Are fish afraid of lights?

[Ron Troversial Clay]

Many years ago if you went night fishing you were told by the experts to avoid showing as much as a fag end.

In fact some of my friends at that time went around in the daytime wearing dark glasses so that their "night vision" might not be destroyed.

These days, many anglers are seen with torches and headlamps flashing all over the place at night. I certainly would not be without a headlamp at night, especially on the banks of the Tidal Trent.

However do torches and other lights scare fish at night. Might they even attract them. I have shone a powerful torch into rivers before today and watched roach feed in the beam.

What do you think?

 

[Blunderer]

VEry interesting topic.
Fish only avoid something if they have learnt that it is going to cause them harm. So I suppose if fish are continually caught from an area of the lake that is lit up by torches it may spook them.
But they are very curious by nature and, I suspect, could be attracted to them on a lightly fished water.

 

[alan]

in the sea i look for reflected lights and lit up areas, as ive found the fish gather there.

 

[Baz]

I also go fish spotting with a powerfull lamp in the winter. It doesn't startle them at all.
Also, their is some little light gizmo that you can tye on an artificial fly isn't there?

 

[Graham Whatmore]

When I was in the RN we used to shine the big 10 inch lights into the water at night and within a couple of minutes it was heaving with fish. Even the sharks used to come into the light when we were in the far east.

It seemed as if they were attracted by the light rather than frightened, so I don't see that freshwater fish would act any differently.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

There used to be a fisheries bylaw that stated that the capture of fish using lights was prohibited. I believe that this meant shining a powerful torch into the water, thus attracting species such as bream and roach.

I have caught many carp using a shaded gas lamp projected at the water. They did seem to be attracted by it and often rolled in its beam. Trout are attracted by lights, perhaps because many night fly insects that are also attracted, fall in the water and get eaten.

Yes Baz I have used a spinner bait at night with a beta light tied to it for bass and can assure you it works, perhaps too well.

 

[Tim Ridge]

I've shone a light on perch in the margins at night and they didn't even seem to notice it which is strance since they are said to be very sensitive to light. Perhaps they react to something else that we haven't thought of that coincides with daylight?

 

[Wolfman Woody]

Blackpool North pier used to yield soem great catches of fish at one time. Even during the period of the lights.

I've watched a heron catching its fill of bleak in the pool of light created by a large sodium lamp.

One of the matches we always usd to hold was a late evening match where the general practice was for everyone to illuminate their quiver tips with a Tilly or Coleman lamp. The brighter the better and boats passing must have thought it looked like Blackpool.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

Perch, being predatory fish are certainly sight feeders although they can sense flavours very well - especially worms. I can't ever seem to remember catching a perch at night and I've fished many waters at night with worms for other species that have been full of perch.

However we must never lay down hard and fast rules. I remember an article in the 60s in the old "Fishing" magazine written by Frank Guttfield entitled "Unexpected Perch and Eels." In this article he described how he caught perch at night.

There's still a lot we don't know about our quarry.

 

[Merv Harrison]

I've been told that an old trick, was to lay a landing net on the bottom, shine a light down a length of drainpipe onto the net, and catch the fish that were attracted, also the light couldnt be seen by any 'interested' parties.

 

[Baz]

I remember as a lad using one of those half a crown torches from garages to iluminate my float with on the local pond.
although I was catching small perch and the odd roach, my mate used to say turn youre torch off you are scaring the fish??

 

[Bill Eborn]

Does it depend on the species? When I fish for Chub at night in the winter I am almost pathological about ot shining a light on the water. I don't know if I would be more successful if I did though because I have never done it. I think a lot of the more hard core Bass anglers down here in Brighton also avoid some of the more popular spots because they think the use of lights spooks the Bass

 

[alan]

bass are not put off by lights, i have caught many bass and pout with a little starlight by the bait. my best night fishing was using a light near the bait.

 

[ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)]

How do we know fish can even see light and dark ---in the same way that we do anyway.............

 

[Wolfman Woody]

Good point Ed. Same with colours!!

Here's the definitive answer.

I just went outisde with a 10 x LED torch that is very bright. I switched on and waved it over the pond. All the fish just stayed where they were as if to say "What's that daft bugger up to now?"

The answer to "Are fish afraid of lights?" - is NO!

 

[Andy "the Dog" Nellist]

Noise, vibration, light smell and colour can all attract or for that matter repel fish.

Different species react in different ways and their reaction can vary depending on their size, the time of year etc. Big Bream seem to be very timid except when spawning and at the opposite end of the spectrum Tench are extremely inquisitive fish.

I spent an evening last week watching small Zander react to light. They were very attracted to light on the water and would happily feed in the light (a torch beam) but they were frightened of light sources and would not feed close to them (a starlight).

Watching them in the light showed clearly just how tackle shy they were and also how incredibly suspicious they were if a bait did not behave naturally.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

Good post Andy. I have found like you that tench are very inquisitive. Within 10 minutes of dragging a swim in June, tench were all over the place. They do not seem to be put off by lights either. Years ago, as an experiment when no other anglers were on the water, me and a friend shone a couple of very powerful torches directly into a small lake. We caught lots of tench.

Certainly I have caught lots of barbel on the Trent at night using a head torch. It certainly doesn't put them off.

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

Very interesting topic once again Ron. I was brought up in the era of 'don't show a glimmer of light' on the water. But as you say there are more headlamps about now and a some Thames carp anglers etc keep a lamp running all night. I've never shone a torch into the water to check what fish do due to what I'd been 'taught'. I think a light being on water all night must be like a moored boat and something that fish are well used to.

Andy - good to see you posting, haven't heard a lot from you lately. Been putting the hours in on the bank?

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

By the way - I don't have a headlamp but will be getting one. Holding a maglite between your teeth can be embarrassing in the presence of ACA vp elect Cheeky!

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

Don't try fishing the Tidal Trent at night Nigel without a decent headlamp.

I did on several occasions in the past and once nearly drowned myself.

I was playing a double figure barbel at the time.