to the newest graphite spinning rods. Also included were three very heavy duty deep sea fishing rods and reels. I mean the reels are loaded with leadwire fishing line inside the cloth covered line. These rods could be used for shark fishing LOL. The butt sections are 1/2" OD in size and the entire rod is only about 5ft long and very rigid and stiff. I am going to build or buy a rod rack to put them all into. I may have to get several rod racks. By the time I am done it will look like the fishing rod section at the local sporting goods store. But all the line on these reels is very old and all need to be replaced. Therefore the need to discuss fishing lines etc in another thread.

    Thanks again for the great tip on the fishing lights.

    I purchased a new cigarette lighter plug for my spot light as it broke. I can get another cigarette lighter plug and put it on the new submergable light and then use the light from the front of my boat where I have a female cigarette lighter plug in up on the trolling motor mount on the bow of my bass boat. I can get one of those three way plug adaptor which I can plug into the cigarette lighter outlet and then have three new outlets coming out of that one outlet. That way I can plug in my GPS's cigarette lighter power plug along with the new ligh's plug. I just will have to be careful not to trip over any of those electrical plugs when I am getting in and out of the boat.



    Quote Originally Posted by crappiepappy
    Moose - if you are referring to the $30 BPS Ultra Nightstalker III "black light" ... I have had occasion to fish from a boat with "small" units, similar to these. I didn't find them to be very satisfying in lighting up my fluorescent line (and I was using 12lb test BPS Excel at the time). They seemed to work OK if you held your rod directly over them and your line stayed close to them ... but they didn't seem to have that 50' range, that the Nightstalker III claims to have. For "my money" ... I'd go with the $40 Ultra Nightstalker (BPS # 38-564-903-00) -- and, just as a warning note, even this unit isn't set up the way I'd prefer it to be. The "black" light is on one side (facing away from the boat) and the "white" light is on the other (to light up the interior of the boat). Being made for "worm fishing for Bass at night" - these units are not set up to take the place, or augment a lantern or other type of light. The more expensive units have two bulbs (black/white or black/black) sitting one above the other, facing the same direction. And on those units with a white light, some have a rheostat switch to brighten/dim the light to the anglers preferrence. (but we're talking $$$ even for the cheaper end models of those units).

    For connecting cigarette lighter plugs (which most Black Light units come with) to your battery ... there are several models of connectors to choose from - I found mine at Wallace World -- I have two different ones : one is a female cig lighter plug with two alligator clips ... the other is a male cig lighter plug with two female cig lighter plugs. I have two Black Lights - a BPS Nightstalker and a Stan Sloan/Zorro Fliptop ... both have male cig lighter plugs. With my two connectors, I can plug both lights into the male/2female connector - then that connector into the female/gator clip one - then to a battery. OR, as I usually do, just use the male/2female connector ... and plug the male cig plug into my portable jumper battery.
    Sorry - neither of these connectors has a "brand name" printed on them ... but I'm pretty sure I got them at Wally World for around $5-$8 each.
    And don't bother buying an "extra" black light bulb ... the original ones will probably outlast the unit itself. I've got "extras" ... one I bought as a "back-up" and the others came from a unit that finally died (after being used for 20yrs). I'm referring, of course, to the 16 inch long 12V / 15Watt light bulbs ... and not the shorter 12V/ 6Watt 8.25inch lights that the Nighstalker III unit uses.
    And the Black Light units WILL draw bugs ... but they will also draw their fair share of minnows, too, even without another light source being turned on. I've noticed schools of Silversides and even Shad following along under the Black Lights ... as I eased along the banks at night, worm fishing for Bass.
    I've also used the Black Light units in conjuction with the floating headlight type Crappie lights ... just to "light up" the fluorescent lines, especially on those rods that were away from the floating light's influence. I've never had to use any other "light source", when using my Coleman lantern .... that's probably why I prefer using it, to most of the "other" styles of lights, for night time Crappie fishing.

    And thanks for the tip on the "Botanical Off" ..... though I'm rarely bothered by mosquitos, my partners are not so lucky. I should probably get some, just for them !! .......................luck2ya .............cp
    Last edited by Moose1am; 07-25-2004 at 09:16 AM.
    Regards,

    Moose1am

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    Default Results with sinking lights

    Well I tried my new underwater fishing lights twice now and have yet to get a fish to bite. I have seen some small shad swimming though the lights. I only fished with jigs and since there was no wind the jigs were not dancing like they normally do on my slip bobber setup when there is some wind and waves. I think I need to buy some small minnows and use them with some bare hooks and weights to see if this night fishing works or not.

    Also I didn't get to the best spots in the lake when I tried the lights. I need to give it one more shot at a better spot and using live bait for night fishing.



    Quote Originally Posted by Crappiedude
    Anyone have any experience with those floating or sinking fish lights that are supposed to attract fish(crappie). Do they work? What kind is best? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
    Regards,

    Moose1am

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    Hey Moose , I've never used jigs at night so I can't comment on them but I've caught a lot at night on minnows.The livlier the better.Eric.
    Commercial fishermen help feed the world.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kunes
    If the lite ya got really is 250,000 Million candle power bugs shouldn't be a problem. They'll just spontaneously combust when they get within 20'....
    That's really, really good!! :D :D Started laughing out loud when I read that!! the mental picture of water steaming around the boat was just too much...... :D ..........

    Interesting about the black light. I've used a unit (here again don't remember the manufacturer) for the better part of 12 years. This has bulbs about 10" long - UV on the bottom, white light above the UV. It's either black light or white, not both at the same time. I can say optimum range is pushing twenty feet - no way will it go to 50'. But it does work very well; 6 lb. test line "glows" to be the size of laundry line. the 14lb test I use for catfishing, well, tiedown rope would describe it best. This unit is powered by 6 "D" cell batteries, and lasts through a 6 hour night of constant use. The only thing I don't care for is how it mounts - two suction cups. I've never lost it overboard, but the lanyard that's tied to it proves I don't quite trust it either.
    Last edited by Big Zig; 08-18-2004 at 07:57 AM.

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