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I plan on setting up my boat for night fishing and I had a question about batteries. I plan on using 2 green submersible lights as well as 2 white lights with silver backing and the old school clamps. My question is, what size battery would I need to run those or would I need 2 marine deep cycle batteries?
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I use my trolling motor batteries and never use my starting battery so as not to run it down. If your lights are leds they won't pull much.
Any deep cycle battery if fully charged will run all night as long as the battery will hold a charge to start with. I would use two batteries with your set up. Try not to complicate things for yourself. One battery can run two clamp on lights or two submersibles just not as long as one on each battery. I like to use my inverter and run clamp on lights with the 26 watt curly bulbs. My boat is set up with 5 each, 110 volt plug in's. My inverter is 400 watt. I usually run 3 lights along the side. I use one other battery to run my Hydro glow led light. I can run from 8 pm until 3 or 4 am with no problems only getting dim at that point. Test it to see how long you can run on your battery. Set it early morning and check it in the evening and watch it after dark and see for your self. Then recharge your batteries. Then you know what you got or have to do to get more light! Good luck getting set up and on your fishing trip! There are lots of way to set up lights so do what you want and experiment! :highfive
What size batteries would you suggest...class 26 or 29 deep cycle?
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Also, I was thinking about cutting the plug if the clamp lights and connecting alligator clips to connect to the battery, is this a wise idea?
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I use an old extension cord, the one with 3 female plug ends. Cut and put the female end on the battery and the male end on your lights. That way you can plug up to 3 sets of lights per battery.
Which ever size you like $$$, I can't tell you what you need. I use my batteries just for lights and nothing else. I think they are the cheapest Wal-Mart sells, about $90 in the marine battery. Yes, you can cut the plug off and use alligator clips. Lot of trial and error over the years to get what I like now and it could change at anytime. Led lights are getting better and better. I've had lanterns, flounder lights, clamp on, submersible and now curly bulbs and submersible lights. Who knows when I'll settle down. :Rofl
I use something like this with my clamp on lights. They work well and do not drain the battery.
Amazon.com: Camco 41313 12V/15W Fluorescent Light Bulb: Automotive
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Good light bulb.:highfive Mine are 26 watt at 100 watt out put. I like it bright so it helps light up the rod tips and draws lots of bait!:highfive
I use a jump starter pack that has a cigarette lighter socket on it. The jump pack lasts as long as I want to be out there with no effect on my boat batteries.
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Well I cut the Male end off the extension cord, installed battery terminal adapters connected it to the battery and plug the clamp light into female end of the extension cord and nothing happened. It seemed such a simple setup but it didnt work and I dont know what I did wrong or what I can do fix it. Please advise.Quote:
Originally Posted by tlefire
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Ulcajuns,make sure you are using dc bulbs.
LittleJohn
What's a DC bulb?Quote:
Originally Posted by LittleJohn
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If you are using led lights, they have to be + to + and - to -. They won't work any other way. Swap your leads on the battery and see if that works.Quote:
Originally Posted by ulcajuns
That didnt work, it must have something to do with the extension cord. Maybe I should just try to connect the light directly to the battery. What do you think?Quote:
Originally Posted by tlefire
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Ulcajuns if you are using any bulbs for a 12v battery they got to be rated dc volts and not AC bulbs. Your regular shop lamp bulbs is 120 volt AC. They will not work with 12 volt dc, You cannot find these dc bulbs ever where. I buy mind from a auto place called Auto Vance.
LittleJohn
I appreciate all the help from you guys. I broke down yesterday in a failed search for dc bulbs and bought an inverter. 2 drop lights, 2 clamp lights all worked perfectly for 10 hours. I'm ready to fish. Thanks again guys!
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Amazon also has the dc bulbs.
LittleJohn
Good deal. Now go catch a bunch.....
Friday night me and the wife going out, I'll let you know how it went.Quote:
Originally Posted by tlefire
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Don't give up after setting up if bait don't show up immediately. Start off a little deep and work your way up to their comfort zone with your bait. One or two cranks off bottom, then after 15 minutes or so move up one or two cranks again, you'll find them. I'm guessing you are using minnows? If jigs just drop to the bottom and reel very slowly, work it up moving it only a few inches at a time, making one turn takes about a minute or more. Real slow! Try several colors until you hit the jack pot! Good luck to you and your wife and enjoy the night life!:twocents
Thank you for the tips. How long would you suggest fishing one spot before packing up and moving to another spot, or just stay in one spot all night?Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDawgg
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Yes, gonna use minnows on 1 pole and a jig on the other as long as I can manage them properly. Got a few custom hand tied jigs from Louisiana that I want to try out.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDawgg
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Here they are, plus the usual Bobby Garlands.Attachment 314962Quote:
Originally Posted by ulcajuns
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Most night fisherman stick their ground after setting up. Scout out the area and look for bait and fish before setting up near the bait. Only time I move is when the wind or absolutely no bait is around after and hour or two! Your jigs should work fine just fish them really slow and be ready for the thump. I use mostly soft bait jigs with a finesse tail for action in solid colors. Black, white, chartreuse colors and pink are really good here on Lake Wylie. I have certain spots to go to. Mostly flats near bait or some structure but never over any structure or you'll lose a lot of jigs! I fish also on humps and ledges with a drop off and the mouth of creeks. Everyone does it different but get the same results. The more you go the more you'll learn and which works for you! Good luck from SC! Check us out on the SC board. We go quite often and you'll get the feel for how we fish. You can pm any of the guys and they will help you as much as possible.:highfive
Finally got a chance to go night fishing and I didnt get the results I was looking for. First spot we set up in 15 fow near a ledge that went to 25 fow, after about 2 hours we saw very little bait and didnt get any bites. So we packed up and moved to a nearby brush pile in 17 fow, bait fish arrived in about 35 mins swarming the boat, but after another 2 hours still no bites. The wife got restless so we packed it all so I stayed out of the doghouse. Not sure what was the cause of no bites but I will just have to try again another time and try different spots. I enjoyed being out on the water with the ole lady and star gazing. It was a beautiful and bugless night to say the least. I appreciate everyone's input on getting me setup and started in night fishing. I guess Lake Jordan was just being finicky that night. Better luck next time. Tight lines.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDawgg
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I'm in the process of setting up my boat for night fishing and was reading your post. Call me slow...….but exactly how do you use the jump starter pack with your lights? For example, how many lights are you running and how is it setup? Do you use an inverter with the jump starter pack as well? I ask because jump starter packs are 12V. I'd like to run minimum of two lights, three if possible. Been weighing options like extra marine battery, power inverter, and definitely LED lights.....maybe with the old style clamps. Thanks for any advice or recommendations. I can place an extra marine battery on the floor, if necessary, no space to hide it out of the way.
Slab203
I'm in the process of setting up my boat for night fishing and was reading your post about using a jump starter pack. Call me slow...….but exactly how do you use the jump starter pack with your lights? For example, how many lights are you running and how is it setup? Do you use an inverter as well? I ask because jump starter packs are 12V. I'd like to run minimum of two lights, three if possible. Been weighing options like extra marine battery, power inverter, alligator clips, and definitely LED lights.....maybe with the old style clamps. Thanks for any advice or recommendations. I can place an extra marine battery on the floor, if necessary, no space to hide it out of the way.Quote:
Originally Posted by moskeeter56
Slab203
My jump pack has a cigarette lighter plug in built in it. I just plug one LED light I bought from a member that has since passed in the jump pack. I believe it's 1000 LED green light. It will run it at least five hours, it will Outlast me. Not a big night fisherman but will go of my son twists my arm. One light will light up 3/4 of the length of my 20' boat. Plenty of light for two fishermen.
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I just have a 29DC battery with an inverter and 2 LED green drop lights and 2 old school clamp lights and it runs all night. Hope that helps.Quote:
Originally Posted by Slab203
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Did you fish in the light or in the shadows just beyond the light? When I am fishing for crappie under lights I always fish just beyond the circle of light. I cast beyond the light and slowly bring it back to just outside the edge of the light.Quote:
Finally got a chance to go night fishing and I didnt get the results I was looking for. First spot we set up in 15 fow near a ledge that went to 25 fow, after about 2 hours we saw very little bait and didnt get any bites. So we packed up and moved to a nearby brush pile in 17 fow, bait fish arrived in about 35 mins swarming the boat, but after another 2 hours still no bites. The wife got restless so we packed it all so I stayed out of the doghouse. Not sure what was the cause of no bites but I will just have to try again another time and try different spots. I enjoyed being out on the water with the ole lady and star gazing. It was a beautiful and bugless night to say the least. I appreciate everyone's input on getting me setup and started in night fishing. I guess Lake Jordan was just being finicky that night. Better luck next time. Tight lines.
Try dropping a 1" to 1.5" soft plastic flick tail style jig straight down to the bottom and retrieve it very slowly back to the top. We find this to be very productive in our area. One turn may take a minute or two. You want the tail to jiggle as bait would do. Take your index finger from the hand holding the rod and slightly tap your rod to make the jig jiggle. Works for us! Try black, pink, chartreuse or a mix of two colors . :highfive