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Post by randronner on Dec 3, 2020 10:43:11 GMT -5
I'm on the market for some new bowfishing lights and have been doing a lot of research. I initially was trying to figure out if I want HPS, halogen, or LED and after doing a lot of research I'm pretty dead set on LEDs. This post on bowfishing lights answered pretty much all of my questions, but now I want some suggestions from people who have their own light setups. What lights do you recommend and / or what type of setup has worked for you? If you have photos of your boat that's a plus. Right now I'm looking at the Swamp Eye Light Bars because they change colors for clear or muddy water. I've heard a lot of good things about them, but haven't seen any up close and personal. |
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Post by dusty20 on Dec 5, 2020 21:15:02 GMT -5
I replied and then deleted it I think. So you said new lights. What do you currently have and what kind of boat and power are you going to have?
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Post by jman46151 on Dec 7, 2020 14:44:42 GMT -5
I bought a cheap LED off of Amazon. link I bought the 20W and it doesn't seem to cast out very far. I just mounted it to the front so I am going to try and mount it higher to see if that helps. I really only tried it once in shallow water and I would see fish but didn't have enough time to shoot if I was moving at any speed. I may buy the 30W and give it a try if raising the light doesn't help. |
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Post by dusty20 on Dec 7, 2020 15:30:35 GMT -5
I am definitely no expert but have been going out with some guys from work. They are big into it. He has HPS lights. If you only have 1 that may be a big part of it. Even with the swamp eyes that you were talking about that light i would guess is between a 100w and 150w HPS based on the lumens. In my mind I would put 6 of those on the boat to cover the front and both sides of the front. 4 minimum to cover the front and a small part of the sides I would think. I know for me it may take 10+ feet (if I’m doing good that day) to identify a fish aim and shoot, with one light that may be tough to do. I’m personally going to buy a larger quantity of cheaper led lights in the lower 2000k temp to cover more area. Maybe eventually upgrading. I was thinking originally of just getting the bigger cheap LEDs and using and orange yellow tint to bring the temperature down but found some that claim 2200k instead we’ll see though.
Those swamp eyes look really nice for their ability to chance temperature. I have seen warm white and HPS on the water and the HPS are by far much easier to see into the water with. Any mud or dirt at all and the warm white gets washed out. I think if you get the adjustment you will spend all your time around the 2000k to 2500k range the higher temperatures just reflect off of the water and everything in it. It would be nice to dial in the color. At that price though it would be hard to go for quantity.
I did notice that when it’s really foggy the HPS tends to light up the fog and it’s hard to see the water but the warm white tends to cut through it, then it just doesn’t penetrate the water well.
Again I don’t want to make it seem like I’m an expert with years doing this... I’ve only done it about a half year using someone else’s boat and as much research as I can find on lights and stuff. Just trying to share a bit of what I’ve seen while getting a list of stuff for my boat.
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Post by randronner on Jan 20, 2021 17:16:17 GMT -5
I ended up just going with the swamp eye light bars, six of them. two up front, two each side. I'm pretty happy with them. They can run battery or generator and the color tone adjustability is very nice. I have had amazon lights in the past and a friend of mine has had HPS. The amazon lights are basically throwaways and Ive been so frustrated with them I'll never go back. HPS is a bright light, but it requires a huge generator to run and I've heard a lot of problems with bulbs breaking and ballasts going out. I've taken the lights out for a couple trips already, nothing too major, and I am very happy with them so far.
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