Question Thoughts on mounted light on a speargun?

[Itsdavidyang]

Hi everybody, question on whether a mounted light is worth it. I just moved to Florida after sporadically doing spear trips once or twice a year. I dive both gulf and Atlantic side, and the keys. Floridians know what that looks like, sometimes ledges, sometimes wrecks, stuff like that. I added a mount for a light on my gun that can carry a 1000 lumen light. But is that something that people do? Is it effective to use the light to look in holes for grouper and the light? Does the light blind and disorient fish or does it have the opposite effect where they flee from the light? I’m not a huge lobster guy, much prefer fish.

 

[happy-diver]

Brilliant idea put it next to the paralenz but not in the same line angle the light off a bit
so you don't blow out your picture
Although Philippe Cousteau is in the middle of a minor shark frenzy whilst I'm watching
The Odyssey at the moment, so you may have to bring a powerhead, have you got one

 

[Belzelbub]

Hi everybody, question on whether a mounted light is worth it. I just moved to Florida after sporadically doing spear trips once or twice a year. I dive both gulf and Atlantic side, and the keys. Floridians know what that looks like, sometimes ledges, sometimes wrecks, stuff like that. I added a mount for a light on my gun that can carry a 1000 lumen light. But is that something that people do? Is it effective to use the light to look in holes for grouper and the light? Does the light blind and disorient fish or does it have the opposite effect where they flee from the light? I’m not a huge lobster guy, much prefer fish.

Yes, people do attach a light. At least I do. Originally, I attached it to the spike on my Ocean Rhino muzzle. Worked fine. However, I saw a thread here about using a small section of picatinny rail, and decided to go that route. I like that installation better.

As to your question, yes it works for peering under ledges, etc. I don't leave the light on all the time, but haven't noticed that it causes fish to flee or anything like that.

 

[rhwestfall]

I don't think Mako sells stuff that isn't actually normal to use ..

Lights/mounts​

 

[Johnoly]

...Is it effective to use the light to look in holes for grouper.....

It's like driving a car in fog (ie silt). Blasting your high beams (1000 lumens) won't work cause you can't see. Many flashlights have dimmers but all start on high. Spearo's hunt by shape, not color underwater, so you want just enough light beam to see the fish outline. And it won't spook the fish to slide sideways deeper in a tunnel. My custom gun is drilled in the tip with a 125 lumen pencil light. It's the perfect amount to look without spooking but also enough to lay down my unbanded gun towards the hole with the light on so I can reach in and grab the gills.

If he's really rocked up, it's going to take your 2nd spare shaft to calm him down. Many times I'll do a perfectly angled 2nd shot so that I can leave the shaft in the fish, then “re-thread' the shaft back into my gun and it gives a HUGE amount of grip pulling power to get the fish out. If you are going to hunt on wrecks instead of the reefs as you mentioned, then that's going to be a different gun and different light setup because it's a much tighter sideways angle typically to look for fish. No single gun setup will be right for all types of hunting, that's why most of us have more than 1 gun.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

My pneumatic carbine is my primary gun for lingcod and I use an Orcatorch D550 and Dano's mount.

 

[CuzzA]

Hi everybody, question on whether a mounted light is worth it. I just moved to Florida after sporadically doing spear trips once or twice a year. I dive both gulf and Atlantic side, and the keys. Floridians know what that looks like, sometimes ledges, sometimes wrecks, stuff like that. I added a mount for a light on my gun that can carry a 1000 lumen light. But is that something that people do? Is it effective to use the light to look in holes for grouper and the light? Does the light blind and disorient fish or does it have the opposite effect where they flee from the light? I’m not a huge lobster guy, much prefer fish.

Yes, you need a light to look in and under stuff. Mounting to a gun works well. Having the ability to take the light off is important as well in case you need to dig in deep under a ledge and your gun needs to be out of the way.

Lights often freeze fish when shined on them. They also tend to make fish appear bigger than they are.

You want enough punch ftom your light to cut through silt. 1000 lumen is probably overstated by the manufacturer for a light small enough to be mounted, but even 500 lumen is plenty enough light.