I don't think it is the light itself that spooks the fish ,but if it is steady or not. For instance the lights on a bridge are constant and the fish are acclimated to that. However if the water is pitch black and then you flash a bright light through it from a fishing light , or headlights moving , it will be quite a startling contrast in the water. Oh , and by the way the [I]Lantern People[I]
should know that walking back and forth in front of a lantern that lights up the rocks like Gillette Stadium is just like sending a semifore messeage to the fish that says "Go Away!" Geeze I HATE that when they come up on your quiet liitle fishing spot at night and then set up a frigging camp....but I digress.