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Anglers Should Light Up: 3 Things To Know About LED Light Bars On Your Fishing Boat

1 August 2016

Glen Soto

When cruising popular waterways and harbors you see an amazing array of LED lights dressing up boats and yachts and reflecting off the shimmering waves. LED light bars and strips give boats a great deal of visibility and add a bit of a party mood depending on how they are arranged on a vessel.

If you use your boat mostly for fishing and you've heard that fish are frightened by LED lights you may be reluctant to attach light bars or strips to your boat. The increased safety and security of installing extra fishing boat lights is not worth a lower catch rate of actual fish to die hard anglers.

Those fishing fanatics should consider a few tips about LED boating lights before making up their minds:

LED lights are good for the boat

LED lights use very little power so they won't effect your trolling motor battery to a substantial degree. In an emergency situation you can keep the lights going far longer. These features can possibly save you and your boat in a pinch and will definitely save you fuel over the long haul.

Red LED strips are particularly good when used as indirect interior boat lighting. Some colors of LED lights will attract many bugs, so you don't want them used inside the boat when fishing. Red lights are less likely to attract bugs yet they allow people to watch where they are going and avoid injuries and accidents.

Switches can eliminate any fishy fears

If you're worried fish might be scared off by LED bars or strips on the exterior of the boat you can hire a marine electrician or off road LED light bar specialist to hook up a series of switches so you can independently turn various light strips on and off depending on your location.

The lights can help others see you as you navigate through busy waters, and then you can cut or dim them as you reach your quiet, deserted fishing spot. (Remember to follow anchoring rules for lighting in the local waters where you're fishing which may include a mandatory white bow light when anchored.)

Placement eliminates anglers' vision issues

Some people complain that LED lights around the exterior of the boat make it difficult to see the water they're fishing at night. A solution is to place lights under a lip so they reflect into the water and not into people's eyes. When this is done, some people report that certain fish are attracted to the lights and the bugs the lights tempt.

Having indirect UV (blacklight) LED strips aimed at the water will attract bugs to the outside of the boat, but UV lighting can help you to see fluorescent monofilament line which is an advantage in some waters. Bracket-mounted LED spotlights can be directed toward areas where you need to see rocks, eddies, sand bars or tangled lines. LED bars and spotlights can also illuminate docks, fish processing areas and tricky boat launches.

There are a variety of marine and off road LED light bars that will work on most fishing boats without too many modifications. They are already designed to stand up to weather and temperature extremes, but you should ask your LED light specialists about extra precautions and maintenance of marine lighting strips and bars.

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