Every experienced fisher knows that the best time to go fishing is either at dusk or just before dawn. Even at those times of day, light levels tend to be low, particularly during the winter or fall. Then there are those dedicated anglers who are happy to fish all night long. Whether you are keen to get into the water early or try your hand at a spot of night fishing, a headlamp is a useful piece of gear.
Trying to rig your set up by the light of your cell phone flashlight is incredibly challenging. Using a headlamp makes it easier to focus your attention on the water, improving your results. Not all fishing headlamps are created equally, however. While just a couple of decades ago the features were extremely similar from one model to the next, today’s anglers can choose from a variety of options such as beam color and length, battery duration, and charging options.
Beam Color and Length
One critical aspect to consider is beam color. While white may seem the obvious choice, it can be very distracting to other anglers, and in certain situations it can adversely affecting your success. Alternatively, a red beam tends to be easier on the eye for both you and your neighbors, and it can be more useful in aiding night vision than a white light.
For many anglers, beam distance is not a primary consideration since the headtorch is most useful in and around your bivvy. However, if you need to walk a long distance in the darkness to access your fishing spot, then a powerful beam is essential.
Battery Life and Charging
For those planning a longer fishing expedition, a weeklong fishing vacation, you will want to ensure your headtorch does not run out of power partway through the trip. Spare batteries are relatively inexpensive and easy to fit in a knapsack. However, a rechargeable headlamp is more environmentally friendly and can be charged via a battery pack during the day while not being used.
Today, there are a multitude of different headtorches on the market. In this article, we examine four models at different price points.
1. Slonik Cree LED Headlamp (affordable)
An affordable yet surprisingly durable handsfree headtorch, the Slonik Cree LED Headlamp is made from aluminum alloy. It is also fully waterproof with an IPX8 rating, meaning it can be completely submerged for extended periods of time. The headlamp only has a white beam, although it has two brightness modes: bright and dim. Its bright mode is extremely intense, with a 600-meter beam distance, enabling you to navigate your way across the wilderness with ease. I The rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack holds a reasonable amount of power, boasting a battery life of up to 8 hours.
2. Energizer LED Headlamp (affordable)
Equipped with a 360-lumen LED beam, the Energizer LED Headlamp has a light beam of up to 85 meters. Durably built, it has passed the 1-meter drop test and has a shatterproof lens. With an IPX4-rated water-resistant body, it weighs just 3.7 ounces. This model offers numerous light modes, including red, green, flashing red, low, high, wide, and wide low, offering light settings for a multitude of different situations. The brand is known for battery life and quality portable lighting products, and the headtorch is powered by 3 Energizer Max AAA batteries that come with the purchase, lasing up to 50 hours in low mode.
3. Black Diamond Storm 500-R Headlamp (splurge)
World-class outdoor gear company Black Diamond specializes in apparel and equipment for use in the mountains. For its size, the Black Diamond Storm 500-R is impressively powerful, providing up to 500 lumens on the maximum setting, 250 on the medium setting, and six on low, making it versatile enough to cover a range of situations. Incorporating green, blue, and red light for night vision as well as strobe and dimming capabilities, it can be submerged for up to 30 minutes without damage. Sturdy and USB rechargeable, the light is very bright, although it is an investment at its price point.
4. Victoper Rechargeable Headlamp (affordable)
Featuring eight different brightness settings, on its max setting, the Victoper Rechargeable Headlamp produces a dazzling 18000 lumens of light. There is also a red light setting, with varying brightness levels for more stealth. The lights themselves adjust by up to 90 degrees. With a battery life of between five and 10 hours depending on the setting, one of the most impressive features of the Victoper Rechargeable Headlamp is its extremely quick charging time. It recharges fully in about an hour. Another benefit is that this model keeps working in the rain or after being dropped in the water—provided it is not fully submerged for a long time.