I have often wondered if all the fuss about shining lights on water and frightening fish was true as I have seen lots of nature type programmes where fishermen have purposely shone lights onto the water in order to attract fish
I don't think it affects shoal fish quite as much and I can see that it can on occasion cause inquisitive fish to be inquisitive; but it can definately have a bad effect on a lot of our fish. I think it's when the light is moved or the light is constantly being switched on and off or the angler is moving around in front of the torch that spooks them just like sudden footfalls can also spook them.
I remember when I proved this to my friend Terry a long time ago when we were catching small Carp up to around 11lb max in a small Carp pool near us.
The first time I took him there he bought a big torch with him which lit up his swim and although we still caught a few fish during the night (not as many as usual) and saw ripples coming from Carp on the far side of the pond the fish definately kept their distance well out of his torch beam.
The 2nd night I talked him into fishing without his torch and the Carp came right up in front of his feet on the surface. Plus he could now see everything around him plus the rest of the pond because his eyes had become used to the dark. Plus we caught a lot more Carp.
Like me he now only takes a very small shielded torch with him for rebaiting and never shines it out across the water.
I supposed on a water that regularly sees lights like streetlights or car lights going past or regularly sees a lot of anglers all with headtorches switching on and off then fish may possibly get used to them, but I don't fish these sort of places and I know what I'd still be using or rather not be using.
Anyway I've drifted off the subject a bit so I apologise
I've used a small torch shone parralel to the water surface to light up my float or swingtip and Ive used a spoon over a tin plate and I've touch legered (and still often do) and used isotopes on my floats and my bobbins and used a home made buzzer indicator and I've also used a heron bite indicator which used to go off on its own, but when the first optonic came on the market it changed everything to the better for me.
Keith