Frequently Asked Questions
5 Things to Consider When Shopping For Fish Lights
We have many customers that have purchased our Natural Green light many years ago and now wish to upgrade to the Vibrant Green bulb. Unfortunately, we cannot simply attached the new bulb to their system. The Natural Green lights are 175-watt bulbs. These bulbs are powered by 175-watt ballasts, or transformers, inside the control box. The Vibrant Green lights are 250-watt bulbs and are powered by 250-watt ballasts inside the control box. Unfortunately, the 175-watt Natural Green ballasts are not powerful enough to light the 250-watt bulbs.
For those customers that wish to upgrade, they would have to purchase an all new Vibrant Green system to reap the benefits of the brighter light. Underwater Fish Light does give customers a sixty-night money-back guarantee. So, any customer that is within the sixty-night period is welcome to return their Natural Green system and exchange it for the brighter Vibrant Green system.
Reading about the cut-rate lights mentioned above may lead you to believe that the more money you spend the better the light you get. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
There are other lights on the market that are substantially more expensive than ours. This is usually due to an expensive bulb cover of some kind. Whether a floating tube, bucket design, or sinking stub, these covers are all inherently flawed. The reason that they are on the market is because people assume that the lights are too delicate to go uncovered.
The truth is that the HID bulbs used in our systems are built with heavy duty thick glass and are incredibly durable. These are not the flimsy household light bulbs that you are familiar with.
So What’s Wrong with a Covered Bulb?
Unfortunately, any time you put any barrier between the bulb and the water, you run into problems. First, covering the bulb automatically diminishes the light output, as the light has to pass through a translucent filter. This is especially true for colored lenses.
On top of that, any object placed in the water has a tendency to accumulate marine or aquatic growth. The beauty of HID lights is that when the bulb is allowed to contact the water, it generates enough heat every night to keep barnacles and other creatures from attaching to the glass. With a covered bulb system there is an insulating barrier of air that keeps the cover too cool to inhibit growth.
We don’t want to mention any specific companies, but in an attempt to one-up each other, several of our competitors have begun exaggerating the output of their lights.
The numbers that they claim keep going up, while a little research will show you that the lumen ratings they are listing are not physically possible with the wattage used.
We have seen several systems with outrageous lumen claims side by side with our system, and believe it or not, the more “powerful”, more expensive system was much dimmer than ours.
We have an amazing 60-night risk free trial period, so if you are skeptical, or thinking about purchasing a competitors light, we invite you to order one of our systems just for comparison.
We pride ourselves on being there for our customers. Email us or give us a call and we will prove it to you.
Whether you need technical support, or just have questions, we’re here to help. If you call after hours, just leave a quick message and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. Rest easy knowing that our customer service team will take your call quickly, and happily help you resolve any problems you may run into.
Please keep in mind that it is our goal to produce the most effective, versatile, and durable underwater lighting systems in the world. We believe that we have succeeded. Every aspect of our product is designed that way for a reason.
Many companies have responded to requests for a covered system (see above) by coming up with an enclosure that sits on the bottom of the water column. While it might make for a slick looking package on a website, there is a reason that we did not follow the crowd on this one.
Our floating assembly design allows for you to place the light at any depth, which makes it ideal for deeper water applications. On top of that, the fact that the bulb is suspended slightly above the sea floor means that it is able to deflect out of the way of things that may impact it.
Our competitors designs are also prone to sinking down into the sediments, which will eventually diminish the light output even further. Also, some units completely enclose the bulb which allows light only to shine up through the top. Compare this to the 360 degree light coverage of our design, and it’s clear to see why we stick to our guns instead of following trends.
About Underwater Fish Light
In 2005, what has now become a successful business was born out of John Molle’s garage when he simply wanted to make a working underwater fish light for himself. At the time, the other fish lights on the market were above the water which would cause the fishermen to cast a shadow that would ultimately scare away the fish. To overcome this challenge, John came up with the idea to put lights underwater, and after countless hours of testing and trials, he built and installed the first official Underwater Fish Light in the waterway behind his home. People were drawn to the strange green glow from his dock and wanted to get one for themselves. He started out building lights for neighbors and friends, but as word spread, people across Southwest Florida wanted one for their own dock. Not long after, what had started as a simple project grew into a wildly successful operation. Soon, John’s garage could no longer accommodate the demand for underwater lights and the operation had to relocate to a small warehouse. Over the years, Underwater Fish Light grew exponentially and eventually relocated to our storefront and manufacturing facility in Port Charlotte, Florida. As a family-run business, our two priorities are product quality and customer service as we want to make sure that every customer who purchases from us gets the best underwater light on the market!
Yes! Our warehouse and showroom is located in Port Charlotte, FL, about two hours south of Tampa, FL.
We are open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm.
If you’re unable to come visit us in person, please feel free to give us a call at 941-391-5846 and one of our team members will be happy to help you with any questions!
All of our light systems are made at the Underwater Fish Light manufacturing facility in Port Charlotte, Florida, United States. We pride ourselves on providing excellent, high-quality products that are made in the USA!
We have been in business for over a decade. We started as a local, word-of-mouth business, and have grown into an international company. We have sold our systems from Hawaii to Qatar and have thousands of happy customers across the globe.
Our two top priorities are product quality and customer service. We want to make sure that every customer who purchases from us gets the best fish light on the market, and couldn’t be happier with the results.
We stand by our product. We guarantee you will see fish or your money back. We also offer a three-year warranty to ensure you will be enjoying your light for years to come.
We are the largest fish light manufacturer in the world, and have the history and reviews to prove it!
General Questions
It’s a very simple, yet trusted process that starts when the light automatically turns on at dusk. The light will initially reflect off the naturally occurring tannins, microscopic particles, and phytoplankton in the water which will attract shiners, shad, minnows, etc. Once they get comfortable with this new food source, your local baitfish population will realize the activity at your dock and a micro feeding frenzy will take place whenever the light is in operation. As the baitfish acclimate to your light and realize it’s a never-ending source of food, they will start showing up nightly at dusk. Once the baitfish begin to congregate around your light, this will ultimately attract the larger, predatory fish such as snook, grouper, tarpon, redfish, tripletail, bass, crappie, walleye, muskie, gar, perch, and many more depending on your location. Before you know it, you’ll have a plethora of fish congregating at your dock every night.
Yes! All new systems include a warranty which protects your Underwater Fish Light against any level of manufacturer defect for the first three years of ownership. This covers the control box, internal components, and the subsequent wire and bulb. The exception to this is our Vibrant Green and Caribbean Blue bulbs as they are warrantied for one-year as they typically need to be replaced every 14 to 16 months. The three-year warranty does not cover any sort of damage to the system. Examples of damages can be, but are not limited to system submersion, lightning strikes, power surges, broken light bulbs, damaged wire, modifications to the system, acts of nature, theft, or vandalism. Lastly, any warranty claim requires that you send in the non-operational component for evaluation. Additionally, we are the only underwater lighting company that offers a 60-Night Money Back Guarantee meaning that if you are dissatisfied with your purchase within the first sixty days of ownership, you can return the system for a full refund (system must be returned in functional, non-damaged condition). Please see our full warranty details here.
The operating cost will depend on your local electricity rates; however, we have found that each bulb typically costs between $3 to $4 per month to run on a nightly basis.
The simple answer is no. Through the years, we have done extensive testing and research and found that our wires release an insignificant amount of electrolysis while in operation (keep in mind that electrolysis occurs whenever an electric current is passed through water). Rest assured that this will not cause any damage as our systems operate on a closed circuit. In all scenarios, we have found that problematic electrolysis is caused by faulty wiring from a boatlift, electrical box, or dock that is not fully insulated and not our lights.
There is no way to definitively say what type of fish you will see at your Underwater Fish Light. It all depends on where you live. Customers in Florida tend to see Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, Snapper, Largemouth Bass, and many more. Our customers up north in New York see Walleye, Northern Pike, and Smallmouth Bass. Even though we can’t tell you the type of fish you will see, we can still guarantee that you will see fish!
For some customers it takes less than an hour for them to see fish. For others, it could take up to a month. For this reason, every customer automatically gets a sixty-night money-back guarantee. This gives every customer enough time with their dock to see fish without any risk.
Our lights attract fish by reflecting off tiny particles in the water like phytoplankton and zooplankton. These particles produce a food source for baitfish. Once the baitfish arrive, the predator fish (larger fish like Snook, Tarpon, or Northern Pike) are attracted to your dock. You will eventually see an entire food chain right outside your home! Our lights come equipped with a photocell that automatically turns the light on at dusk and off at dawn. This not only ensures the system cleans itself, but it also builds a feeding cycle for the fish. Because of this, the fish know they can find food at the light each night.
The longer the light is in the water, the more fish you will see. The type of fish at the lights will vary depending on the time of year. Some fish are more active in colder months. So, when you buy an Underwater Fish Light, you can rest assured that you will see fish, but your location determines the type of fish you will see.
Here at Underwater Fish Light, we can guarantee that you will see fish, but being able to catch them is up to you! With just a few simple techniques, you can become a night fishing pro and reel them in all year long! All you need is a good lure or bait, proper casting technique, and some patience.
The main reason these lights work so well is the feeding cycle they produce. The fish come back night after night, because they know they are able to find food at your dock. When you first put in your fish light, you might immediately see fish. At this point, you need to use all the patience you have! Don’t start casting into the light as soon as it has been installed. Let the fish build a relationship with the light so they can become comfortable. For the first few days, you can even through out some shrimp, or any other type of food the fish might light to eat.
The last thing to do before you start casting is to get the right type of lure for your hook. The ideal lure to use in the fish light would be any kind of lure that looks like a small minnow with a moving tail. This will imitate the bait fish that normally circle the light and attract the predator fish.
Once you have everything ready, you are ready to cast! The most important thing to remember when fishing at a fish light is to NOT cast directly into the light. The best way to catch fish is to cast beyond the light and slowly reel the lure through the light. This will imitate the activity of the baitfish swimming in the light. Usually, you will be able to catch a fish within the first five casts, so use these tools to your advantage and get out there! For the first few days, you can even throw out some shrimp, or any other type of food the fish might like to eat.
Absolutely – the more lights you have in the water, the more baitfish that you’ll attract, meaning that the predatory fish will be in abundance! Simply put, our single light system will bring in an incredible number of fish, but our double, triple, and quad light systems are guaranteed to bring even more fish to your dock.
Dock Light Systems
First and foremost, neither an electrician nor diver are needed for installation as it basically comes down to mounting the control box on your post or piling, lowering your light into the water, and plugging the system into a 110V grounded outlet. Be sure to mount the control box no less than 6 feet above the waterline and within 10 feet of your grounded outlet. Once connected, carefully lower your light into the water, connect your photocell, and wait for the sun to set. It’s really that simple! This video <link to https://youtu.be/G5uawzZk-tg> will walk you through the set-up and installation an Underwater Fish Light system. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our customer service team at 941-391-5846 or via email at info@fishlight.com for more information.
Our lights do not require any special permits for installation or operation, however there may be localized restrictions in place by HOAs, condominium boards, or developments that will need to be adhered to.
Unfortunately, our two systems are not interchangeable meaning if you purchased a 175W system, you would only be able to utilize our 175W bulb. Likewise, if you opted for our 250W system, you would only be able to use our 250W bulbs. As far as adding lights, unfortunately this not possible as our systems are not scalable or modular in that additional ballasts/transformers cannot be added to the control box. If you already have an Underwater Fish Light system and you wish to add more lights, you have a couple options. If you are within sixty nights of your purchase, you are more than welcome to send/bring the system back to us and we can upgrade you to a larger, multi-light system. If you are outside of the sixty-night period, you can still get more lights on your dock by purchasing an additional Underwater Fish Light system, but just make sure you have another outlet available at your dock that can handle the amperage.
Although designed to instantly shut down if there is an interruption in power, we strongly advise against swimming around the lights. If you do plan on swimming near the lights, you will need to unplug the system from the outlet beforehand to prevent possible injury or death.
Our Caribbean Blue lights are undeniably eye-catching, however in order to truly appreciate the icey blue illumination, they need to be deployed in crystal clear water, similar to what you’d find in the Bahamas or parts of the Florida Keys. If your water is not crystal clear, the output would be an unimpressive shade of orange and would not show the color intended. If you’re not sure if the Caribbean Blue will work in your area, please give us a call at 941-391-5846 and we can certainly point you in the right direction.
Simply put; fish will be attracted to any light source, regardless of which color bulb you are utilizing. Some customers have told us that our Natural Green bulbs are more of a fish attractant, whereas we’ve had other customers swear they have more fish at their dock using our Vibrant Green bulbs. Keep in mind that our Natural Green bulbs do not contain a colored filament and are essentially a clear bulb. The green coloring will come from the light reflecting off the naturally occurring particles in the water, however if your water is clear and lacks any tannins, the bulb output may look white. At the end of the day, the decision should be based on your water clarity more so than anything else.
Many people want more lights after they purchase their first. Whether it is to create a better ambiance, or to just bring in more fish, everyone seems to want more! Unfortunately, getting more lights is not as simple as just connecting a new bulb and cord to your current control box, but fret not! It is still easy to get more lights at your dock!
Each bulb on an Underwater Fish Light is connected to its own portion of underwater rated wire. It also must be powered by its own ballast, or transformer, in the control box that is mounted on the dock. If you have a single light dock system, you cannot add another light bulb to your wire. One ballast is not powerful enough to power two bulbs at full capacity.
If you do have a dock system that you would like to add more lights to, you have a couple options. Underwater Fish Light gives every customer a sixty-night money-back guarantee for all systems. If you are within that sixty-day period, you are more than welcome to bring the light back to us, and we will exchange it for a larger system. If you are out of the sixty-day period, you are still able to get more lights on your dock! All you would need to do is purchase another fish light system, just make sure you have another outlet available at your dock!
Installing your Underwater Fish Light is much easier than many people think. We design our lights for easy installation, so you can see fish as soon as possible! We want you to spend most of your time enjoying the fish, not trying to puzzle out how to put it together. Below is a step-by-step installation guide for your dock light system.
1. Mount the Control box on post/pillar at least 4 to 6 feet above the waterline and within 10 feet from an APPROVED GFI OUTLET
– (Do Not over tighten the screws used to mount the control box to the pillar/post).
– Note: Mount control box in well-ventilated area.
2. Once you determine where you would like to place the light, attach the weight with the zip ties, to the light cord a minimum of 3 inches from the base of the housing/bulb, and lower the weight into the water. The bulb unit will follow.
– BE SURE TO HANDLE WITH CARE!!!! DO NOT BANG/BUMP BULB!! Keep in mind, the bulb must always be submerged under water, and may never be lit out of the water.
3. Attach the photocell to the top of the box, taking care to align the prongs
The photocell attaches with a “twist-lock.” Simply align the prongs and twist the photocell on
4. Plug the 10-foot power cord with the inline GFCI
– Once again, be sure your outlet is a GFCI approved outlet
5. Wait for dark, and enjoy!
The single most frequent customer tech issue stems from nicks in the wire that lead out to the bulb, and these nicks can be caused by fishhooks, boat propellers, or even marine life. Every high-end fish light system comes equipped with an inline GFCI plug as this gives the light, and your dock, an extra layer of protection in case anything was to happen (nicks in the wire, broken bulb, power surge, etc.). If the wire leading to your bulb is ever compromised, the GFCI plug will immediately shut the system off to ensure that electricity is not leaking into the water and to circumvent the ballasts (or transformers) inside the box from overheating and irreparably damaging the system. To further protect your system, we strongly suggest utilizing our Wire Shield to keep your underwater wire safe from fishhooks or marine life. Our Wire Shield is essentially a heavy-duty rubber hose that has been sliced down the middle that simply wraps over your wire and is secured every twelve inches with zip-ties (which are also included). This simple step will ensure that your underwater wire is protected for year to come!
This question actually has multiple answers. To answer this question, you must first decide what light series you interested in, and the amount of light you want to see by your dock. Here at Underwater Fish Light, we have three different series; Natural Green, Vibrant Green, and Caribbean Blue. Each series of light is ideal for different types of water clarity and will emit a different amount of light.
For customers interested in purchasing our Classic Natural Green lights, the ideal water clarity is in between crystal clear and mid-clarity water. The bulbs on these systems are 175-watt bulbs that illuminate a clear/white color. This white color then reflects off the particles in the water, showing a green color on the surface. These small particles attract the bait fish in the area, which in turn attract the predator fish (snook, tarpon northern pike, etc.). Because these lights illuminate white, they do not cut through murky water very well. That is why they are ideal for up to mid-clarity water. In ideal water, the Classic Natural Green series will shine a 10-foot circle on the surface of the water.
The Vibrant Green and Natural Green Extra Bright Series of light systems are designed to cut through murky water. The Vibrant Green light systems have 250-watt bulbs which illuminate green, allowing it to cut through murky water and be more successful for customers in rivers, lakes, bayous, and any other location that has dark water. Even though the lights illuminate green, they still reflect off small particles in the water to attract the baitfish and predator fish. This light system will give a 15-foot diameter circle on average in waterways.
The biggest thing to consider before purchasing the Caribbean Blue lights is the water clarity at your dock. For these lights to show the ideal color, the water needs to be crystal clear. If the Caribbean Blue bulb is placed in murky water, it will actually illuminate an amber/yellow color. If your water is murky, there is obviously more dirt and sediment that is in the water. These actually change the color of the light, because the blue light reflects off these particles, creating more of an amber glow rather than the blue most people are expecting. That is why any possible customers must have clear water in order to enjoy the color as intended.
For this question, there is no single answer. It all depends on the light you are interested in. After weighing your options, it all comes down to your personal preference. If you purchase a light that does not meet your expectations, you have 60-days to return the light and upgrade it to one you think will work better. Just give us a call at 855-FISH-LIGHT and we can answer any other questions you might have!
Unfortunately, accidents can happen and if breakage occurs, you have two options:
1) The easiest and quickest method is to replace the entire bulb/wire which we refer to as a light assembly. This would include the sealed bulb, housing, wire, and replacement zip-ties for your weight. If you order before 2PM EST, we should be able to get it shipped out that same day!
2) The second method involves you bringing or sending your wire into our shop for evaluation and bulb replacement. We first inspect your wire for any potential damage and as long as your wire is still in working condition, we can seal a brand-new bulb on your existing wire. The caveat to this is that the process takes three to five business days, not including transit.
The biggest challenge that customers encounter is damage to the wire that leads out to the bulb, which more often than not, are caused by fishhooks and/or marine life. To prevent this, we offer Wire Shield which is a heavy-duty rubber conduit that has been sliced down the middle so that it simply wraps over your wire and is secured every twelve inches with the included zip-ties. Whereas this won’t prevent damage from a boat prop, it will definitely keep your wire safe and will prolong the life of your Underwater Fish Light system. Additionally, our brand-new systems include a 2-piece bulb cage which will keep it safe from potential damage while in transit and also when deployed in the water.
No. Running the bulb out of the water will cause irreparable damage due to the extreme amount of heat that is emitted while in operation. Our bulbs are liquid cooled and need to be fully submerged at all times while illuminated.
One of the biggest advantages to our Underwater Fish Light systems, as opposed to LEDs, is that our bulbs run hot enough to circumvent barnacle growth as long as your light is running for at least eight hours every night. If you are in a nutrient-rich body of water and barnacles start to accumulate, the easiest method to clean them would be to unplug the system, remove the light(s) from the water and soak the bulb, cage, and housing in PURE white vinegar for no less than 24 hours. This will break down the calcium of the barnacle and will allow you to essentially wipe off any remnants with an old towel.
Portable Light Systems
The Portable 12v LED System is meant to be used TEMPORARILY. You are welcome to use the system anywhere there is water, but it must be taken out after each use.
If you were to use the LED system at your dock and leave it in the water for an extended period of time, aquatic growth would accumulate on the light, which would eventually break the system. LEDs, in general, do not produce any type of heat to inhibit aquatic growth. That is why we do not use LED lights for our dock systems. We only use HID bulbs for our dock systems.
The first obvious benefit is being able to take the amazing brightness with you anywhere you want to go! With an inverter, you would be able to use our amazing HID systems anywhere there is water! Whether it’s on the boat, your favorite pier, or anywhere else, you will still see am amazing amount of fish! These systems use the same technology as our HID dock systems.
As a company based in Florida, we are very familiar with season residents. Many of our seasonal customs are only at their tropical waterfront home a few months out of the year. Because of this, they wanted a light that was easy to take in and out of the water quickly without much hassle. Our portable systems give those customers a simple way to install their lights when they arrive, and uninstall it when it’s time for them to return to their other homes.
