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Have you heard other anglers raving about fishing at night with underwater fishing lights and wondered what it’s all about?
Or maybe you already know that the light works and you’re just doing your own research before purchasing one yourself.
You’ve come to the right place for information.
Night fishing has become very popular as an option because of these underwater fishing lights. There are lots of benefits to fishing at night – You can’t get sunburnt. Plus, you will usually have your favourite fishing spots all to yourself at two o’clock in the morning. Some may even argue that fishes are more active at night due to the change in water temperatures – also known as the thermocline effect.
While it is true that the underwater fishing light works well to attract sport fishes like magic. The reasoning behind why it works may come as a surprise to you.
Read on to find out more about the underwater fishing lights and how they work.
How Do Underwater Light Attract Fish?
When it comes to fishing with artificial light at night. The old timers used to think that the light attracted bugs, which in turn attracted fish that wanted to eat them. Although technically correct – as it did attract a lot of bugs. That line of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth.
Newer technology in the market has done a lot to disprove the old ways of thinking. Since the introduction of underwater fishing lights, we now know that the reason fish are attracted to the light is because of mother nature’s food-chain pyramid effect.
The underwater fishing light attracts microscopic creatures called zooplankton, which then attracts bait fishes for an easy feast. Over time, the water around the light will start getting foggy due to the swirling masses of microorganisms and bait fishes surrounding it.
When the predator fish start to learn that they can find their prey easily around the glow of the light, they too will come and hang around.
And finally, with you sitting at the top of that food-chain (literally), it is now time to catch game fish!
Underwater Lights for Boat Fishing
After the sun goes down, you can set yourself up for a big catch by putting your own underwater fishing lights to the test. Grab a hold of your fishing gear and boat because it’s time for you to visit your favourite fishing spot.
Read on to find out how you can use your underwater fishing light to its maximum fish-attracting-potential.
Tips and Techniques for Fishing with Underwater Boat Lights
1. Anchor Your Boat
It is highly recommended that you anchor the boat when you find your favourite spot for the night. Planktons and bait-fish won’t be able to crowd around if your boat is drifting around, that completely negates the food-chain effect from the underwater lights.
2. Location, Location, Location
Having an idea where your fish have chosen to spawn and finding these locations will lead to a better result at the end of the night. Make sure to do your research on the best fishing spots around your area as it will go a long way in you catching more fish and not searching for locations all night!
3. Check the Weather
While you can catch fish in any weather conditions, an overcast sky has been known to produce better results. This is especially true since the moon won’t be lighting up the water, so your boat will be the only source of light and are more likely to attract more bait for the fish.
What Colors Work the Best?
Underwater fishing lights come in two primary colours – white and green. These two lights are most attractive in the eyes of our little planktons in the water, as they need light for reproduction. You need these planktons to crowd around the light source so that they attract bait fish, which in turns attract game fish looking for an easy meal.
In most cases, green works best compared to white light – that is why manufacturers of underwater fishing lights generally use the color green.
If you have both options available to use, you can try switching the lights around to see which color light is attracting the most bait-fish at that particular area.
How Many Lights Do You Need?
This all depends on the size of your boat. The bigger the boat, the more light you will need.
In general, we recommend having at least 2 light sources (white & green) so that you can switch the colours around to see which light attracts more bait-fish where you are on the water. The more lights you have is proportional to the amount of plankton you can attract if they are placed strategically around your boat.
Where Should You Set Up Your Boat Lights?
Keep in mind that – “10% of the water in any lake holds 100% of the fish. The rest of the lake is dead water… with or without a light.” Sure – having the best lures and boats makes life easier when it comes to fishing, but it won’t matter when you’re not fishing in an area that has fish.
Attracting bait fish is a must when fishing. So if you don’t see any bait fish crowding around the light within the first 30 minutes after setting your underwater lights. It is time to move to another spot.
Underwater Lights for Dock Fishing
For younger anglers who don’t have the financial resources to purchase a boat (yet), you don’t have to keep fantasizing about night fishing in the wide open sea. You might be surprised by some of the distinct benefits of fishing from the dock, and underwater lights go a long way to enhance this experience!
Night fishing on the dock is much easier to manage compared to a boat. No hassle, and no worrying about all the time-consuming stuff that comes with boat ownership. Plus, using an underwater fishing light at your favourite dock consistently will result in large baitfish schools learning the location of the light, they will show up to your dock night after night, bringing along those predator fish that you so want to catch. Within a few weeks, your favorite dock could become the regular feeding ground for your local fish populations.
If fishing isn’t your thing, underwater lights for a dock is a great way to attract fish and entertain your kids and family all night watching them!
How To Set Up Your Underwater Dock Lights?
It is best to place your underwater light a little further away from the dock. Dock fishing is all about being stealthy, so make long casts from the docks for best results. If you want to be able to see the baitfish and are looking for underwater dock lights more for entertainment, attaching them right below on the sides is the best bet!
How Many Lights Should You Use?
In general, we recommend having at least 2 light sources (white & green) so that you can switch the colors around to see which light attracts more bait-fish where you are on the water. For people with a bigger dock that want to make it easier for more people to fish at the same time, we recommend setting up two lights at the end of your dock, and a few on the sides. If it is possible to set up the lights further into the water from your dock, that is the best option for catching more fish.
Why are Underwater Lights Better Than Above Water Lights?
Above water lights work well at attracting bugs to your favourite spot, whereas underwater lights work well at attracting game fish. Which one would you choose?
Underwater lights also illuminate the water so that you can actually see the bait fish crowding around, you can use it to figure out if you’re in a good fishing spot by the amount of bait fish are attracted to the light source.
Conclusion
Many of you have heard the expression “Luck is where preparation and opportunity come together.” By utilizing underwater lights on your next fishing adventure, you are essentially making your own luck through your own preparation and creating a great opportunity for you to catch lots of fish at night.
So, the next time you hear an amateur saying “fishing is all about luck”. Feel free to point them to this article to get educated!