DocB Loc: Bama

Steve,
I run LED headlights on the front of my boat, to pickup navigation markers and help to see floating obstacles on the water... You need to run spots and not floods, floods won't illuminate far enough out to give you very much reaction time when you are running, and generally won't reach out far enough to pick up channel markers very well... One thing though, remember to shut them down when you are meeting another boat, they will blind oncoming boat traffic.. Also some states frown on headlights and could give you a problem.. My experience here has been that if you use a little courtesy you don't have a problem... You can get extremely bright LED lights that are less than 4 inches square, and if you shop online you can find them very reasonable... Look at "lightinthebox.com" and look for a mount that will allow the lights to swivel back if you punch a wave in rough water.. You would be surprised how tough a mount water will bend. If you have any other questions PM me your phone number and I'll do my best to give you some insight...
Doc

NoCal Steve Loc: Dunnigan, CA

Thank you...appreciate it.

Ivey Loc: South Central Tennessee, Tim's Ford Lake

I also have the spots mounted on the front of my boat but have been scolded by the water patrol for having them for reasons Doc mentioned. I told them I only used them for docking not running and they let me go but they don't like them when you use them to run by.

NoCal Steve Loc: Dunnigan, CA

Thanks bro. I'm going to mount them and be smart about how I use. Did you use a permanent mount or a removable set up?

DocB Loc: Bama

Steve,
I run a permanent mount with one on each side of the boat... I will post some pics after I get home this evening... They make a single that replaces the front piece on a minnkota Trolling Motor, but I would say to stay away from it... I made the mistake of installing one to the tune of about $200, only to have it drag on the trailer roller on some ramps when I dumped the boat in... After the second time of tearing the light off the front of the boat, I replaced the original nose on my trolling motor mount and chalked it up to lesson learned... The mounts I used came from T&H Marine, but I think they have been discontinued... You may still find a set a marine dealer, or if you know of a good machine shop they would be simple to make, I'll send pics of them as well.... Another thing to look at is your dash lighting, If you have white gauge lamps, and don't have a dimmer, wire your front nav lights with your stern light so you can run without dash lighting... This will give you much better night vision, and if you want to check a gauge, you simply flip your light switch to the other position long enough to check the gauge.... You don't have to make all these mods to night fish, these are just some things that makes it a little easier, and therefore a little more enjoyable....
Doc

Ivey Loc: South Central Tennessee, Tim's Ford Lake

I did a thru hull permanent mount with mine too and switched back to the control panel. one thing to think about when mounting any light you'll be using at night. mount it where the light can't come back to your line of vision. My black lights are mounted under the rub rail so it blocks any light from shining in my eyes blinding me or others in your boat. It don't take much light shining back at you to blind your night vision.

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

The dash lights can be changed to red bulbs. That's what they use on bigger boats, especially in saltwater. They won't affect your Night vision.

DocB Loc: Bama

Your right about the red dash lamps, that's what came in my Ranger... On my previous boat I wired the nav lights together... It was just moving one wire on the back of the switch....
Doc

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

In my opinion, all boats should come with them .

DocB Loc: Bama

Alright Steve,
Here's several pictures of my setup for headlights... If you can't locate a bracket that will work, the pictures with the measurements should be enough to have something made...
Doc

NoCal Steve Loc: Dunnigan, CA

Wow guys...guts.... thank you so much! I 100% was thinking I'd mount them above the front deck. You saved me from a big mistake! My dash runs all red bulbs. Night mode helps but my big sonar is right in my face. I usually just turn it off but one time in the dark on the Delta, no choice but to leave it on for navigation. My son had to sit on the front deck and be my eyes. At least twice I was on plane and heading for an island I had no idea was there. Any cool ideas on reducing the glare from your sonar?

DocB Loc: Bama

Steve,
You should be able to turn down the intensity of the lighting on the unit as well as night mode... On a hummingbird, press the power button one quick time and scroll down one or two lines then left arrow to dim or right arrow for brighter... My lowrance, go to the qwick menu and scroll to brightness and do the same thing..
Doc

DocB Loc: Bama

Steve,
I probably should have mentioned that if you power your unit down with the screen dimmed, when you power it back up the screen will still be dimmed, and you may have to shade the screen to be able to see it to re-adjust for daytime... I have done it so many times, I can re-adjust my units blind... Just remember that you have to clear the warning screen before you can adjust for brightness... You may want to play with the unit in the garage prior to going to the water to get familiar with adjusting the settings...
Doc

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

You can change the color Palette to a darker background also Steve.
I agree 100% with Doc about remembering to turn the brightness back up at the end of the night. Don't ask why I do.

DocB Loc: Bama

Fred,
There's a lot I don't (and probably won't ever) know about my units, but the first time I powered one up after dimming the screen, I thought my unit was bad because I couldn't see any display at all... Lesson learned is all I can say.... I'm going to put this out there for all the guys (and gals), there's some things about this night fishing that I have learned over the years (and I know Mike has as well) that we don't even think about now, but if someone has a question, we may have already found a solution or work around and there's no need to re-invent the wheel... With that being said, someone else may have found a neat trick that we may want to look at as well... Everyone has their own way of looking at things, and a different set of eyes can often see a better solution... I'm always willing to help where I can, and if someone can improve on something in a discussion I'm involved in, jump in, we may all benefit from it... There's a wealth of knowledge on this forum, and I for one like to see people helping others solve problems or give tips to make our sport more enjoyable....
Doc