Newbie Needs Help Selecting Fishing Flashlight

G

GDP

Guest
Hey guys, came up on this site looking for info on the Inova X5. I know next to nothing about flashlights, but I'm wondering about flashlights for fishing.

Just a light to take out to go through lures, tie knots, bait hooks, etc. Something that is at least water resistant, battery efficient, durable, bright enough to do this sort of thing as well as explore a shoreline about 5-10 feet away, and most important: compact (around the same size as the X5) and lightweight with easy/quick on-off switch (no twisting head).

Anyone here have a suggestion? Looking for something affordable. Doesn't have to be the X5; I know how informative forums can be because I'm a member of a Corvette forum and get tons of info there, so I was thinking you guys here would be able to give an ideal flashlight idea. Can be any type of bulb as long as it's efficient on batteries like I mentioned. TIA!
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FalconFX

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You might want to look into a headlamp if you're going to use your hands frequently for other tasks. Something in the Petzl family of headlamps could do. Or if you're looking for something brighter, there's Elektrolumens's Luxeon Star based headlamp...

Otherwise, for a small, compact and bright light, you can look into an Arc LS that feeds off of a CR123A battery, or you can go the way of a minimag light that's retrofitted with a BadBoy/MadMax or Inretech LS dropin. You can add a kroll clickie to the tail and have it clickable.

Sometimes, with PowerBait and slick bait juice (trout juice lure), I found it quite difficult to turn on my Arc AAA or an Inova X5 by twisting it, so a clickable switch is definately good for a handheld flashlight...

BTW: Welcome to CPF! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

Sigman

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Maybe an Infinity Ultra or a Streamlight Clipmate clipped to a ballcap? It's inexpensive (if dropped in the drink), lights up my living room just fine in the dark...would surely light up the shoreline 5-10' away (but not like an incandescent beam). Would be great for baiting hooks and tying nots...(oops "no twisting head" rules these out!)

A lightweight headlamp - very acceptable/preferable. Anything that would leave both hands free...I like my Petzl Tikka, but there are many to choose from!
 

paulr

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Mar 29, 2003
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Jeez, for most non-flashaholics, 20 bucks (what an Infinity Ultra costs) for a flashlight is expensive!

There used to be lots of decent 3-5 dollar 2AA pocket lights in drug stores (e.g. Duracell made a nice one). I don't know why you don't really see them any more.

I'd say look at some of the smaller Princeton Tec lights (Rage, Blast) which are in the 6-10 dollar range:

http://store.yahoo.com/skishop/printecflas.html

is the cheapest source of them I've seen. (I haven't ordered from them yet or might do so soon). The slightly more expensive Attitude uses three LED's in the same body as the Rage. You get less brightness (enough for what you've said you want though) and more runtime, and maybe more importantly you don't have to worry about the lamp burning out.

Other nice lights include the 2AAA UKE lights, in penlight, side-by-side, and LED versions, all around 10 bucks from brightguy.com.

The PT and UKE lights are marketed as dive lights and are supposedly waterproof to hundreds of feet, so water resistance shouldn't be an issue. I don't know about anyone actually using such a small light for diving though.

Edit: Oh whoops, these all have twist bezels (I think you'll find that of almost all small waterproof lights). Try not to be put off by that, they are easy to operate. To get away from it you might go to something like a Brinkmann Legend with a click tailswitch.
 

PJD

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Mar 20, 2002
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IMHO, a PT Attitude would be a good choice. It's waterproof if you drop it in the drink; if you need more light you can put a Rage LA in it, and for "hands free" operation you can put it in a Nite-Ize head band...sorta gives ya the best of both worlds: a hand-held and a headlight all in one!

PJD
 

pedalinbob

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all great ideas--hopefully here is another: since you like clickies, an opalec in minimag and kroll tailswitch might be good. and you can use it with a headband, and it should be bright enough, but not too bright. cost: about $35.

quite a bit brighter would be the inretech and Badboy/Madmax dropins--in minimag bodies and kroll tailswitches.

doesnt mag make colored filters for the minimag? red might be nice for night fishing.

other possibilities: PT aurora, which has a button switch and 3 light levels--plus 2 flashing levels. $20 from brightguy with a pulsar.

or a SL4AA7LED. has a clickie, bright, waterproof. might be too bright, and i dont think you can use it as a headlamp.

another? how about an eternalight? to make a headlamp, you can put velcro on it, and stick it to a hat.

good luck!

Bob
 

BrianC

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Apr 1, 2003
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Definitely look into a headlamp, because with fishing you frequently need two hands. Look into a model with and LED mode and a halogen lamp. A Rayovac Sportsman which can be found at Walmart for under $15 isn't the best but it should do the job.

You'll also want a backup light if you needed to do a battery change in the dark. A CMG Ultra, Arc AAA, or a Photon clone would do well.
 

SilverFox

Flashaholic
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Jan 19, 2003
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Bellingham WA
Hello GDP,

Welcome.

I agree, the Petzl Tikka is a good head lamp for fishing. The switch may be a little bit of a challenge when your hands get slimy and cold, but it still is a great light.

Others I fish with use an ARC AAA light with the pocket clip turned backwards and clipped on the bill of their hat. This light has a twist on switch, but with over 5 hours of light on a battery, they just turn it on and leave it on until they are done fishing.

Another choice is to have a small fluorescent lantern on the beach and do your tying by the light.

I have used a Princeton Tec 20 (it uses 2 AA batteries) for years and it works fine. It is not expensive, but has a twist on switch. The light and bezel is big enough to have no problems turning it on in spite of what you might have on your hands and it is water proof so you can wash it off in the water.

Tom
 

Carpe Diem

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Nov 9, 2001
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Hi GDP...

Welcome aboard, so to speak!

I concur with the recommendations others have already made, especially a headlamp and/or an Arc AAA.

AND, if you`re willing to spend the money (around $100 to $125), I`d also highly recommend a Surefire L1. Two nice levels of LED light...in a small and extememly high quality package.

Best wishes to you!
 
G

GDP

Guest
Elektrolumen's headlamp looks awesome! Do I email for cost? I do most of my fishing out on a boat and not on shore. Elektrolumen's looks ideal except for its size. Looking for one that fits in a tackle box. Would this one fit? It's one of those nylon tackle boxes that holds a bunch of six little plastic ones inside, and zips up. It's meant to hold six, but I managed to squeeze in seven. So as you can imagine, space in the other pockets is somewhat cramped.
 

paulr

Flashaholic
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Mar 29, 2003
Messages
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Elektrolumen's headlamp is on his website, www.elektrolumens.com. It uses a Luxeon LED so it's probably brighter than you're looking for. You could also check out the PT Aurora.
 
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