Fishing from Boat at Night

[Pauafritta]

I am keen to get my boat out very early in the morning while dark. I know about the safety lights required but was wondering do people use spotlights or anything to light the way in front of the boat? Is it just a matter of hoping there is no log in the water or should i have a battery spotlight. I was out fishing off the shore last week near a boat ramp and watched 2 boats go out in the dark. 1 boat had no safety lights at all and the other had the required lights but no spotlight. They did have head torches however.

[raging]

I don't have fixed spot lights. I have a hand held waterproof spot light but rarely use it. 

Headlamps are a must for me, but they are usually off while in transit - I want to minimise light onboard so my eyes adjust to darkness.

nav lights are a no brainer and a must 

[recurve]

No Aussie would have a profile name of Paua Fritter. So Kia Ora Bro. I launch my boat pre sparrows fart most weekends and head off to the spot X. Often we ride for 30 - 45 min in the dark. I do have a big spotlight but normally I don't use it.  I can't see anything with it on as nothing to reflect back at me except the bow which makes my vis even worse. I find it better to rely on moon light or light from the shore. All you can really do is take it easy and hope you don't run over a marker bouy or object.

With the spot light on you would see something but really it would be too late by the time the spot light picked it up. Your boat is up and down up and down so it's not like the head light in a car. Between the up and down and the swell hiding objects you can't rely on them. 

We see boats go out all the time with no lights as they figure it will be light soon....strange logic. My biggest fear is Kayaks but most of these guys are pretty safety conscious.

Also, we are coming into Whale Season with the Mums coming down the coast with their calves. We have had a couple of close calls with Whales.

Best strategy is to have a boat with a hull that won't crumple if you hit a solid object. I have a plate boat so have some comfort that we won't breach. 

We do it all the time. Just take it slow.   

[Pauafritta]

Kia Ora Recurve. I wasn't sure if anyone had picked up on the name. I will definitely be taking the head torch and using the Nav lights. Will be chasing Snapper in the dark this winter and hope to avoid the passing Whales.

[Nolongeramember]

I wouldn't go in any water at night that you haven't seen and been in during daylight hours first. That way you know what to watch out for. In the Harbour for example, there are rocks and many marker poles that are not lit at all. Very easy to collide with at night if you don't know they are there. I actually know of a few bad accidents.

I carry a small but powerful pocket torch and whenever I'm not sure of something I can turn it on and have a look. Other than that, I have just the standard required Nav lights. 

If you can't see too well then take it slow. 

[recurve]

Not something that should be done without knowledge of the area and upto date charts. Would not do this without my Lowrance for Navigation. We simply follow the tracks which we last created to get to Spot X

 

[Scratchie]

Travelling at night or in low light hours is the same as going offshore for the first time, it's all about confidence. As others have said, take it easy, slow down and know the area! Especially trying to navigate bar crossing, headlands etc in the dark can be somewhat dangerous. Have all the safety requirements and please wear a life jacket! It's also a good idea to have a rough knowledge of the conditions expected. 

First light, is the best time to catch snapper imo but don't risk yourself trying to get there! 

Cheers scratchie!!! 

[Mr Squidy]

Spotlights are best avoided imo as they really dont show you that much more that you can travel at speed, all they do is blind the guy in the boat coming the other way. Just keep your speed down to a sensible level .

 

Rich

[Nolongeramember]

29 minutes ago, Mr Squidy said:

Spotlights are best avoided imo as they really dont show you that much more that you can travel at speed, all they do is blind the guy in the boat coming the other way. Just keep your speed down to a sensible level .

 

Rich

That's true, I say no constant spotlights as well. Your eyes won't adjust to the night.

I find the longer I'm in the darkness, the better my eyes adjust. Still improving even after an hour. 

[fragmeister]

 

You could always wear a patch over one eye like a pirate!  Apparently, (but not confirmed),  that's the real reason why Pirates wear patches... not because they have a missing eye but because they want to keep one eye adjusted to the no light conditions when needed, like going below decks or making sure that when they come back on deck at night they can see.

I have to say that there are very few absolute dark nights where you cant travel safely at reduced speed but if you don't know the territory or your vison is impacted by the bright lights of ferry wharves or there is tinny that has come adrift and is floating in the main channel (yes it happened to me) or there are unmarked hazards it can get very dodgy.

I am also not a fan of strong spotlights but I have used a powerful narrow beam head lamp on occasions but always traveling very slowly and studying the territory first and also using tools like Navionics.

As Scratchie says ... wear the life jacket boys and , if alone in particular hook the kill switch to yourself.... not much fun watching the boat power away even if you are bobbing up and down in the water safely in your life jacket

Cheers

 

Jim

 

 

 

[jeffb5.8]

I have fished the Syd Harbour many times at night and early mornings.

i know it like the back of my hand after traveling it since I was 8yrs with my first dinghy and most weekends with my Dad.

i only have the regulation night lights on, but do wear a headlamp just in case.

my mate wears clear safety glasses as we like to stand up above the screen to have better vision.

just be careful who u follow as I once followed a pair as they were going faster than me and just before they hit the rocks off Mortlake (wangal Park) I thought Jeez these guys are to far right.

the red marker was broken and they just clipped the rock, no damage but their motor took a hit.

just like driving a car in the rain, little throttle and keep a good look out.

 

Edited May 9, 2017 by jeffb5.8

[JonD]

I often fish out of Narooma at night and normally with my kids. Bar crossings and hitting whales have been my biggest concerns but there are a few things I do to make negiating the ocean at night easier.

Any light onboard the boat will make spotting things on the water difficult. Make sure you can dim down you plotter so it's very dim and your eyes don't adjust every time you look at the bright screen.

Nav lights are a real pain making it almost impossible to see behond them. I don't use front red and green lights and opt for a railblazer full Nav light on an extendable pole that's high enough on my centre console to be over my head and unnoticed while underway.

I prefer to fish on clear nights with at least some moon light above, it's amazing how much you can see without the distractions of onboard lights.

Most bar crossing have lead lights to assist with navigation at night, these lights reflect across the surface of the water like a pathway in. When I see big breaks in this pathway I know the breaks are from swell so either wait them out or work my way in on the back of one. Part of any nighttime bar crossings is working with tides as well as making lots of crossing at that bar in daylight.

The experiance of humpbacks breaching around the boat on a full moon is something few will of ever experienced and something my kids have been lucky enough to also experiance, not to mention some thumping snapper on sunset.