Best Kayak Lights for Night Fishing 2023

Best Kayak Lights for Night Fishing 2024

Welcome to Best Kayak Lights for Night Fishing 2024. As an avid kayak angler, it’s inevitable at some stage that ill be fishing in the dark. In fact, locally often peak fishing times are on first and last light. Especially between October and August when the snapper are on. Kayak lights are an essential safety item at night time. To help you see what you’re doing but more importantly so others can see you. So, you are highly visible to others on the water, especially in areas that may have high boat traffic.

Moving into 2024 I thought it was a good idea to review the kayak lighting options available on the market. Really exploring the practical on water usage, features and cost. In refreshing my own lighting I came up with an essential checklist of items I wanted in my refreshed lighting system for my Hobie Pro Angler 14.

Provides adequate lighting
As little or no wiring as possible
Convenient, which takes up minimal room and is easy to store away
Easy to use when on the water
Works with existing railing system, mounts or built-in holders
Easy to assemble and pickup after usage
Includes a High Vis Flag if possible
Durable
Floats should it accidentally fall into the water
Waterproof

YakAttack VISICarbon Pro Review

This is an excellent option which fits the brief above perfectly. It’s portable, takes 2 minutes to assemble and when your finished using it collapses nicely into the flag which also acts as a storage bag. It includes a flag and overall is lightweight, low drag and portable. On the water, it provides an adequate source of light that could be brighter. The handle is non-slip foam and fits nicely into the moulded rod holders. It also floats which is important. It works well with h-rail tracks and moulded rod holders. I store this light in the front hatch, assemble it quickly then fit it into the moulded rod holder behind me to the left which is easy to reach and access.

There is no cabling and no wiring required which is a massive positive. It means I don’t need to wire or purchase an external battery power source or distribution hub. It runs on 3 double AA batteries ( which are included ) and an advertised runtime of 100 hours. At $165 it is an expensive option. It does come with all the items needed including batteries. However, you are paying for pure convenience here. No wiring, easy to store, and easy to assemble. A very smartly made item that could potentially be sold at a cheaper price.

Minor criticisms of the product is that the light could be brighter, and turning the light of and on is a tad clumsy and would be better suited with a more off/on switch in a more convenient area. Of course with light sources powered by AAA batteries you always need to ensure you carry extra batteries when on the water. I bought mine from here.

BerleyPro Orb 360 Kayak Light Review

The BerleyPro Orb is another great option. This 12v powered 360-degree kayak light is one of the better long-term fixed solution. It may not have the convenience of the YakAttack VISICarbon Pro but this 3 piece collapsible 360 light and IP68 LEDs is very bright and sits nice and tall at a great height which is highly visible and out of the way. The only major difference with this item is that it needs to be wired into an external battery source. However, it’s only 2 cables and is quite easy to do. With Gold Plated Connectors, Stainless steel fasteners, Waterproof fuse holder, 3A fuse, 3m of twin core marine cable and Glue lined heat shrink for installation. This can also run from the same power source as your sounder using a small distribution hub and gives you hours of runtime with bright lights. The low current draw at 310mA and works with Railblaza mounting starport and custom connector

This is a great fixed option that provides excellent lighting. For me it’s not quite as convenient as the YakAttach Visicarbon pro as it takes up more storage room with dimensions of 3 Piece 1.1m tall collapsible light, 3 sections height 980mm (38.5”). It also requires its own power source, and doesn’t float or include a visibility flag. That being said If you do a lot of night fishing then this is a far superior long-term option as the 360 light is significantly brighter. The cost is $189 and I did also purchase its own power source using a waterproof FPV 7ah lithium battery which cost $149.

Railblaza Visibility Kit 2 Review

The Railblaza Visibility kit 2 is an improved version of its predecessor. It’s a great entry-level option and at a cost of $129 is one of the more affordable options on the market. The package includes a flag and light solution in 1. The kit overall includes TelePole extendable from 550mm (21.65″) to 1050mm (41.3″), Orange visibility flag, NaviLux 360 kayak light, Directional light shield, StarPort and stainless steel mounting fasteners. Overall the Railblaza Visibility kit 2 is good value but has some issues for starters the light could be significantly brighter and we have had some issues with durability and some components breaking. It’s waterproof to 1 metre and Floats. You power this unit using 3 x AA batteries which are not supplied. Runtime is Full brightness navigation mode up to 25 hours, Low brightness up to 160 hours battery and Flashing emergency Mode over 200hrs.

Simply mount the light into a StarPort HD with the supplied fastenings. The Extenda Pole length is 1 section height of 380mm (15”), and 2 sections height of 680mm (27”). Disassembly, when you’re finished, is quick and easy, and it will store just about anywhere. The i360 light can also be fitted to other RAILBLAZA ports around the kayak, and the Extenda Pole 1000 can be used to display a dive or national flag, or combined with RAILBLAZA camera mounts as a camera pole.

Kayalu Kayalite Kayak Light Review

At $110 this is another affordable option with some pros and cons. It’s built with durable NATO-tested material that’s deep water submersible and IPX8 rated, to its “Secure-Attach™” mounting system which can be used for kayaks, SUPs, canoes, dinghies and more. Simply clip the eyelet onto an area and fasten it by pulling the rope and wrapping the excess into its own cable management tie. The light is 2 LED Bright White LED powered by 3 AA alkaline batteries (included for 100 hours runtime. It is quite durable with buoyant marine grade componentry submersible to 1000 feet (300 m).

General Specifications Height: 18 in. (45.72 cm) & Weight: 10 oz. (285 g). Rugged and reliable, marine-grade components. It can be a tad fiddly to assemble out of the box, but overall usage is very simple once constructed. There are some drawbacks to this system for starters the light could be brighter and also if you mount this behind you it isn’t tall enough so placement position will require some thought.