While green light has become very popular in recent years, fishermen have been using white light to catch millions of fish long before green light was invented. The three primary colors for fishing and dock lights are green, white, and blue, and we are often asked which color is best. All light cast above or below the water will attract fish, but sometimes one color is better than another. If the bait is not flocking to the color you are using, you may want to consider switching to a different color of light, just as you would switch the color of your bait when fishing is slow.

Green and white light are the most commonly used colors to attract fish to boats, docks, and piers because they are brighter and can attract fish from farther away. White light covers all the colors of the color spectrum and has a higher total lumens than any other color. If there are fish around your dock, white light will attract them to the dock faster than any other color of light. The downside to white light is that your eyes react more strongly to it than other colors of light, and it attracts insects more than other colors of light. Green light is our most popular color of light because it not only attracts fish well, but it also looks beautiful at night and attracts fewer insects than white light. Blue light isn't as bright as green light, but it's calming and very pretty to look at. Blue light is often used more for aesthetic purposes, such as showing boats, docks, landscaping, and building facades.

We are often asked how and why light attracts fish? The simple fact is that light works by starting a natural food chain that happens every day when moonlight, sunlight, or artificial light hits the water. Light attracts plankton, which are tiny organisms that are food for baitfish. Once the plankton arrives around the lights, baitfish and gamefish quickly follow. Learn more about how fishing lights and dock lights attract fish.

Which Color is the Best Color to Use?

Color is perhaps even more important for fishing and shrimping. The two most common colors used for fishing and shrimping are green and white. While green is the most popular color for both sports, it's always a good idea to try both colors if you have a few free nights. When testing green light versus white light, we found that green light attracted "more" smaller baitfish, while white light attracted fewer smaller but "bigger" baitfish in the same water. Changing the color of the light is no different than changing the color of your bait when fishing in different conditions.

For hardcore anglers who only use green light, we recently introduced our new Fish attracting light 110V & 12V Super Bright Green LED Submersible Light, which has become the top choice for drop fishing, shrimping, and ice fishing! The key to fishing under the light is to attract enough baitfish to the light. Once the baitfish swim to the light, larger prey fish will follow. Therefore, we recommend that you try using a green light and let the light shine for about 30 minutes to see how many baitfish the green light attracts.

Which color should I choose?

Color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K), and there are three common ranges of White Lights: Warm Light (2700K-3000K); Cool White (3000K-5000K), and Daylight (5500K-6500K).  While most of the older incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs were in the 3200K range and the more modern White LEDs now range between 3200K and 6500K. The higher the number is the whiter the light is until the color eventually starts to turn blue in the 7000K range.

You can find a lot of different articles and opinions on the internet pertaining to which color temperature is the best color to use for gigging and bowfishing, but typically, lower color temperatures in the 2700K to 3000K range work best in heavily stained and muddy waters and mid-range color temperatures in the 5000K range work best in moderately clear to clear water.  80% of our customers purchase 5000K lights, but if the water in your area is extremely stained or muddy, you may want to consider using a lower color temperature.