Whether on the coast, on a river, or on a lake, some of the best fishing is done after dark. Having the best lights for night fishing is as important to some fishermen as using the right lure or bait, or having the proper test fishing line.
For me, I never go night fishing without one of these lights which has completely changed the way I fish. While I was a bit sceptical at first, there is no denying the benefits of these fish attracting lights!
Benefits of Using A Fishing Light
Here is a fun fact: many of the most desirable fish work on the graveyard shift. In order to catch the big sport fish, or the wonderfully edible fish for your next family dinner, you should also work the graveyard shift. From Dusk til Dawn. With or without Selma Hayek.
The principle behind how a fishing light works is that the lights attract little creatures called zooplankton. Plankton are drawn to the light in order to reproduce. Not any color will work, though. White light will draw them in, but white light is absorbed by the water, fresh or salt, in a very short distance. Green light is visible for much greater distances and depths.
The baitfish attract predator fish like delicious bass, redfish, trout, and other species. Sportfish gather near the light or even in the circle of light to feed. The fishermen then drops in a hook with bait or a lure to catch those desired fish.
How I found the best lights for night fishing
- Submersible. I want it under water.
- Green. For use in freshwater, saltwater, brackish water. Visible for great distances and depths.
- Power supply. If on a boat, or using ATVs, 12V is my likely power source. A portable 12V battery is a good option. 110V ac power is usable off of some docks or piers or with a power invertor.
- Long enough cord. Somewhere between 6 to 15 feet seems a good depth for many anglers.
- LED bulbs. Lots of light, little heat, low power draw.
- Price. My Ugly Stik and Shimano reel cost me a fair amount of money already. I’m not cheap, but I am value driven.
Top 5 Best Lights for Night Fishing!
1. Green BLOB Underwater 110 Volt AC Dock Fishing Light Review
Excellent for the murky, churning waters of a saltwater coastal area, the Blob lights are very bright and durable. Using 300 LED bulbs, it emits 15,000 lumens of green light on 110V ac power. A 30 foot long cord is plenty long enough to plug in at the dock and dangle deep in the water.
Priced around $200.00, this is not a cheap light. But it is durable and very, very bright. Each Blob is handcrafted in Texas and is thoroughly checked and tested before shipment. These lights have been battle tested by the manufacturer and by real fishermen testers in the tough saltwater environments of the Texas Gulf Coast.
With this light, you can lure in the plankton and baitfish such as shad, shrimp, minnows, bluegill, and sunfish. Hungry predator fish such as snook, bass, crappie, trout, redfish, catfish, and tarpon will soon follow. Create your own outdoor free-range saltwater aquarium and see sharks, tarpon, bass, and sometimes even manta rays.
2. Green Blob 15000 Underwater Fishing LED Light Review
This basically the same light as the 110V ac powered light, but for use with a 12V dc power supply. Listed as the same price, you can sometimes find this discounted somewhat, because of the difference in needing the inline power inverter on the 110V version.
The lights are 16 inches in length and have 300 LED bulbs emitting a bright green light. Being so bright, you could lower this to a greater depth and still get good results. Depending on other conditions, this may result in attracting larger game fish.
The Blob brand of lights are expensive. To an avid fisherman, or to dock and pier owners, the cost is a justifiable expense to get what’s needed or desired. In this case, a very bright, and extremely tough underwater fishing light.
3. Goture 12V 10.8w 180 LEDs Submersible Fishing Light Review
This light comes with either a 16 foot or 36 foot cord and is submersible to a depth of 24 feet. At just under $40.00 for the version with the longer cord, it is somewhat of a bargain for an underwater fishing light.
With a light out put of 900 lumens from 180 LED bulbs, it is available in green, blue, or white light versions. Usable in saltwater, this is probably most at home in a calm, still freshwater lake.
A blue light isn’t going to be very useful in saltwater, but it is effective for some specific species of freshwater fish. White light is usable, but the range of usability is limited by absorption. You can’t switch between colors, you have to buy the light as one color or the other.
4. Lightingsky 12V 10.8W 180 LEDs Underwater Fish Finder Lamp Review
Available in blue, white, or green light versions, the 180 LED bulbs produce about 900 lumens of illumination. I think it may be a little less than that rating, but it is plenty bright enough for most fishing uses it’s like to see.
Around $20.00, the 12V dc power underwater light requires a battery to connect to. With the 15 foot cord, I used it at about a 6 to 10 foot depth with no issues. There was nothing in the packaging to indicate a maximum depth rating. On the safe side, keep the depth 10 to 12 feet or less.
It is very light weight, but it does sink. Floating lights are for another review. If you want to keep it a little bit more anchored, you can always tie some sinkers to it. You could do that with any of these lights.
5. Uboway Outdoor Telescopic Fishing Rod Lamp Review
This is not an underwater fishing light, but I missed including in other outdoor light reviews and I really wanted to talk about this neat outdoor lighting product.
For under $50.00, you get a very bright 9×5 inch LED light panel, a 12 foot telescoping rod, a holder to plant in the ground and support the rod, and a cord with connectors to a 12V accessory outlet or clips for directly attaching it to a battery.
Gives off a nice overhead spread of light. Very adjustable, it keeps the bugs high above you, well mostly anyways. The telescoping rod looks like a fishing rod, but don’t try to use it as one. It isn’t finished well enough to be usable as a real fishing rod.
Don’t submerge this light, please. It will not continue to be an awesome product if you do that. Fair warning!
Wrapping It Up
The fishing lights in this review are the type that are placed in the water which are great for attracting all types of underwater creatures. In a different review, we looked at outdoor fishing spotlights, which are also very usable for outdoor activities like fishing. A submersible fishing light is a pretty specialized tool.
Some game fish are attracted directly to the lights instead of to plankton or baitfish. Green is superior for this purpose as well. So, the best lights for night fishing are often going to be the submersible green lights.