Ok all you nighttime fishermen…..I am looking for ideas for illuminating my boat when night fishing. I am looking at some sort of removable lighting tree that will light up my rig and allow us to fish in the dark while not draining my batteries. LED is a necessity. I was thinking of fabricating some sort of light bar that plugs into the front light socket and illuminates the rig like deck of a crab boat on deadliest catch 
How do you guys do it?
Just a thought, if you have some one that can weld aluminum make a tree on a seat base. I have not thought through the power options. You will more than likly be stuck with battery power
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How do you guys do it?
Head lamp and that’s it. I wouldn’t run Nav lights if it wasn’t illegal. Darker the better. Lights kill your natural night vision. Not to mention attract bugs and other boats.
-J.
Here is a link to the led stips I used in my ice house. Run on a vexilar battery all day no problem. Works well. very bright and Waterproof! Also pretty cheap.
lighting strip
When anchored, I place my stearn all around light up in the bow replacing the red/green navigational light.
Gives me some light, keeps the bus up front and didn’t cost a dime.
Seen a guy that had built a like 2′ x 2′ deck of LED lights, mounted up on a pole from a rear seat base. He lit up his entire trolling spread for running boards at night on Lake Winnebago. All the light was directed off the back of the boat, with just a little into the boat for working on things. Seemed crazy, but he loved it and used it a couple times a week.
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When anchored, I place my stearn all around light up in the bow replacing the red/green navigational light.
Gives me some light, keeps the bus up front and didn’t cost a dime.
But Brian with that nose so bright, won’t you light my boat tonight. 
Rather have it dark. I second the head lamp. I have a portable led bar from the hardware store attached to the net if needed other wise the headlamp is great. I hate the bugs from too much light.
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Ok all you nighttime fishermen…..I am looking for ideas for illuminating my boat when night fishing.
How do you guys do it?
I did an article in the In-Depth Outdoors Articles forum titled: Cat Tip of the Day: Boat Night Light Options
Here is the link: http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/771766/fpart/1/cat-tip-of-the-day-boat-night-light-options
http://golight.com/products/newproducts/gobee2.html
This is more for avoiding obstacles but will spin 360 deg and shine into the boat.
Put in small LEDs, just enough to see and not enough to attract the skeeters and blind you. I’ve tried black light to make my white mono glow for tying knots in the dark. Either way don’t put in too much.
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When anchored, I place my stearn all around light up in the bow replacing the red/green navigational light.
Gives me some light, keeps the bus up front and didn’t cost a dime.
That’s actually a really good idea. I hate that my white light is right behind my tiller seat. I’ll be moving it from now on!
I used to run two 16′ led strips in my boat. Works great. I’d highly recommend a dimmer switch. Only used it when other people were in the boat. Made the boat look like a landing strip. Lights eventually wore out from things like 30# anchors flying in the air and ripping them apart…But worked good for two years.
The best light is none at all. I even put a lamp shade on my mooring light. Head lamp and an LED flashlight I can turn off.
If you want something simple Radco truck has some really nice led strip lighting that comes with a on/off button. 12″ strip will cost ya $40, but its high quality and easy rigging. Been shopping around for lights myself and came across those, comes with tape too, and from demoing them in store, you won’t need more than 1 or 2, good grief those things blaze.
Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it.
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