Your Opinions?

[sftull]

Getting a new boat setup and I'm debating about using my old light setup or getting a new setup. Your thoughts??

Current setup - three 500w and 4 250w halogens and a 4000w generator.

New setup - 12 -24v LED w/ batteries.

Mostly fish lake Wylie and the ultra clear Catawba river. Getting tired of hearing the generator run but not sure if its worth the money to go to a LED.

[mudeagle]

my next build will be LED's. I still have all of my HPS, ultra bulbs for my halogen fixtures, 3000w generator and I will not think about going back to them. A quiet night is worth every penny in my opinion. The newer chip sets do so much better in murky water too. just my 2cents.

[BOGSTER]

Take me bowfishing mud.

I don't care about shooting much, but I like to drink beer and mark bream beds.

[Dook]

I have slowly swapped out to LED's all over the toon, and in the process of installing some on the alum boat. I think quiet is worth more than anything else. I hate a generator humming.

[gatorsc]

What's clear water? Haven't seen that in years! I'm sure no generator noise would be very enjoyable. I went with a quiet generator and a longer boat on my 2nd round.

[codeman216]

I got a question about this. I've never been bow fishing, looks fun, just never had an opportunity. Would a submersible waterproof light(LED) be beneficial to bow fishing? Better than lights shining down in the water from above?

[sftull]

What watt LED's do you guys recommend?

[cajunwannabe]

Do newer LED's cut the water as good as HPS?

The only reason I love a loud generator is to piss off my neighbors, especially when you have to yell over the generator. They get mad when the lights are reflecting up into their houses anyway, might as well let them hear you coming!

[BigBallin]

I occasionally visit the bowfishing site, they would probably be able to help you more. I have seen some folks that go with LED go back so they might be good folks to ask. I haven't shot over LED's but they are probably decent. I couldn't swing the eu3000 but picked u an EB, still more quiet than almost any other non inverter genny. I have a briggs inverter 2000 w I ran 5 150 HPS off of and it wasn't bad at all. Having shot over 400w HPS for quite a while I gotta get back over em. You can definitely see more over them than any other HPS, MH, or Halogen I have shot over and I have hovered over a good bit. What you lookin for in a new rig, I got an almost complete set up in pieces I am getting rig of together or in pieces. Deck, genny, boat, kicker mount, kicker needs a lil work.
And Bog, my boat is about 3 weeks or so out if you wanna get up on the lake one night.

[BigBallin]

I got a question about this. I've never been bow fishing, looks fun, just never had an opportunity. Would a submersible waterproof light(LED) be beneficial to bow fishing? Better than lights shining down in the water from above?

I say no cause that's something else to knock over or hang the fish up on. HPS do not really put a glare on the water which is why I love em so much. Don't blind you when going over pollen or pads. I say try what you can though. Most folks that are big into it and been doing it a while go through a light progression according to love of the sport, skill level, and finances. Start with a spot light, move up to 12v lights mounted, then a few halogens and a pep boys genny, and eventually wind up in a kicker, fan, or air boat with giant HPS or LED and a ridiculous expensive battery pack or genny.

[quackaddict1]

I have fished over LED, halo, and HPS. My 6 150 watt HPS run by my honda 2000 quiet generator is by far my favorite. They are bright don't glare and get the job done right. I'm sure when I graduate from school and start making real money ill get a bigger boat and bigger HPS but for now the 1548 war eagle and the 6 HPS get the job done well enough where I have killed over 100 fish many of nights. If waters muddy its muddy. Never fished over 400 watt HPS because I have a feeling if I do im gunna break the bank wanting them!!

[dixiedeerslaya]

talking about bowfishing lights in this state is hard to do.... we have so many different types of water in this state that its hard to really give opinions.

there is absolutely no other light to have on your boat other than a 400hps if you are fishing on the santee cooper chain. the 400hps puts out tons of light and is the absolute best in muddy water.

NOW, if you mainly fish above columbia, there are alot more options. in super clear water, you can get away with alot less light. 150hps, halogens, leds, and Metal halides are all good choices. if i only fished clear water i would look hard at a few small metal halides and a 2000 watt honda. or maybe even some leds and a few batteries.

BUT i fish the santee chain 95% of the time so its 4 400hps for me.

[svphotoman]

http://hydroglow.com/ use to have a good selection of LED's, The ones they have on there now have there logos all over them so i'm not sure if that the same one from last season.

also check out http://bow.fishingcountry.com/forums...hp?13-Lighting
there is all the reading you could ever ask for on LED's.

If I had the money and the time to do it over again I would have gone with the LED's.