Redlights?
 

In my 35 years of surf fishing after dark, I have never seen so many "redlights" as I have during the last two seasons.Why is everyone using them? As they are not as effective as regular necklights and they are not stealthy as they can be seen a mile away. Fish are in no way spooked by regular necklights, and regular necklights illuminate much better and are much safer with better visibility. With 58 bass over 40lbs in my 35 years of surf fishing I can say for sure the regular brite white light in no way hurts the fishing in any and all conditions I have fished. #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& and I are always asking each other what the fasination with these things are?? We used to use ( in the old days) rayovac headlamps with huge batteries on our belts! My first post and a hello to all.


Steve "Van Stall" McKenna

Because they look Cool.:rotf3:

Hi Steve, welcome to the site.:hihi:

I like them since they don't mess up my night vision.

I think mostly its to keep the other fishermen from killing you if you are a goog and your running all over the place shining your 200,000 candlepower spotlight on anything that moves. I use the redlight when I am fishing....its minimal light, enough to see what I need to see and not offend anyone else who is fishing and will not bother the fish. (I believe white light, if flashed across the water, will spook em...to each his own.);)

Doesnt kill your night vision.

Exactly :btu:

Never had a problem with the nightvision, for years there were great surfcasters who never used redlights.Its a fad I guess.

Steve:

Welcome aboard.

For many years I only used the brighter white lights, but I think the trend today is that red lights are more subtleon the eyes and when flashed on the water - they don't have the intensity to possibly scare fish away like the brighter, white lights do.

Many of the headband lights today come with white, bright white, and red colors. I can tell you that the red is much easier on the eyes when tying knots, changing plugs, etc.

just my .02

your eyes adjust more readily to the change as oppossed to bright white. So I don't see it as a fad, it is a fact it takes your eyes longer to adjust with the bright light on and off. Have you tried them? when i shut off the red I don't have that bright floating orb like I do with the bright...

Hi Steve, welcome

Where did you get a F #$%^&*() computer ????????????

Glad ya had a good time ===keep ya f #$%^&8 mouth shut ><><.,

F #$%^&* the red lights --- I turn on the spotlight /light up the whole f $%^&*90 boat // its never ever made a negative difference // & few positives [maybe]]:walk:

Welcome Steve. I am one of the red light wearers you probably see out there. Actually, I never worried about the light spooking the fish either as it doesn't make a difference like you said. I purchased a light that would fit on my head and keep my hands free. Incidentally it has a flip up red filter. The white lights actually show up just as well as the red ones from a distance from what I can see.

Lips sealed, thank you so much for last night!

Back in the Navy, all passageways that led to the outside skin of the ship were all painted black and had redlights. After dark (darken ship), the red lights were used as to not allow the bright white lights . Bright white light was easier to see by passing ships and the red light allowed us to operate in Stealth Mode which is how all Navy ships operate at night.
By the way, my headlamp is white.

welcome Steve
 

redlites? those are members of S-B
4000 members and Growing....

Again ???????????

tides are right >><><><><><

Marketting... (yeah, I use one). Damn they'll let anyone in here! Welcome. So are you saying bright lights don't spook fish? (not provoking, seriously looking for your opinion.)

I believe it has been proven that red light does not travel very far in water, or at least not as far as white...if that is true, it makes sense since we typically only need it for terminal stuff and things going on directly in front of us...if it may allow me to score with 6 more fish per year and be easier on my eyes, I think it's worth it. Sure I don't look like La Sallette shrine out there, but I can easily get by...:)

For your info! Vlad evanoff an Infamous new york surf caster who fished everywhere from new york to the cape and islands, never used a necklight at all ! Imagine that....I would hope most here have heard of him...a true ledgend.

Point two, When we did the filiming for the OTW show there where tons of spotlights everyplace and the end result was a 40lb fish on camera and we had several others that never made the final edit! those fish were no less aggresive and not spooked at all.

Whats the big deal if people do use redlights apposed to yellow. If anything the redlight helps with your nightvision and is a bit less in "In your face" than the white/yellow light.

I have heard of him, but personally it seems like a safety issue to not have a light with you, hell I carry 2. A head lamp and a neck light. I doubt it spooks fish, that isn't why I use the red, just easier on the eyes.
Bottom line, safety

Have to pass, I think my hands and bill's have turned to hamburger with the amount of cows we have caught the last couple of days. I will say I cant understand why more people are not using the 9inch rigged Sluggo! They wanted it so bad last night , they had the things swallowed ! Again thanks for the hospitality and putting us where the fish are. and thanks John for playing taxi driver. When my hands heal I will take you up on that offer soon! For such a rebel rouser you certainly know where the bass are in your neck of the woods!

I don't understand the purpose of this topic, is it to debate the use of redlights or tell everyone how many cows you have caught.

I wouldn't call it a fad. There must be something to it as the military has been using them in flashlights for many years. They told us why the lens was red but I forgot. Must be CRS setting in.

Red lights are used for several reasons:

It is easiest on the eyes and night vision which is why it is often used as backlighting on guages, lighting on ships, flash lights for military use.

Red also has a very long wavelength and is one of the first colors to dissipate in the water so we assume that it will penetrate the water the least...

Long time no see Steve...

Sounds like #%^&$$*G Clammer and Steve have something going.:love:
Pretty soon guys will have a green light on one side then a red light on the other. That way depending on which side the the two different color lights are on a persons head when your looking at them in the dark you'll know which way there facing, port or starboard.:rotf2:

Steve How fast do you retrieve the rigged 9" sluggo. I saw one of your presentations and I think I remember you saying retrieve to retrieve fast while kinda jerking the rod around. Is this right or has my red head light turned my mind to mush?

Fish the sluggo like a zarra spook and moderate to fast, almost like a popper but not slow.Let it sink a second or two and then start the popping action.You want to keep the sluggo under water and it jerks all over the place.You will have good luck with it! It will outfish any other artificial sold in the store.

I thought this was about the hooker area of town.
hi Stevie.Welcome aboard.
Can't wait for the new article in OTW.
Being as i am from NJ.
I tried the red lights couldn't tell plug colors wit em.
I am not generally a fan of any light.

White light is made up of the complete light spectrum. If you shine white light thru a crystal prism you will see the rainbow colors.
Red light will dissipate only because it is the only color that is there.

John, the opposite is true. The wavelenght is proportional to the frequency, in other words the longer the wavelength the lower the frequency. Higher frequencies (shorter wavelenghts) dissipate quickly in the water because the energy is absorbed by the water molecules. The longer wavellengths or lower frequencies do not dissipate in the water, that is why submarines use low frequencies.

Hi Steve and welcome aboard.

When I was fishing last weekend I saw a lot of guys fishing with there lights on all the time. That would drive me nuts. I use a white light around my neck but usually only turn it on to tie knots, look in my bag or check for bluefish(usually I can tell but sometimes the spoooky dark makes me wonder). It does'nt seem to affect my nightvision much but I dont shine it in my eyes either. My necklight is'nt real bright so I carry a throwaway in my wader pocket to hold in my hand walking on rocks, that does hurt my night vision. Better that than a bad fall.
And welcome

I ain,t starting ==================== balls to the walls /take all prisoners in a couple of days .,.,

ya Steve & the clammer have something going =we both want the same woman =========== but she wants Steve =============LMF FIAH SMC :as:

That's what I meant :tooth: Fequency Wavelength :huh:

I began using a redlight but had trouble seeing the colors as well. Went back to white and havent had a problem..welcome Steve!:wave:

White light around the neck for me. Started using redlights because everyone else was but I couldn’t find one that lasted for more than a handful of outings with out braking (Tekka or however you spell it sucks). I had a small Princeton Tech light that I carried as a backup that always worked, even after two years of being submerged in my plug bag while wading so that eventually made it around my neck. Haven’t noticed any differences except better color vision when looking through the plug bag.

Steve, thanks for the article in OTW about the sluggos last year. Made me realize I was fishing them too slow and they’ve been my top producer ever since. Got a 36# bass on the first cast I made with a sluggo the night I read the article.

Exellent! I carry almost nothing now but Sluggos, fish them right and you will never look back.

hi steve...welcome aboard

Steve;
Welcome to the site...
Redlights for me... I started using them a few years after I started, I had a white light, it broke, I bought one with a combo light (red/white) and used the red alot more. I do use the white on more challanging terrain though, and my back-up is a very bright white light (for safety/signalling, whatever)

As far as the night vision thing, red makes a huge difference, come out with me on the tour boat some night when it is cloudy/foggy and no moon, night vision is key to watch for lobster pots etc.. everything on most boats at night is red for a reason....

Green is also kind on the eyes

And illuminates things slightly better and you don't get the color distortion associated with red.

But no its not a fad, its pretty much fact that red dosen't murder your night vision.

I like both and that is why I was using a light that had three light settings, the light was not cheep and I lost it two nights ago when I thought the chord was around my neck Igot on my rock shut the light off opened my mouth and good by :rocketem: everyone likes something different I agree the red helps w/ night vision,yet is hard to see colors.I'll spend a little more money for a good multi light.