The Best Color Light For Night Fishing

Whether it’s onshore or offshore night fishing, nothing can help you catch more fish at night than the right submersible and floating lights. After all, fishing lights are available in white, green, and blue colors. So if you’re venturing into nighttime fishing, you may be wondering, “what is the best color for night fishing?”

The best color Light for night fishing that is quite popular among avid anglers is green. Greenlight attracts zooplanktons to the surface, attracting baitfish like minnows and herring, attracting predatory fish to the line. 

It’s a known fact that fish tend to be active at dawn and dusk; therefore, this might be the best time to start fishing, but for you to catch something, you need the right type of light. So in this article, we will show you “what is the best color light for night fishing?” We’ll also show you how to set up the lights at night.

What Is The Best Color Light For Night Fishing?

Despite being calm and relaxing, night fishing comes with a wide array of challenges. And since you can’t see beneath the boat, you need creative ways to attract huge fish with poor vision at night. 

Remember, at night, they respond to vibrations, so you should be ready to move the lure swiftly on the surface of the water. Using lanterns is another reliable method that anglers have used to attract the fishes at night for years.

But over the last few years, more firms have started producing a wide range of fishing lights that can help with more than just lighting up the boat. Most night fishing lights can help attract fish to the surface. 

But with the many options available, most anglers wonder what the best color light for night fishing is. Generally, night fishing lights are available in two colors (green and white).

Why Are Green And White The Best Color Light For Night Fishing?

So many people are still wondering, out of the two options, what is the best color light for night fishing? 

You may also be wondering why purple, blue, or red colors are not used for night fishing? The wavelengths of green and white colors are more attractive to the planktons than the other colors.

Planktons are the primary food for most bait fishes. So when they gather near the lighted part of the water, the bait fishes will come to feed on them. 

After all, predatory fish have poor vision and can’t see well at night, which is the main reason why baitfish love feeding at night. When the bait fishes assemble on the surface to feed, their vibration in the water will attract huge predatory fish.

Green Light Attracts Plankton

Planktons tend to migrate towards the light source because they need the energy from the light for lots of cellular metabolic processes.

It is one of the main reasons manufacturers settled for green when they searched for the best color light for night fishing. Greenlight is the best option for this task because it’s attractive to planktons.

White lights can work, but they tend to be absorbed fast in the water. Therefore, it won’t penetrate deep into the water and is not the best option for deep-sea fishing. Some sport fishes are directly attracted to the green light and not the plankton.

Is Green Light Effective In Both Fresh And Saltwater?

If you love fishing in the sea,  then you should use a green light. Greenlight is perfect for night fishing in freshwater as it can attract baitfish, but green is less effective when it comes to saltwater fishing. 

The best light for saltwater fishing is blue; after all, it is as effective as the green light. Blacklight can be used to illuminate the fishing lines.

Types Of Fishing Lights

Attracting baitfish using light is not new; it began with simple methods like burning a huge fire at the beach to attract fish. But over the last few centuries, it has evolved to more advanced technologies. 

Chinese fishers evolved from touch nets to using electric fishing lamps by the early twentieth century. So when choosing what the best color light for night fishing is, you also have to consider the type of fishing lights you purchase.

1. Floating Lights

The oldest form of lighting for night fishing was floating lights which included anglers using lanterns to attract fish. But with time, manufacturers started producing better fishing lights, with the earliest option being a floating light with Styrofoam floatation rings. These lights are readily available and are still used to date, with most having a 12-volt system.

2. Submersible Lights

Floating lights were perfect for fishing, but they attracted a swarm of insects, so anglers had to deal with the swarming insects with the fish. 

And this forced manufacturers to develop submersible lights. Submersible lights can be submerged and light up the water without attracting a swarm of insects.     

Some lights are weighted, so they sink as soon as they are placed on the water, while with others, you need to add weight. The submersible lights that have fluorescent light vary in length between 9 and 21 inches.

How To Set Up Lights For Night Fishing

Even though green LED lights can do wonders for night fishing, submerging them just anywhere in the lake can’t guarantee success. You need to use it in places where you know fishes can be found, like under the lighted piers or bridge, brush piles, or a lighted dock. Remember, the lighted dock has already attracted fish, so you only need to drop your anchor near it and lower your submersible lights.

But even when anchored near a productive fishing spot, silence is crucial to your success. So make sure you minimize your vessel’s movements. If your LED lights are weighted, you can attach them to the side of the boat just below the water line and then connect them to your battery using their converter. 

Avoid Incandescent Lights

And avoid incandescent lights as they tend to drain the battery fast; if it’s not weighted, then you may have to attach some weights to it to help sink it.

When asked what is the best color light for night fishing? Many experienced anglers claim that two green lights can do the trick. 

So, you can use the two lights to create a unique radius but make sure you keep enough distance between them to create a perfect fishing area. Plus, when submerged in the lake, you should ensure that it doesn’t illuminate the boat.

The submersible lights should be submerged deep enough for the light not to illuminate the surface. When dealing with floating lights, you should use two lanterns positioned on either side of the vessel. 

Positioning them correctly helps prevent the insects from fogging around your head. The lanterns should be near the water surface and attached to the boat using boat-mounted holders.

FAQs

Is White A Great Color For Night Fishing?

The most popular light colors for night fishing are white and green. And while green is more common for both commercial and sport fishing, both colors work perfectly. 

Therefore, it’s always a good idea to use both colors on a slow night and find out which one will attract planktons.

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Does Light Attract Fishes At Night?

Some sportfish and baitfish are attracted directly to the light instead of the bait or planktons. But most fishes are attracted to the planktons and baitfish on the surface feeding on the planktons.

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Which Color Won’t Led Attract Insects When Fishing?

Generally, insects can see three colors (green, blue, and ultraviolet). Therefore, bluish or bright white lights can attract bugs. On the other hand, most insects are not attracted to orange, pinkish, or yellowish lights.

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Conclusion

What is the best color light for night fishing? The best colors for night fishing are white and green, which are more prevalent among anglers. And that is because green light can attract planktons and some fishes to the upper layer of the lake, which in turn will attract the predatory fishes that you are looking for.