Lights Scare Fish?

[Sluggo]

When it gets dark in the fish house, will having a light on affect fish biting?

[CatDaddy]

Not a black and white answer, but here's what I've experienced:

- Most often it doesn't affect them
- Sometimes Mother Nature throws unidentified variables that seem to make light affect them significantly

I haven't been able to quite figure out why light affects them some days but not others.....Livescope is the tool I've used to see what I think is "light aversion". Watching fish stay just outside the area I assume is being affected by the light in my house was eye opening. Similar to watching them scatter as I walk across the ice to where I last saw them on Livescope.

However, most often light doesn't seem to affect them. Spearing might be a different animal.

[KDM]

Lights do NOT affect fish IME. Shadows....MOST DEFINITELY affect fish. Lights right at the hole are constant and can actually be a benefit. Having a light above you so when you move about you throw a shadow across the hole will F up fishing real quick. I've fished so many dock lights it's stupid. These lights brought the fish in. Standing or moving on the dock with the lights casts shadows into the water and I caught ZIP. Position is everything. Take it for what it's worth. Be Safe!!!

[snow1]

Low light in shallow water icefishing seems to make a difference as well as very little shack noise,like shuffeling items in the shack loud talking,radio etc has been my experience...8-10fow anyway.

This applies to finicky walleyes....

[701FishSlayer]

I damn near sit in the dark in the flipover .Bright Light matters imo. Buddy had his lit up like a christmas tree, music blaring i was dark, guess who wacked n stacked. Maybe im crazy.

[1lessdog]

I remember the days when Cabela's and Bass Pro sold the Crappie lights. They would float on the water with a Styrofoam covering and light would shine down into the water. I seen them used down south all the time. They must have work as I seen many people using them.

[xflfan69]

Fished a river for eyes last night in 6ft of water. Not a fish would come in when my headlight was on. Shut it off, and boom they hit it right away. I think lights do scare fish especially in shallow water.

[Sluggo]

I am mainly asking about ice fishing. I feel like results during the summer could be different than winter.

[svnmag]

I believe proper use of lighting activates the food chain. A couple cans of tuna or cat food doesn't hurt. Drill a separate hole to suspend a glowstick.

[johnr]

I believe proper use of lighting activates the food chain. A couple cans of tuna or cat food doesn't hurt. Drill a separate hole to suspend a glowstick.

I am not sure the chum works, it never has for me in the last ditch attempt to get a final bite.

[Wall-eyes]

Spearing I will say for sure no light is best ice fishing with hole with no house hit miss. Fish bite when they decide to, seem's right about dark or before first light is best at times, kinda like deer etc.. Shadows are bad as mentioned above.

[BotnoJoe]

It seems pretty common to spear a fish right after setting up/moving around. sawing out a hole, clearing the hole of ice/slush, lowering decoy, setting up tipups, opening/closing door while getting setup. I have seen pike appear to spook while moving in the spear house but sometimes noise seems to bring in curious fish as well. My father does an above average amount of spearing (5-10 ft), almost always has the radio going

[svnmag]

I am not sure the chum works, it never has for me in the last ditch attempt to get a final bite.

Mr. Farts

[Migrator Man]

I damn near sit in the dark in the flipover .Bright Light matters imo. Buddy had his lit up like a christmas tree, music blaring i was dark, guess who wacked n stacked. Maybe im crazy.

Not crazy. Loud noise and lights can absolutely kill a bite. Even loud talking can spook weary walleyes. Out fished others many times because they were loud and I kept quiet. Have seen them react on cameras before and learned my lesson ever since.