dogslayer

I'm ready to hook some up . I don't have the space/money/capacity for a generator . I was thinking of starting out with a pair of 55 watt off-road lights . I'd hook these up to the deep cycle battery that runs the trolling motor . In the longer term - I'd like at least three pair of lights on there own deep cycle battery . I need to hear from some people that have done somthing like this before . Any kind of input , advice or comments would be appreciated . Thanks .

carpsniper

Hey Dog, the biggest thing about that is you'll run outta battery pretty fast. Make sure it's not your only propulsion.

12V lights will work OK if the water is pretty clear. If it's cloudy, the 12V lights lack the intensity to penetrate very well. Another way is to run an inverter and run a low wattage (100W or 150W) halogen light or two. There again, it will drain your battery in a couple of hours even w/o the troller.

I wish you luck.

Or something that I have never tried that I have always been curious about is a 4' florescent shop light. Again you'd have to use an inverter, but thet only pull around 100W or so.

big rockpile

I was asking about this on another Forum.But what does a person need to run Propane Lights.I know we use to run them and I liked them just didn't take notice how they were rigged up.

big rockpile

dogslayer

I hadn't thought of an inverter . I have a small gas motor as well - so at least I wont be stuck at the far end of the lake . I think I'll be ok with a lower wattage , being that the fish I shoot at are usually near the surface or at it . This may bring up another point - Having never shot at night before , will I still be able to find fish near the surface like I do at late afternoon/early evening ? This will probably end up being a trial and error thing . If I can get a good amount of light for 2-3 hours , then I'll be happy .
With all that being said - Do you think that a pair of 12 volt 55 - 100 watt lights will give me the most longevity over the other option of using an inverter and halagen ? Thanks alot for your help.

carpsniper

Big, I don't know. The only folks I've ever seen using a latern just used a coleman for catfishing. Seems like it should work fine, quite too. The only draw back I can think of would be the heat.

Dog, It all depends on how much you use the troller (if they're on the same battery). Our experience was about 4 hours for two 150 watt halogens on an inverter. So a couple of 55W driving lights should last a bit longer.
Usually we see more fish at the surface at night. Usually! Some nights they just seem to go away for a while. Many times I've seen a bunch of fish for a while and then for some reason they just seem to all disapear. If you stay out long enough, they show up again. Why? I wish I knew. I'd just take a break then also. LOL

big rockpile

The Propane lights I have seen are about 4 or 5 Mantels wide,with a Reflector.The Heat wouldn't be a problem,because I was thinking of Gigging where temps could be below zero.

big rockpile