Night fishing and lights.

[Roba22]

Ok I have a night fishing question that has kind of brothered me all summer. Well to be honest it has brothered me for as long as I have been night fishing but I have never just came out and asked this question before becasue i was worried I might stir up a mess. I am not 100% sure of the TN state law but I have always believed that all manually driven vessels MUST exhibit both bow and a sternlight, from sunset to sunrise when not at dock, powerd or not right???

If I am correct then why do i keep seeing fisherman/boaters NOT doing this? I ask only because I want to be sure I fully understand if that is the law that everyone should live by or if there is something I don't know about. I have only got out night fishing a couple times this summer but it never fails that while I am out I see the same things at leats once a trip. for example. Boats ONLY turing their running lights on if they are under power or while fishing turn them on if another powered boat gets closer. I have also been fishing and seen a boat come in under lights only to turn them off once they get to a spot and the only way you can see them is their black lights. As other boats came into the area we were in they would flash their lights to signal they were there and then back to black. Most of the boats I see do this are bank fishing as I would say that 99% of all boats out in the channels/ running areas have at least some kind of bright light on if not their running lights then some spot/bait lights. I know that the bugs drive you nuts and I hate the glare off my stern light too. I also know that a black light works better if they are the only light... BUT i would never not have a light on so that others could see me. Maybe thats just me but i also thought it was the law. So i'm asking you all know how you feel about it. Have you ever seen boaters turn their lights out too? Am I wrong about the law? is it different from state to state?

 

[fishmedic]

Ive seen this too and almost hit a few over the years. I thought that you HAD to have your stern light on at all times from sunset to sunrise and your bow lights on while underway. Im sure these guys can set us straight. Ive always been extra cautious at night looking for that dim black glow and of course the white streak of a jet ski wake.

 

[nimrod777]

Friend of mine received a ticket, recently, for sitting unlit while fishing, even though he was signalling when another boat would go by. Have to keep it lit. And I believe it's mostly the bugs that drive folks crazy and make them want to turn them off.

 

[EricM]

At night, if you are NOT anchored or moored, you must exhibit ALL running lights (red & green front, white rear). This INCLUDES drifting, using the trolling motor, etc.
If you are anchored, you must use the anchor light (white) if you are in an area that other vessels normally navigate.
Pretty simple, but there are lots of folks out there that don't know the rules or just choose to ignore the law and endanger themselves and others.

 

[Roba22]

well good then I'm not the only one seeing this and I'm also not wrong in believeing that you MUST always have your lights ON. However you really have to worry about the others out there who do not fallow the rules. I kind of forgot about the jet skies in my first post but they too are out there at night and they have NO lights even on them... I geuss you just have to be extra careful!

 

[Guest]

You almost need a strobe light on the back sometimes, some people don't have a lick of scense about driving anything. If I am sitting with my running lights on I will also flash oncoming boats with my q beam. I don't trust anyone running wide open in the dark.

 

[SpurHunter]

I got a verbal warning for a bad anchor light early this year, and got the info from the horse's mouth. If you are on the water at night-you better have the right lights on! </p>

If the "man" sees you turn them on when a boat approches, he is getting a ticket-end of story! </p>

But really dont get me started on the guys that run 80mph without lights....jeez!</p>

 

[Pointer 78]

Robert, the reason you see alot of boats on the water at night without lights is because there is very little law enforcement present on the water. It's been that way for years. I've fished most every Friday and Saturday night during the Summer for years in areas where the traffic is the heaviest on the entire lake and I see law enforcement on the water maybe once a Summer. This year was the same. These idiots know they're more than likely going to get away with it because there's no one around to catch them.

 

[skinnywater]

I teach the Boating safety course here in Birmingham. I am a member of the Coast Guard AUx. As stated by the other person you must exhibit "running lights" when running or not at dock or at anchor. When at anchor in a harbor area or near shore you should show a white all around anchor light. If you are on the Tenn river and in a shipping lane you should not anchor at all in case you must get out of the way of a barge or a large vessel.
One other thing, sometimes you might see a boat running at night with forward lights like head lights. This is also not allowed and can get you a ticket. Those lights are to be used only when docking, hence the name docking lights. These light impair the night vision of other boaters and should not be used.
Here in Alabama the Marine police work with us when we teach the course, a great many of the fatalities that they respond to are due to a bass boat running wide open at night and they run through the back of a pontoon that is either anchored with no lights or the stern light is out. Mostly of the bass boats run through them before they even knew they were there. We had 4 fatalities due to this year alone.

 

[fish4thepeck]

I night fish alot. Been checked several times on the Hollow and Tims. It's law that the lights got to be on after sundown Running or not. The white light in the back impairs your vision especially when there in no moon. I obey the law and use my lights. I will put a little piece of black tape covering half the white light just to block it from my eyes when fishing. While I'm running I take it off.

 

[smokinbasser]

a black frisbee with a slot cut in it and slipped over the stern light pole will block the light in the boat but still comply with the laws. No black frisbees? several stacked paper plates will accomplish the same job.

 

[Daren12]

This happened to us this morning. Heading up ther river and could barely make out the boat sitting at the edge of the channel. No lights on nor did they ever turn them on. We were on the water about an hour prior to daybreak.


Daren

 

[Roba22]

I made this same post on another web-forum and you would not believe the replys I got. It even started a fight between members. I know that I always seem to see fisherman out there ignoring the law but some are down right ugly about it. this is a matter of LIFE and DEATH plus it's a Fed. law but some just flat out say BLANK BLANK!emoEvil emoMad Untill the state desides to make this a more important issue to adderss I geuss I had better just learn to pay extra attention when I am out of the water after dark.