i prefer shining on the water at night turn it on about dusk bugs will come and then fall in the watter attracting bait fish and the bugs also attract bigger fish also my dad worked for a barge company on the ohio river for years and in their down time i could go there at night with him and fish under the lights when the big white bass or stripers would be hitting bugs on top we would just fish with dry flies or dear hair poppers and we would most always do great that way