Are fish afraid of lights?

[Wolfman Woody]

This has all reminded me of my very early days night fishing on Stamford Park lake. We used to use a large torch (week bulb) and place it on the ground with it's beam lighting up the float top.

I know what Ron will say about **** Walker recommending isotopes as far back as then, but we couldn't find them and they were probably too expensive. Upshot is, we caught fish and enjoyed it.

 

[Wolfman Woody]

Buy a head lamp Nigel you tight a***. You can get a chup LED one now for around ?14. Cheap as chips.

 

[Wolfman Woody]

SHould be "You can get a Chub LED one"

It's late, where me pyjamas.

 

[Phil Hackett 2]

Jeff you couldn?t find isotopes back in Stamford Park days? The fishing/petshop on Stamford St (it?s still there, I went in a few weeks ago) was selling them back in 1971 attached to a float. I used them to very good effect on Huddersfield Narrow Canal for night fishing for carp.

Oh Sh1t I?ve blown my reputation now! The whole planet knows I once fished for carp.
Honestly, I was young and foolish, and it was a long time ago!

There were some people who post on this site who nicked them out of RAC boxes back then. I think one is still using them in his bobbins.

Now I wonder whether the pilferers are going to identify themselves? ;0)

 

[Merv Harrison]

May be a stupid statement, and I don't mind been 'shot down', but is the fishes fear of 'backlighting' due to the fact of anglers moving around, much as the skyline in daylight, but, anglers torches/headlights are in front of the angler, so no threat is detected.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

I seem to remember an article many years ago, I think it was in Colin Dyson's "Coarse Angler" where the discussion was on isotopes and how to obtain them. The writer I think called himself "The Scouser"

Come on Ed - own up...... )

I bought some "Glow Bobbins" ca 1978 from Bennetts of Sheffield I think on Jim Gibbinsons recommendation. I used them not long after and a Black Guy thought I was a white Sangoma when he saw them.

You might have something Merv. Certainly to "skyline" a fish will scare them make no mistake.

With the amount of moving lights at night in the English countryside these days I think that maybe fish become use to them and don't associate them with danger.

By the way I was told years ago never to carry an isotope in your pocket. The radiation can cause you problems.

 

[Wolfman Woody]

Haha, you remember John Yates (The Petman)too then Phil? He was a nice bloke and yes I do seem to recolect that he had them on floats, but I'm going back earlier to about 1967 or even before that. John retired a long time ago and another chap runs it now. I've only been in once since leaving Stalybridge and spoke to the new owner a couple of years ago. Apparently, John's was still alive and semi-retired (he's a preacher as well) living in the Devon area.

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Could have a point with the backlight. When the PIR sets off the flood lights at teh hotel I always remain motionless until they go off again. Sometimes you can't help but move, especially if you're fighting a fish.

As for the never carry an isotope in your pocket, I thought (stand to be corrected) **** Walker had said that the radiation coming from them was little more than a luminous watch.

 

[Coops]

One of the best tench catches I ever had was when floatfishing at night in 3 feet of water with a torch beam lighting up the float.

On the bristol avon one night I shone a torch on a barbel picking up hemp under my feet that I had spilled in the margins when baiting up. It didn't react at all to the light.

Certainly these fish were not put off.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

What about a Traser watch?

Coops, there is so little we know about fish.

That's what makes angling such a fantastic obsession I guess.

 

[jason fisher]

the only times isotopes will be come a problem are if you carry them very close to you such as in your pocket for an extended period or if they break.
a broken one is by far the most serious because any small dust particles can get inside you where radiation really can cause havoc.

 

[ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)]

It wasn't RAC boxes it was motorway phone boxes .....Oooops I've given the game away ...!!!

It wasn't me Honest !!!!!

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

I've done the torch trick but used to go to greater lengths for night legering. We'd have yellow Fairy liquid bottle tops for bobbins - you could pack them with blu-tack and insert different weights for use on rivers - but would illuminate them with a candle glowing in a jar with the bottom knocked out to stop the falme flickering too much. Completing the set up was a big board in front of all this to stop the fish being 'scared' by the light.

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

I've doen the torch trick but used to go to greater lengths for night legering. We'd have yellow Fairy liquid bottle tops for bobbins - you could pack them with blu-tack and insert different weights for use on rivers - but would illuminate them with a candle glowing in a jar with the bottom knocked out to stop the falme flickering too much. Completing the set up was a big board in front of all this to stop the fish being 'scared' by the light.

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

How did that happen?

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

Jeff - have bought headlamp. Cheap Italian one from local shop. Will have to see what it's like Monday.

 

[Wolfman Woody]

Fairy tops, candles in jam jars, and now cheap Italian headlamps. You sure you're not from Yorkshire Nigel?

Just to update you Nigel, I had a fat Billie last night, 10 lbs 5 ozs, from halfway down the concrete, where it drops away. Took it on a Halibut Pellet boilie that had been soaked in Nam Pla for 4 weeks.

As reference to the thread, I caught it under the light from a bright blue sodium lamp, which was useful because my headlamp's batteries went as I caught it.

And I caught it in the time-honoured style - I was dozing off as it took the bait. Woke me up a bit lively, it did.

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

Well done Jeff. The thread made me think about when I fished there - I used the baitdropper to bait up the swim but there was a bright light there at the time behind me. The fish probably weren't worried about the light but me moving around in front of it would have..