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Head torches and swim disturbance

Les Daniels said:
I fished the Trent with the "Biggun" backend of August just gone and let us just say that his headtorch was of the brighter variety. Lumens for the Lumen God,
We enjoyed a v good nights fishing and having not seen each other for a number of years I decided to wind in and have a social and catch-up time with him in his swim. I sat there alongside him, watching whilst he shone his torch into the margin, illuminating a shoal of Barbel that was happily foraging under his rod tips and that were in no way whatsoever disturbed by the light. Where as I couldn't actually see his hook bait I could see the Barbel clearly rooting for food. It was a very surreal feeling watching his rod tip bend round and then seeing the hooked individual bolt whilst the rest of the shoal carried on regardless.
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Having night fished rivers and lakes since 1962 I always was led to believe that bright lights even the glow of a fag would spook fish !
but I have found out it makes little difference if any like you

a good few years ago a friend bought one of these rechargeable one million candle power lights and we crept around the margins illuminating loads and loads of fish never once did they take any notice ?
however shuffle your feet and away they would go !! having said all that I dont like using lights unless on the red option as prefer my natural night vision not to be affected its only since returning to Barbel fishing that I use a light to land fish as TBH worried about falling in as the banks are not nice and flat like lakes :oops:

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Darren Hawen said:
Possibly nothing more irritating when fishing at night than being in the proximity of anglers who like a bit of 'light'...
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Exactly my feelings Darren, I like the dark to be dark and not looking upwards for marauding Heinkel bombers caought in the searchlights.
 
I KNOW its not the same

but purely out of interest I have a pal long since retired and spends his time cruising in his boat on the Trent his sounder is a very expensive thing costing over 2 thousand pounds so not a toy !!
and he knows I fish and said to me its truly amazing Gerry I am cruising along and the sounder will bleep away merrily showing the fish but all of a sudden it will go completely silent !!
and I look at the banks and every time I will see lines of umbrellas with people fishing then just as suddenly the bleeping will come back I look up and not a sign of an Umbrella any where
and its always the same all the way up and down the river obviously not the lights but probably the lines in the water and the noise

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Chris Belcher said:
Used to be a headtorch stealth merchant; using red wherever possible to retain night vision and only the brightest setting to land fish in tricky spots / pack up in the dark etc - now I actually don't really think it matters that much in reality; both on lakes and in rivers. Having a super annoying bright headtorch annoys other anglers more than fish IME . . .

Would recommend the Nitecore NU25 (have been through the whole gamut of Petzls / Lensers / Energizers over the years) - the Sunblesa is the pikey version but almost as good - very light / bright / comfy and easy to operate as well as being rechargeable . . .
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Well looks like my fear of head torches are unfounded , indeed any kind of light on the water , I guess as we all know what you were taught n childhood stays with you for the rest of your life . On the advice from members here I went out and bought a Ridgemonkey VRH150 head torch and my first outing last night on the Swale, I sat with the green light on medium setting for around 3 hours in the dark and was very impressed with the green ambience , it was almost mood lifting . loved the fact I could look around for bits an bobs in the swim without a bright white light.
even re bait and re cast . I’m converted !
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