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Serious about GLOW tackle!
Jul 21, 2021 22:13:33   #
fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)
 
Not sure if there is really much in the way of real "live" bait that glows in the dark for freshwater fishing, but it is definitely a "thing" when it comes to using artificial lures for Great Lakes salmon fishing before sunrise and after sunset...and a few hours before and after those index marks!

About 15 years ago I got tired of constantly "flashing" lures with a battery powered 35 mm photography cube attachment from my old film based camera system and decided to construct a "light box" that could handle a large amount of tackle all at once. The attached unit is what I came up with, and measures 20" long, 10" wide and 8" tall. It is constructed from 1/2" "Starboard", with thin plexiglass "mirrored" interior walls to add some enhanced reflectancy during what is typically a half hour of charging. A couple of 18" ultraviolet light tubes give off the necessary light to "charge" the lures up before deploying to fish. The lid has 15 "padeyes" attached to hang lures, while the base is set up to accommodate several "flasher" styled trolling paddles and a few Dipsey Divers. Power is a standard 110V, which I plug in to a 12V DC converter on the boat so it starts running at the launch.

When full, it is a bit strange to look at, but once the lid is closed you can go about the business of getting ready to fish without all the flashing of a charge cube. Sometimes, early in the morning when our local fleet is out on the water, the scene looks like a bunch of high powered fireflies with all the flash cubes going off in all directions. To me, the flashing in the boat was always annoying...thus the "glowbox"!

Once deployed, most glow lures only cast a nice brightness for about an hour or so...depending on the age of the lure. When the box is empty, simply re-fill it with the next batch so that when you pull up a lure that is dull, quickly switch to a nice new "bright one".

If you are into this sort of fishing (besides the small scale applications for ice fishing or other types of after dark fishing), you may want to consider this idea. Works great for when you have a lot of large tackle that needs to get the glow on!

empty "glowbox", ready to be loaded with tackle!
empty "glowbox", ready to be loaded with tackle!...

lures and other intended hardware of the morning loaded up....
lures and other intended hardware of the morning l...

the UV light sources are already performing their magic...the glow is on!
the UV light sources are already performing their ...

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Jul 22, 2021 05:35:57   #
bknecht Loc: Northeast pa
 
fishyaker wrote:
Not sure if there is really much in the way of real "live" bait that glows in the dark for freshwater fishing, but it is definitely a "thing" when it comes to using artificial lures for Great Lakes salmon fishing before sunrise and after sunset...and a few hours before and after those index marks!

About 15 years ago I got tired of constantly "flashing" lures with a battery powered 35 mm photography cube attachment from my old film based camera system and decided to construct a "light box" that could handle a large amount of tackle all at once. The attached unit is what I came up with, and measures 20" long, 10" wide and 8" tall. It is constructed from 1/2" "Starboard", with thin plexiglass "mirrored" interior walls to add some enhanced reflectancy during what is typically a half hour of charging. A couple of 18" ultraviolet light tubes give off the necessary light to "charge" the lures up before deploying to fish. The lid has 15 "padeyes" attached to hang lures, while the base is set up to accommodate several "flasher" styled trolling paddles and a few Dipsey Divers. Power is a standard 110V, which I plug in to a 12V DC converter on the boat so it starts running at the launch.

When full, it is a bit strange to look at, but once the lid is closed you can go about the business of getting ready to fish without all the flashing of a charge cube. Sometimes, early in the morning when our local fleet is out on the water, the scene looks like a bunch of high powered fireflies with all the flash cubes going off in all directions. To me, the flashing in the boat was always annoying...thus the "glowbox"!

Once deployed, most glow lures only cast a nice brightness for about an hour or so...depending on the age of the lure. When the box is empty, simply re-fill it with the next batch so that when you pull up a lure that is dull, quickly switch to a nice new "bright one".

If you are into this sort of fishing (besides the small scale applications for ice fishing or other types of after dark fishing), you may want to consider this idea. Works great for when you have a lot of large tackle that needs to get the glow on!
Not sure if there is really much in the way of rea... (show quote)

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Jul 22, 2021 05:36:17   #
bknecht Loc: Northeast pa
 
Ingenious idea FY

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Jul 22, 2021 17:54:17   #
J in Cleveland Loc: Cleveland, Ohio
 
Super cool!!!! Now I need those lures and glow box!!!😂🤣😂🤣😂

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Jul 22, 2021 23:00:56   #
40GRIT Loc: San Ramon, CA
 
fishyaker wrote:
Not sure if there is really much in the way of real "live" bait that glows in the dark for freshwater fishing, but it is definitely a "thing" when it comes to using artificial lures for Great Lakes salmon fishing before sunrise and after sunset...and a few hours before and after those index marks!

About 15 years ago I got tired of constantly "flashing" lures with a battery powered 35 mm photography cube attachment from my old film based camera system and decided to construct a "light box" that could handle a large amount of tackle all at once. The attached unit is what I came up with, and measures 20" long, 10" wide and 8" tall. It is constructed from 1/2" "Starboard", with thin plexiglass "mirrored" interior walls to add some enhanced reflectancy during what is typically a half hour of charging. A couple of 18" ultraviolet light tubes give off the necessary light to "charge" the lures up before deploying to fish. The lid has 15 "padeyes" attached to hang lures, while the base is set up to accommodate several "flasher" styled trolling paddles and a few Dipsey Divers. Power is a standard 110V, which I plug in to a 12V DC converter on the boat so it starts running at the launch.

When full, it is a bit strange to look at, but once the lid is closed you can go about the business of getting ready to fish without all the flashing of a charge cube. Sometimes, early in the morning when our local fleet is out on the water, the scene looks like a bunch of high powered fireflies with all the flash cubes going off in all directions. To me, the flashing in the boat was always annoying...thus the "glowbox"!

Once deployed, most glow lures only cast a nice brightness for about an hour or so...depending on the age of the lure. When the box is empty, simply re-fill it with the next batch so that when you pull up a lure that is dull, quickly switch to a nice new "bright one".

If you are into this sort of fishing (besides the small scale applications for ice fishing or other types of after dark fishing), you may want to consider this idea. Works great for when you have a lot of large tackle that needs to get the glow on!
Not sure if there is really much in the way of rea... (show quote)


Brilliant fishyaker, brilliant!

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Jul 23, 2021 08:50:38   #
fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)
 
Thanks for your replies everybody! It was a fun and practical project for me at the time, and I still use it every salmon season...which is going to start very soon in our local waters.

When pondering the original idea, I at first wanted something very light, easy and simple...like converting a large tool/tackle box or mid sized cooler. The more I thought about it, the more rabbit holes I went down. Final decision was to make it heavy and stable for rugged use while out on the water in potentially rough seas. LED lighting was not available that I was aware of back in 2004, so I forged ahead with the ballast driven UV light tubes. With some stainless steel hardware and replacement handles for an Igloo cooler, the unit has worked out very well for me. The tricky part was in drilling dozens of small "precise" holes in and thru all the plastic without cracking or burning anything....along with countersinking each screw head. I discovered that you can buy special drill bits just for this purpose...so that ended up being "easy".

My original photos are a bit hard to grasp the overall configuration because of all the internal mirrors (which cover the walls, floor and ceiling), so here are a few to illustrate the exterior appearance. If I were to build one of these nowadays, I would definitely consider the LED light strips that have become so readily available!

Enjoy your big water salmon pursuits! Extra photo attached for inspiration (my current profile avatar)! I am 6' 3", and the salmon pictured is almost touching my shirt (no arms out enhancement trick). At 30 pounds and 42" in length it kind of made me feel "small"!









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Jul 23, 2021 14:01:31   #
Jeremy Loc: America
 
fishyaker wrote:
Thanks for your replies everybody! It was a fun and practical project for me at the time, and I still use it every salmon season...which is going to start very soon in our local waters.

When pondering the original idea, I at first wanted something very light, easy and simple...like converting a large tool/tackle box or mid sized cooler. The more I thought about it, the more rabbit holes I went down. Final decision was to make it heavy and stable for rugged use while out on the water in potentially rough seas. LED lighting was not available that I was aware of back in 2004, so I forged ahead with the ballast driven UV light tubes. With some stainless steel hardware and replacement handles for an Igloo cooler, the unit has worked out very well for me. The tricky part was in drilling dozens of small "precise" holes in and thru all the plastic without cracking or burning anything....along with countersinking each screw head. I discovered that you can buy special drill bits just for this purpose...so that ended up being "easy".

My original photos are a bit hard to grasp the overall configuration because of all the internal mirrors (which cover the walls, floor and ceiling), so here are a few to illustrate the exterior appearance. If I were to build one of these nowadays, I would definitely consider the LED light strips that have become so readily available!

Enjoy your big water salmon pursuits! Extra photo attached for inspiration (my current profile avatar)! I am 6' 3", and the salmon pictured is almost touching my shirt (no arms out enhancement trick). At 30 pounds and 42" in length it kind of made me feel "small"!
Thanks for your replies everybody! It was a fun an... (show quote)



What do the mirrors do? Is it to check hair do before each cast? Are the UV lights inside the tackle box in the pictures or in the boat?

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Jul 23, 2021 14:03:44   #
Jeremy Loc: America
 
Never mind. I went back to beginning of post now I see more

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Jul 23, 2021 14:05:37   #
Jeremy Loc: America
 
I think you may be best with UV light to charge the lures. LED emits one frequency of light spectrum. The broader the spectrum they are charged with the broader they will emit.

Reply
Jul 23, 2021 14:07:00   #
Jeremy Loc: America
 
fishyaker wrote:
Not sure if there is really much in the way of real "live" bait that glows in the dark for freshwater fishing, but it is definitely a "thing" when it comes to using artificial lures for Great Lakes salmon fishing before sunrise and after sunset...and a few hours before and after those index marks!

About 15 years ago I got tired of constantly "flashing" lures with a battery powered 35 mm photography cube attachment from my old film based camera system and decided to construct a "light box" that could handle a large amount of tackle all at once. The attached unit is what I came up with, and measures 20" long, 10" wide and 8" tall. It is constructed from 1/2" "Starboard", with thin plexiglass "mirrored" interior walls to add some enhanced reflectancy during what is typically a half hour of charging. A couple of 18" ultraviolet light tubes give off the necessary light to "charge" the lures up before deploying to fish. The lid has 15 "padeyes" attached to hang lures, while the base is set up to accommodate several "flasher" styled trolling paddles and a few Dipsey Divers. Power is a standard 110V, which I plug in to a 12V DC converter on the boat so it starts running at the launch.

When full, it is a bit strange to look at, but once the lid is closed you can go about the business of getting ready to fish without all the flashing of a charge cube. Sometimes, early in the morning when our local fleet is out on the water, the scene looks like a bunch of high powered fireflies with all the flash cubes going off in all directions. To me, the flashing in the boat was always annoying...thus the "glowbox"!

Once deployed, most glow lures only cast a nice brightness for about an hour or so...depending on the age of the lure. When the box is empty, simply re-fill it with the next batch so that when you pull up a lure that is dull, quickly switch to a nice new "bright one".

If you are into this sort of fishing (besides the small scale applications for ice fishing or other types of after dark fishing), you may want to consider this idea. Works great for when you have a lot of large tackle that needs to get the glow on!
Not sure if there is really much in the way of rea... (show quote)



Awesome idea. Then no camera flash to charge them. Buddy used to use camera flash only for charging glow in the dark fish lures.

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Jul 23, 2021 14:28:09   #
fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)
 
Jeremy wrote:
I think you may be best with UV light to charge the lures. LED emits one frequency of light spectrum. The broader the spectrum they are charged with the broader they will emit.


That is good to know. I am not to swift when it comes to physics and I just figured that the UV source would be a good choice. I actually performed a timed experiment after the box was ready using high intensity fluorescent "white" light tubes and the time required to get a good long lasting glow was slightly more than when I used the UV tubes.

I think it also depends on the lure age and material used in the glow portion of the lure...be it paint or some sort of emulsified goo that gets mixed in with plastics that some lures are made of. I even performed "post glow" tests by giving the lures 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes of "charge time", and the sweet spot when using this box was at about 30 minutes. Maybe it has to do with the density of the lure coatings? At any rate, it works great and when I have guests on the boat, it becomes a mesmerizing and hypnotic contraption that keeps folks talking all the while we are fishing. I have it sitting on a padded seat cushion up in the cuddy cabin, and it gives off that surreal kind of purple/green glow that leaks out of the edge seams, even though it is very tightly constructed. The Starboard, even at 1/2 thick, kind of has an eerie essence to it!

Funny thing about the use of the mirror surfaced plexiglas inside. I was thinking that they would reflect light in all directions, which would help shed illumination onto all lure surfaces no matter how they were positioned. Frankly, I probably could have done without them because it is very bright in there with 2 18" light tubes glowing from both sides! I think I would plead "guilty" to overthinking and over engineering this rig!

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Jul 24, 2021 19:46:54   #
FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon
 
Or you could just go "low-tech" and for MUCH less work, way less space-taking and far cheaper.....use a flashlight...... same end result.

But hey, a buddy of mine has a mini disco ball on his 26' pontoon (aka THE Party Barge), the gals do love to dance as we sit at the well-stocked bar, mixing exotic drinks in the blender and rolling fatties, while we take an evening cruise...... whatever "floats your boat", I say.

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Jul 25, 2021 12:39:25   #
fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)
 
FixorFish wrote:
Or you could just go "low-tech" and for MUCH less work, way less space-taking and far cheaper.....use a flashlight...... same end result.

But hey, a buddy of mine has a mini disco ball on his 26' pontoon (aka THE Party Barge), the gals do love to dance as we sit at the well-stocked bar, mixing exotic drinks in the blender and rolling fatties, while we take an evening cruise...... whatever "floats your boat", I say.


I agree that there may have been a more simplified approach, but in the end my objective was to come up with something superior to what I had been doing. Being a curious person by nature, I figured there had to be a better way to get lures glowing. Some brands are harder to charge than others, and as they are used and age that also affects the glow times. I think that modern "glow" lures have improved and the coating/ingredient formulations are probably more light sensitive than what they used to be.

Over a several day period, I conducted some "tests", just for fun, to see what would happen when using a few flashlight brands (including the classic hand held car headbeam ones), photo flash cubes and a UV light temporarily stashed inside of a small cooler. My results revealed a startling discovery with the UV light being by far the best way to accomplish the objective and get a long lasting glow between charges without having to "tend" to the lures too often. Once you deploy a lure on a downrigger, dipsey diver, leadcore rig, or copper line set up they can take quite a while to retrieve, "re-glow", and deploy once again. My goal was to make sure we were able to keep lures in the water as long as possible before getting hook ups on fish. This was all based on what I could scrounge up back in 2004.

We started using the final contraption in salmon fishing tournaments back in 2004, and it saved us a ton of precious time when deploying glow lures once a tourney was signaled to begin (usually at 6 am each day). Four guys could set 9 rods in short order by just grabbing a rig from the box and getting it in the water pronto. It was a real time saver for us and nobody got "blinded by the light" when flashing the photo cubes!

Over the years we took our share of first place wins, and other high placements in the standings, but I have retired from that "scene" and nowadays just enjoy the quiet side of going after salmon. The glow box remains a legacy to me of some fun and exciting days on the water, but is now reserved for my own simple use during salmon season.

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