# HPS-Not the magic bullet!!



## wareagle22 (Oct 3, 2007)

Well I have now tried both metal halides and High pressure sodium lights and there is quite a bit of difference between the two. But if you are looking for the fish to just jump out and say "You got me" you will be disappointed in both!! The bowfishing website makes it seem like the fish will GLOW in the lights and this is just not the case. The HPS lights do cut down on the glare but if there are no fish there to start with, you ain't gonna see them with any light. Do they give you a slight advantage? Yes, but $400 worth? I think not! I have realized that floundering takes WAY more knowledge of WHERE the fish are and WHEN they will be there. You can spend all the money you want on generators and lights and still not gig SHIT!!!(as I have learned). So, if you are looking to gain a distinct advantage over the conventional giggers (DFA, midnight rider and some others) you are going to be disappointed if you don't know the patterns to follow. Just having the lights don't make them jump in the boat, believe me, I know!! Just my $.02 worth...............


----------



## FlounderAssassin (Sep 28, 2007)

how are they with a ripple on the water??? i like my halogens but when there is a ripple i cant hardly see anything...much less a flounder well hidden on the bottom. and also do they cut the murkey water better like some have said??? thanks for the info.


----------



## wareagle22 (Oct 3, 2007)

I have never tried the halogen lights so I really don't know. The HPS were much better than the MH when looking through the ripples. As far as the murky water, it was really dingy Friday night and you could only see about 2 feet in most places. If the water is fairly clear, they work great. The point I was trying to make is "YOU HAVE TO BE WHERE THE FLOUNDER ARE TO SEE THEM!!" We still managed to gig 5 but we covered a lot of ground to find them. Also saw a bunch of short fish.


----------



## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

This is a question for anyone that I'd like the answer to.



It's just a curiosity on my part.



I always turn my GPS on and zero the millage out at the start.



My average trip in the past was 24 or 25mi. This is round trip on the outboard and TM.



What is yours?


----------



## FlounderAssassin (Sep 28, 2007)

> *wareagle22 (8/12/2008)*I have never tried the halogen lights so I really don't know. The HPS were much better than the MH when looking through the ripples. As far as the murky water, it was really dingy Friday night and you could only see about 2 feet in most places. If the water is fairly clear, they work great. The point I was trying to make is "YOU HAVE TO BE WHERE THE FLOUNDER ARE TO SEE THEM!!" We still managed to gig 5 but we covered a lot of ground to find them. Also saw a bunch of short fish.


i hear ya on that one! i know it sucks when i go out and fish for 4-5 hrs and dont get any or just 1 or 2 and come home to see a post from someone that got their limit the same night. :banghead but i guess the hunt is part of what makes it so fun.


----------



## FlounderAssassin (Sep 28, 2007)

> *X-Shark (8/12/2008)*This is a question for anyone that I'd like the answer to.
> 
> It's just a curiosity on my part.
> 
> ...


im assuming thats from the boat ramp and back correct? my hand held GPS died on me a wile back so i havnt checked it latly but the last time i did i just downloaded the tracks into my laptop and measured the distance fishing and if i remember right it was5 miles or so. its been a wile since i did that so i cant remember how long we fished that night.


----------



## Flounder9.75 (Sep 28, 2007)

What i want to know is do you have a bigger pic of your Avatar.


----------



## Five Prongs Of Fury (Apr 15, 2008)

I don't have a gps but I have tracked my route as close as possible on Google and come up with about 30-35 miles combined outboard and TM on some of the bigger places. I know that sounds like a lot but if you cover every nook and cranny of a place it adds up in a hurry. I plan on getting a GPS eventually to keep track of my movement as well. I am just not sure which one would be the best for the money.


----------



## FlounderAssassin (Sep 28, 2007)

> *Flounder9.75 (8/12/2008)*What i want to know is do you have a bigger pic of your Avatar.


:clap:clap:clap


----------



## BuckWild (Oct 2, 2007)

> *Flounder9.75 (8/12/2008)*What i want to know is do you have a bigger pic of your Avatar.


thats just what i was thinking


----------



## onoahi (Oct 5, 2007)

agreed. please post full pic of avatar.


----------



## Shiznik (Feb 24, 2008)

We are almost done with re-rigging our boat with Halogens and I don't post a lot pics on here and I do think the main reason is the 12v system is for the birds! When using 3 w/ 100w bulbs in them, we still approach large logs or obstructions before we can have time to react to them with the boat. Sometimes this is from drifting and the wind too. I do check all the obstructions for Flounder when we find them, but I can't wait until I have the Halogens onboard. My theory is going to be, the more we go and the more areas we cover, I'll learn the patterns for them in our area. I am soooo wanting to be done with our rig its rediculous, guess I should take the gig out of the living room I have laying by the couch! lol!


----------



## Gnwdad (Oct 14, 2007)

> *FlounderAssassin (8/12/2008)*how are they with a ripple on the water??? i like my halogens but when there is a ripple i cant hardly see anything...much less a flounder well hidden on the bottom. and also do they cut the murkey water better like some have said??? thanks for the info.[/quote
> 
> Working shift work I flounder in a lot of the not so right conditions, the hps lights put off no glare with the ripples. That is the best thing about the hps lights, my eyes would hurt with the halos on a windy night.


----------



## Shiznik (Feb 24, 2008)

Does anyone think a filter of some sort might be able to be placed over the Halogen light to create that oranger color you guys are talking about? Kind of like a window tint, but I know it would have to be able to take the heat from them too.


----------



## Death From Above (Sep 28, 2007)

30-35 miles in a night??:hotsun

How much of that is floundering? I push with the gig and probably don't move more than 2-3miles in a night. Maybe ya'll are moving too fast with the TMs and missingfish?


----------



## Gnwdad (Oct 14, 2007)

I have fished from sun down till sun up and maybe covered 3-4 miles.


----------



## Five Prongs Of Fury (Apr 15, 2008)

> *Death From Above (8/12/2008)*30-35 miles in a night??:hotsun
> 
> How much of that is floundering? I push with the gig and probably don't move more than 2-3miles in a night. Maybe ya'll are moving too fast with the TMs and missingfish?


About 10-15 of that is with the TM. As I haved mentioned before I am a sundown to sunup flounderer. With 2 sets of experienced eyes on the deck it doesn't take log to cover alot of ground. Yeah, I will admit that I go a little to fast for some peoples taste, but the way I look at it, for every fish that I might run over and not see I will get 2 more for the amount of ground that I have covered. My TM rarily leaves the half throttle mark. When we see a fish coming into lights depending on whose side of boatthe fishis on the other person automatically takes control of the TM while the fish is being gigged. This way no time is wastedsince the boat is never stopped. Occasionally one will get by, but 9 out 10 times you can circle back and it will still be there. We have used this method for years with great success.


----------



## Flounder9.75 (Sep 28, 2007)

> *FlounderAssassin (8/12/2008)*
> 
> 
> > *Flounder9.75 (8/12/2008)*What i want to know is do you have a bigger pic of your Avatar.
> ...




WE ARE ALL TALKIN ABOUT Wareagles avatar right?


----------



## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

> im assuming thats from the boat ramp and back correct?




Yes, round trip.



As to a GPS. Garmin fixed mount. No handhelds.



Handhelds are a PITA at night, especially without a mounting bracket to hold them.



Your holding it in your hand and running the boat. The screen is to small and the batteries wear out.



Ask Murpheryslaw. It took me forever to convince him of this. He now has a used Garmin 172C mounted on his boat.



I also suggest a internal antenna. It's easier to install and there are no hardtops on our boats.



I have a Garmin 498 on mine w/ internal antenna.



It really helps you keep an eye on buoys when up and running.


----------



## FlounderAssassin (Sep 28, 2007)

i had a handheld garmin (forget which model) with the bracket mounted on my boat and i wired in the 12v car plug for it so it had 12v power from the boat. worked great. screen was a little small but it worked fine for me. ill get a new one eventually. everywhere i fish i know the water really well and i have a spot light in hand always when running and never run wide open at night.


----------



## wareagle22 (Oct 3, 2007)

I'll ask her when I get home if I can take another picture for you guys..........................


----------



## Death From Above (Sep 28, 2007)

Just post the full size version of that one.


----------



## Flounder9.75 (Sep 28, 2007)

> *Death From Above (8/13/2008)*Just post the full size version of that one.


That's what I was thinkin too


----------



## specslayer (Oct 9, 2007)

agreed


----------



## TWINKIE6816 (Oct 10, 2007)

> I'll ask her when I get home if I can take another picture for you guys..........................








WELL??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------

