Underwater Lights

Damn you Pisco!  lol. 

You got me thinking about the power output.  I'd think a flashlight is better than nothing.  But the lights that really worked squidding and even in my examples are Much higher power. 

The price of raising my confidence level from 90% to 95% is to increase output.  Maybe to the initial 100w halogen equivalent.  So on a 10aH battery at a one amp draw, I can run it for 10 hours give or take an hour or two?  Hmmm...Maybe I don't even need another battery...no, more power....

this is endless...gonna try two of the small led's per side. 

Now the question of color.  Was going to go all green but now thinking blue pointed down and a green pointed forward and slightly down after some research on wavelength and such.  Anyone have any experience even if its not from a yak on color selection?  It's pretty much all over the board on the internet.  Seems like green or blue in saltwater.

K_84,

Yeah, probably really good thinking to stay away from drilling holes in your hull under the water line.  One BIG factor is that it has every chance to ruin you resale value at some future date.  Judging from your posts, I'm guessing that you'll be a candidate to at least trade up in the not so distant future.

By the way, I didn't notice before that you're driving a Mini-X.  I have two of those myself!  I keep them for dinking around on smaller waters and especially for small rivers, streams and ponds.  Don't get me wrong, I'd have no problem taking them out on the salt water either.  But you'll never see me more than about 1/2 mile from the shore and maybe 1 mile from the launch when in salt with one of them.  For those jobs I'll usually rely on my P-15 or maybe my X-Factor, deplending on the chore at hand.

So why wouldn't I get too far from shore with one?  Totally because of the danger of not being able to paddle with enough speed to be able to get back to the launch against a stiff wind and/or a little current.  Beyond that, no worries here.

Fishin-T

I have about adding lights for a bit too. I was thinking of using a piece of pvc pipe. (I will check the size I have but it perfectly fits in my flush mount pole holder). The plan was to use a cheap 12 volt fog light or driving light mounted on the side so then it could be adjustable. Then it would be removable easily when not needed and also I thought I could put the batteries in the pipe itself.

sorry about the poor picture but it is the best example I could come up with

Yup I hear ya Fishin T.  A 15 minute fresh in the morning paddle out turned into an hour long head down paddle in what I consider very moderate conditions coming in.  beautiful day to be out but it was blowing steady 5-10mph gusting to 15mph.  Waves less than 2ft and decent intervals.  Just by the end of the day my arms were tired since I was always paddling against the wind to reposition or traveling.  The major issue was you couldn't take a break on the way in.  If you stopped, with no glide, you immediately started losing ground.  I've been an eyeing up a hobie revolution, maybe another model.  The mirage drive gives me some crazy ideas on the Kenai River for King Salmon on "No power boat" Modays.  Also my legs are MUCH stronger than my arms.  But I'm also the type that fishes super ultralight for some species.  I don't think I will ever sell the Mini-X.  My kids can use it and I think it's going to serve well as a one man platform for a few trips I want to do that don't involve too much paddling.

Haze,  I want to see as well as film the fish underwater so I think I need to keep all my lights underwater.  the glare will just kill any visibility I think.  But I was going to LED's because I thought the batteries would be a bottleneck.  But for the hours I would use them (2 to 3) I think if I went LED's the limiting factor is going to be budget.  I'll have to look at other non LED underwater possibilites but I think they are limited in part to the heat for any kind of close in mounting on a kayak.  thanks for the input!

this guy might be able to help with the lighting. the site even has a little primmer on how fish see light.

and he has some interesting halbut stuff, too.,

http://www.halibut.net/halibut-fishing-tackle.htm

Here's a link to some brighter lights, both halogen and LED. Looks like you just drop them overboard when you're ready for light.

http://www.fishinglightsetc.com/

Haze has an interesting idea about using pvc. I've seen several people make their own portable FF mounts using pvc that fir into rod holders. Very simple.

Always happy to help, k_84!

2. Stick on waterproof 12v LED strips. 
http://www.elementalled.com/strip-lights?gclid=CP_oq6qDrqgCFRJ1gwodsUStWg
Waterproof http://www.elementalled.com/waterproof-flexible-led-strip-light.html
Brighter waterproof http://www.elementalled.com/brighter-waterproof-led-strip.html

Unfortunately, the "waterproof" units are marked: "Not for use in or around chlorinated or salt water"

Here's a blog post from Kayak Angler Mag just put up today that you might be interested in:

http://www.kayakanglermag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=994:good-stuff-the-hydro-glow-fish-light&catid=34:editors-angle&Itemid=143

The above link reviews this: http://www.hydroglow.com/store.html 

Last product on the page, the Hydro Glow HG354 PanFish Pro Fishing Light.  I wanted the power draw on the unit and contacted the website.  They quoted 1/2 amp. 

Here's a blog post from Kayak Angler Mag just put up today that you might be interested in:

http://www.kayakanglermag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=994:good-stuff-the-hydro-glow-fish-light&catid=34:editors-angle&Itemid=143

The above link reviews this: http://www.hydroglow.com/store.html 

Last product on the page, the Hydro Glow HG354 PanFish Pro Fishing Light.  I wanted the power draw on the unit and contacted the website.  They quoted 1/2 amp.

Sweet thanks, Demonick. On the link pisco posted, they have a LED light that draws 2.3 amps.  supposedly something crazy like 1900 lumens.  Their smaller version is 1 amp.  I know there's more than just power draw but I wonder if the higher power draw lights are that much brighter.  really starting to think its not power draw that is going to limit me if I only intend to use the lights for 4 hours max. I can carry 21-30aH of batteries pretty easily I think and 6 amps worth of lighting for 5 hours is going to bust the budget on at least the trial phase of this lighting project if I stick with LED's.

I am gong to order 4 of the small vertical mount lights I posted first . In theory that should give me the output of a 100W halogen (or two 50watt...not sure if that is the same thing). Total draw will be 2 amps for these lights.

If it even remotely works, I will consider adding power output.  Not sure whether to go with something like the hydroglow type stick or just add more LED's.  I think this project is going to not only be fun to see if it works out in the saltwater but I know its going to get me on the lakes more often for trout.  Insomnia...here I come!

I think this project is going to not only be fun to see if it works out in the saltwater but I know its going to get me on the lakes more often for trout.  Insomnia...here I come!

Dude, calamari!

Want to build your own arrays?  http://led.linear1.org/category/led-basics/
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Flight_bars-flexible.html

I think this project is going to not only be fun to see if it works out in the saltwater but I know its going to get me on the lakes more often for trout.  Insomnia...here I come!

Dude, calamari!

Want to build your own arrays?  http://led.linear1.org/category/led-basics/
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Flight_bars-flexible.html

Good stuff. I am sure one day I will get sucked into building my own array.

Squidding is another one of those "secrets" here in Alaska.  They sell the jigs but nobody fesses up to who where or what they are used for.  Seen enough pictures of armhook squid in the area, a size or two larger than the market squid on the west coast.  I know my longlining commercial friends always dredge up fish from 2,000ft deep that contains bunch of the squid.  Hope fully they migrate shallower at night.

Night fishing in Alaska is virtually 100% untapped due to the fact that night is only 3 or 4 hours long during the summer and we are all too damn tired from the daylight hours to try anything at night.  Well I am hoping to change that with this project a bit.  My plan is to shrimp and use the shrimp for live bait at night. Have a sabiki rod ready to go if I can get baitfish to come in. Start shallow and see what happens.  Any fish, octo, squid, or baitfish would be great.

This would have been fun with this setup in Puget Sound for squid and smelt when I live in Washington.

as they said in the movie years ago; You're gonna need a bigger boat.......

as they said in the movie years ago; You're gonna need a bigger boat.......

I want one of those mirage drives so bad I can taste it.  I could have had one for the price of all these upgrades!  My wife drives a nice SUV but she won't drive my stick shift Civic Si.  The limiting factor isn't so much budget to buy a new kayak but a budget to buy a new vehicle to carry a bigger kayak! With my kids getting to be 9 and 6, maybe I just need to suck it up and upgrade to a more family oriented vehicle...that can carry my kayak...and be 4wd...with enough clearance to run it on the beach.   So I can't leave my wife to deal with the kids without a vehicle she can drive.  Dang it, I love that civic.  We have been through hell together...lol.  The things I will do for my love...of fishing.

The limiting factor isn't so much budget to buy a new kayak but a budget to buy a new vehicle to carry a bigger kayak!

One word,

sounds like Bailer

Your Civic ain't my Forester, but my lil Suub is not really made for towing much. BUT, it'll dang sure tow a trailer FULL of kayaks with it's cute little class 1 receiver.
 If it'll get you to your fishing hole, your Civic should be able to tow any kayak or three behind it.

You can convert any small boat trailer by changing the bunks from longitudinal to athwartship ( i love saying that word)  or use the lil Harbor fright folding trailer.
You end up with the equivalent of the roof of a Hummer, a foot or so off the ground. That means you can leave your boat rigged (no small task in your case) and you don't have to put it on the roof of your car. (it's a little know law of physics that kayaks increase in mass in proportion to the amount of time spent paddling through the day.)

Only problem is where to put it.