Post by sinkingtip on Sept 26, 2007 21:47:16 GMT
NIGHT VISION - HOW TO CULTIVATE IT
A slightly modified transcript of a post I made earlier this year on the Sea Trout Forum.
I have been a prince of the darkness for more years now than I care to remember. Obviously the sight has deteriorated over the years and I am now whats referred to as "a specky boy". Nowhere near being as blind as a pipistrel without them but the days of being able to read the small ad's or successfully tying on a flee without the aid of magnification are, sadly, long gone (more about specs later).
For those of you new to fishing after dark which for the purposes of this post we will assume is legitimately for either sea trout and/or salmon , here are a few basic do's and dont's which I have found helpful in order to help me 'see' in the dark - probably stating the obvious......but maybe not. No carrot gags please .......
Try to arrive on the water before the night has set in - at least a full hour - enough time to reccy the water, make a selection of flies and get tooled up. Allow your eye's time to grow accustomed to the fading light.
Try to avoid jumping straight out of a motor with the interior light blaring as it will SEEM pitch black when, in actual fact, it's not.
Have you ever broke the night up with a swift cuppa in the fishing hut ? - gas light / electricity / candles / torches ? .... or maybe you sit in the comfort of your motor (interior light on ?) .... drink your cuppa or whatever then go back outside .... wallop !! - pitch black !! - night vision fecked for at least 30 mins.
If you are a smoker (and I would imagine it goes without saying that you would never dream of firing up whilst actually fishing) try to avoid your lighter being lit for a nano second longer than need be and, better still, close your eyes for the second or two it takes to ignite the weed. If you do fire up then ALWAYS well away from the river - obvious I know.
Keep torch action to a minimum at all costs. Better still, try to develop your sense of 'feel' if you need to tie on a fly or replace a leader and only use a torch if your personal safety depends on it.
"Carry a good torch to see your way back at the end of the session but don't wave it around by the river - there may be other still fishing and it is doubtful they will appreciate having their pools lit up " - Silver Stoat. March 2nd '07. S/T Forum.
" or just use a red led torch, night vision recovers twice as fast as when using a white light" - Buzzerman. March 2nd '07. S/T Forum.
"I think everyone has it, it's just that some will always prefer a torch. I know when my batteries went flat at the river bank i had traveled a long way to fish so I had to get on with it and was surprised how easy I did so ". Buzzerman. March 3 '07.
Try to use the sky line as a natural light source or background over which you can see clearly enough to re-tie a fly, leader or knot .... albeit by silhouette.
Much to my horror and natural sense of sartorial elegance, I have found that a baseball type cap can, on a 'clear' moon bright night, cut out a lot of the overhead glare making it actually easier to see but do try to avoid caps that contain reflective or "go fast" strips of any description
Specs - I have a reasonable level of sight without them during normal daylight conditions. However, I can SEE much better without them as the light is fading or has faded completely - try it !!
"My advice is to fellow glasses wearers - wear an inexpensive pair for your fishing and attach loops of some sort to prevent them getting lost". Dovey. March 8th '07. S/T Forum
Failing this - check your house contents / personal effects insurance policy. Lost a pair of ridiculously expensive Armani frames one night in a boulder strewn pool - not a happy bunny
There are but a few basic tips - very simple and probably so obvious its almost insulting to the experienced night fisher ....... but this advice is for those of you new or are about to get into the primeval delights of, arguably, the best and most exciting sport you can get ......night time sea trout on a single handed rod
Please feel free to add your comments, experiences, opinions and / or advice.
Regards
STip
A slightly modified transcript of a post I made earlier this year on the Sea Trout Forum.
I have been a prince of the darkness for more years now than I care to remember. Obviously the sight has deteriorated over the years and I am now whats referred to as "a specky boy". Nowhere near being as blind as a pipistrel without them but the days of being able to read the small ad's or successfully tying on a flee without the aid of magnification are, sadly, long gone (more about specs later).
For those of you new to fishing after dark which for the purposes of this post we will assume is legitimately for either sea trout and/or salmon , here are a few basic do's and dont's which I have found helpful in order to help me 'see' in the dark - probably stating the obvious......but maybe not. No carrot gags please .......
Try to arrive on the water before the night has set in - at least a full hour - enough time to reccy the water, make a selection of flies and get tooled up. Allow your eye's time to grow accustomed to the fading light.
Try to avoid jumping straight out of a motor with the interior light blaring as it will SEEM pitch black when, in actual fact, it's not.
Have you ever broke the night up with a swift cuppa in the fishing hut ? - gas light / electricity / candles / torches ? .... or maybe you sit in the comfort of your motor (interior light on ?) .... drink your cuppa or whatever then go back outside .... wallop !! - pitch black !! - night vision fecked for at least 30 mins.
If you are a smoker (and I would imagine it goes without saying that you would never dream of firing up whilst actually fishing) try to avoid your lighter being lit for a nano second longer than need be and, better still, close your eyes for the second or two it takes to ignite the weed. If you do fire up then ALWAYS well away from the river - obvious I know.
Keep torch action to a minimum at all costs. Better still, try to develop your sense of 'feel' if you need to tie on a fly or replace a leader and only use a torch if your personal safety depends on it.
"Carry a good torch to see your way back at the end of the session but don't wave it around by the river - there may be other still fishing and it is doubtful they will appreciate having their pools lit up " - Silver Stoat. March 2nd '07. S/T Forum.
" or just use a red led torch, night vision recovers twice as fast as when using a white light" - Buzzerman. March 2nd '07. S/T Forum.
"I think everyone has it, it's just that some will always prefer a torch. I know when my batteries went flat at the river bank i had traveled a long way to fish so I had to get on with it and was surprised how easy I did so ". Buzzerman. March 3 '07.
Try to use the sky line as a natural light source or background over which you can see clearly enough to re-tie a fly, leader or knot .... albeit by silhouette.
Much to my horror and natural sense of sartorial elegance, I have found that a baseball type cap can, on a 'clear' moon bright night, cut out a lot of the overhead glare making it actually easier to see but do try to avoid caps that contain reflective or "go fast" strips of any description
Specs - I have a reasonable level of sight without them during normal daylight conditions. However, I can SEE much better without them as the light is fading or has faded completely - try it !!
"My advice is to fellow glasses wearers - wear an inexpensive pair for your fishing and attach loops of some sort to prevent them getting lost". Dovey. March 8th '07. S/T Forum
Failing this - check your house contents / personal effects insurance policy. Lost a pair of ridiculously expensive Armani frames one night in a boulder strewn pool - not a happy bunny
There are but a few basic tips - very simple and probably so obvious its almost insulting to the experienced night fisher ....... but this advice is for those of you new or are about to get into the primeval delights of, arguably, the best and most exciting sport you can get ......night time sea trout on a single handed rod
Please feel free to add your comments, experiences, opinions and / or advice.
Regards
STip