Flashlight for night fishing

BeesNuts

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 7, 2025
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15
Location
alberta
Hey now. How you doing? First time poster here.

So I'm looking for a good flashlight that is light in weight and is somewhat compact. Its use is walking through the woods while night fishing to get my spot and then to get back to my truck.

It needs to be Atleast ip67 and if it has a red led as well, that's a bonus.

I already have an idea of which flashlight I should get and that is the fenix HT32. Let me know what my other options could be, bc on all honesty I can't find any.

I'm over OLight (I have a marauder). Streamlight has such a vast catalog I don't even know where to begin. Surefire seems like it's tailored to LEO and military and isn't quite out of my price range but again, I don't know where to begin.

I could use a little guidance.
 
I use a 1x18650 powered headlamp with a diffuse, even, broad beam with a neutral to warm tint. This is worn constantly after dark regardless of if it's turned on or not and always at the ready.
Hands free lighting is essential for me during fishing and on the trails/commute.
In conjunction I use a small thrower type light (1x18350) which I use generally in short bursts when I need to see at distance when navigating obstacles or to assess for potential dangers and hazards. This gets all to most use whilst commuting and on the trails.
Both lights are IP68 from memory, easy to use, reliable and fairly rugged. I like gear of decent quality and stay away from cheap/nasty.

Rather than focusing specifically on recommending brands/models, the above is what I use and would generally recommend. I'll leave it up to others to recommend particulars and yourself to research what might appeal.
 
You just gave me a good idea. 90 degree flashlight on the backpack, I have a petzl aria headlamp and I should be good to go.
 
What part of Alberta if you don't mind me asking? There is a huge variety of terrains that might affect your selection. The style of your fishing might also affect your light choice. Also where are you planning on purchasing the light? As a Canadian our choices are really quite limited unless you purchase online. I would suggest you fill out this checklist so we can help narrow down your selection https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/flashlight-recommendation-checklist-updated-mk-ii.372269/ post your results here.

This is also a good link to narrow down your choices. Dont be afraid of the prices listed on this site, many can be purchased for less than listed here. Parametrek Flashlights

Either way I would suggest a headlamp of some sort. Acebeam and Nitecore make some quality lights. I would say go rechargeable 18650's with the option to use cr123's as a back up if you need to. This should give you a long run time. Again, as a Canadian cr123's are not cheap and can be hard to find locally so try not to rely on them as your primary power source.

Perhaps a 2 light system might be better for you, a headlamp while fishing and a handheld while walking.
 
What part of Alberta if you don't mind me asking? There is a huge variety of terrains that might affect your selection. The style of your fishing might also affect your light choice. Also where are you planning on purchasing the light? As a Canadian our choices are really quite limited unless you purchase online. I would suggest you fill out this checklist so we can help narrow down your selection https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/flashlight-recommendation-checklist-updated-mk-ii.372269/ post your results here.

This is also a good link to narrow down your choices. Dont be afraid of the prices listed on this site, many can be purchased for less than listed here. Parametrek Flashlights

Either way I would suggest a headlamp of some sort. Acebeam and Nitecore make some quality lights. I would say go rechargeable 18650's with the option to use cr123's as a back up if you need to. This should give you a long run time. Again, as a Canadian cr123's are not cheap and can be hard to find locally so try not to rely on them as your primary power source.

Perhaps a 2 light system might be better for you, a headlamp while fishing and a handheld while walking.
I'm outside of Edmonton, so I am fishing the North Saskatchewan River for Lake Sturgeon at night.

I am American but live up here. My daughter is Canadian. So I do have a way to get stuff shipped up here, it's really just not always convenient.

I'm gonna look at those links you posted
 
I second the recommendation for a headlamp. If you are looking for a budget 90 degree light with dual red/white and can clip on your shirt or rotate to be a hand held flashlight, check out the Coast HX4: https://coastportland.com/collections/led-flashlights/products/hx4
I keep a couple of these in my boat for night fishing and also serve double duty for shore camping. It has been a great utility light and surprisingly well engineered at this price point.
 
Your pretty close to me so I imagine our lighting needs would be the same. On the NSR a headlamp is definitely a must with sturgeon fishing since you cant really pull them on shore to release them. Usually you have to wade into the water to release them. Not much for aggressive 4 legged predators in the area to worry about but there is the possibility of the 2 legged variety depending on how close you are fishing to the city.
Off the top of my head I would suggest the following.
Sofirn H25LR(D25LR) LED Rechargeable 660nm Deep Red Headlamp
Wuben H1 or the Klarus HL1, they basically appear to be the same light just different brand.
Most of the Nitecore lights have a red LED so there are plenty of options here https://flashlight.nitecore.com/ILLUMINATION/Headlamps

The Acebeam H15 2.0 looks like a good contender as well https://www.acebeam.com/h15-20 I really like Acebeam's quality. I'm going to pick up one of these next time I see them on sale.
 
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