Light glare

[Texeye]

I was curious as to how some of you night fishermen dealt with the glare off the back stern light. By law we have to have it on, but the glare makes it hard to see the bank.I sometimes hang my hat on it but don't know how legal that really is.:)

[pete]

There are stern lights that are made with fresnel lenses that direct the light out in a more focused beam. When you get one of these, make sure you get one that is long enough so that it is over your head. I got one and it is great.; It really cuts down on the glare. BTW, obstructing the stern light is illegal (and dangerous).


Pete

[JBL]

I'm bound to get chided for this, and it might even be illegal, so try at your own risk. But sometimes when night fishing, I'll take a 1" piece of black electrical tape and cover just the part facing toward the bow of the boat. Definitely take Pete's tip and get a stern light with a thin lens that focuses the light in a narrow beam rather than having that big light bulb killing your night vision.

[Water Dog]

Fishing the (Big Water) of Erie , St Claire , and the Detroit River we added a stern light mount up high on the center console .
Now we have two mounts to place a white 360 (stern light).
One on the stern for when we run ; and a up high 360 light for when we may be in the shipping channels and need to be seen from a distance from the freighters .
We never use both at the same time .
Believe me when I say we need the light out of our eyes and those big boats do not always run with their lights on at dusk .
Many times we have heard them coming before we could see em .
Two honks on our horn would be returned with a long WAAAAAAAAAH !
Scarey stuff in the dark .
Water Dog

[SUPERTROLLER]

We have done something similar to this. We put electrical tape on the bottom 1/3 of the lens cover. We then still have 360 degree light as required and a lot less light down into the boat and our eyes. We have not been told it was illegal or improper and Coast Guard Sheriff's patrols are very frequent where we fish. I think as long as you are still visible 360 degree's that you are all right to partially cover if you want. Just an opinion.

[Backwater Eddy]

I have uses a cap from an aerosol product with a slot and a hole in the center. Clip it on the shaft and slip it up to cut down on the light beaming onto the boat below but still allows for oncoming traffic to see you. I only use it in areas where traffic is low or non-existent. Most of the areas I fish at night it is a rarity to see another boat.

I have seen other less then legal methods, such as a hidden dimmer switch that works only on the 360 stern light. The tape trick is common and helps to reduce night blindness.

It would be nice to have a telescopic stern light pole so you could get it up and out of the main line of sight but quickly adjustable for running. I have never seen one. I would be interested if anyone knows of a Co. that makes them.

Backwater Eddy ~ ~><sUMo> ~ ><>

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