The Guide to Buying the Best Flounder Gigging Lights For Sale

Flounder Gigging, Flounder Gigging Lights, Flounder Lights, LED Flounder Gigging Lights -

The Guide to Buying the Best Flounder Gigging Lights For Sale

Flounder gigging lights are essential to a successful flounder gigging trip. The flounder gigging lights you choose are the single-most important tool in your arsenal. They literally control how well you see the flounder, and how many flounder you are actually able to see while out gigging. Quality components, detail-oriented construction, and features optimized for flounder gigging are extremely important to putting the odds in your favor to see more flounder.
Luckily for you, you are reading this article to buy the best flounder gigging lights for sale, the first time. We can't stress how important it is to go for quality rather than quantity on flounder lights, as they have sole control over the success of your trip. You will ultimately see more flounder with the right flounder gigging lights. 

Let's take a close look at what features are most desirable for the best flounder gigging lights.

Features of the Best Flounder Gigging Lights

The best flounder gigging lights for sale are going to be more quality focused than they are price focused. The reason for this is flounder gigging is done in saltwater. If you opt to go cheap in a saltwater environment, whatever you buy will not last. 

This brings us to our main point of searching for a quality, well-rounded flounder gigging light that is not only feature-focused in providing the best user experience but also durability-focused to hold up to the saltwater for a long time. Whether you're going flounder gigging a couple times a year or a couple times a week, your flounder gigging light is the single most important tool you use and you shouldn't skimp on it. 

Let's dive in to the details on what makes the best, most well-rounded flounder gigging light for sale. 

Flounder Light Made for All Water Conditions

Depending on the wind, tide, and sediment on bottom we may see clear water or muddy water. Many times this can ruin your trip if you aren’t prepared for what to expect. The best strategy for predicting water conditions is to be familiar with the best tides for flounder gigging. That being said, the tides are constantly changing and they don't always align with your vacation days. 

To combat this, choosing the right color flounder gigging lights to penetrate through both clear and muddy water is very important, allowing you to more opportunities to gig flounder.

Muddy Water vs. Clear Water vs. Changing Waters

The water clarity, whether muddy or clear water, has a great impact on your ability to spot flounder on the ocean floor. The ability to adjust the color tone is very important in enhancing your visibility to see more fish. 

Clear Water

  • Little to no suspended solid in the water column
  • Common with rising tides and often most abundant near grass flats, oyster shell, and hard sand bottoms
  • A cool white LED flounder light does the best job at increasing visibility in clear waters

Muddy Water

  • High concentration of suspended solids in the water column
  • Common with falling tides and often most abundant near mud flats and high traffic areas.
  • A warm white flounder gigging light does the best job at increasing visibility in muddy waters

Changing Water Conditions

  • Common when covering a variety of areas while flounder gigging
  • Largely effected by tidal swings, weather fronts moving through, and changing bottoms as you move from spot to spot. 
  • Swamp Eye Submersible flounder gigging lights are some of the best flounder gigging lights for this situation, as they can adjust adjust color tone the fly. They are also highly resistant to saltwater corrosion. 
  • If you're looking for an above water option - the Swamp Eye HD Lights are the brightest and most versatile flounder light available. Many commercial fishermen, guides, and even fisheries and wildlife agencies run these on their boats. 

Flounder Gigging Lights that Don't Spook Fish

Mature flounder can sometimes spook easily, especially to overly bright lights, it’s good to be able to adjust the color tone of the light in real shallow areas to keep the big saddle blankets from running off.

The color tone adjustability serves as two features, as a way to increase visibility but also a way to fly under the radar. 

We've found that regardless of the water clarity, a warm white light tends to be easier on the eyes than a cool white light. This is partly due to the higher kelvin rating which has more "blue light". Most warm white lights for flounder gigging will appear to be more yellow or orange in color.

In any case, if you see a big doormat you may be better off just gigging the flounder as quickly as possible so he doesn't get away. Keep in mind he's probably seen his fair share of flounder giggers. Most big, mature flounder are going to be in deeper waters. We typically see them near drop offs where the bank goes from shallow flats to a deeper channel and at depths of 3 ft or more. 

Efficiency and Portability is Key

Whether in a boat or wading with a flounder gig pole, it’s good to be able to spot flounder in either situation. A portable flounder gigging light that can be used in a boat or while wading and walking will give you the most bang for your buck. This has lead to the domination of LED lights being used for flounder gigging.

Many years ago, sodium and halogen bulbs were more popular. LEDs are small, portable, and capable of running off various battery sizes. Sodium and halogen lights typically require a generator or heavy duty alternator to run properly, which can add a lot of weight to a boat that needs to run shallow. In today's world, LED flounder gigging lights have become the most popular lighting option. 

High Pressure Sodium (HPS) Flounder Lights

  • High wattage, which naturally comes with pretty high brightness, although less efficient in terms of lumen per watts than LEDs.
  • Requires AC power to run (generator)
  • Typically a deep warm white in color, making them ideal for muddy water.
  • Very heavy and high maintenance, bulbs break easily and ballasts can be troublesome.

Halogen Flounder Lights

  • Similar to HPS, also high wattage with high brightness but not very efficient in terms of lumen per watts in comparison to LEDs.
  • Requires AC power to run (generator)
  • Typically a cool white color, making them ideal for clear water situations.
  • Also very heavy and high maintenance, bulbs break easily and ballasts can be troublesome.

LED Flounder Gigging Lights

  • Most efficient in terms of lumens per watt of power output.
  • Capable of running on DC (battery) power, or with the help of a driver or converter, can run on AC (generator) power.
  • Some of the best LED flounder gigging lights are capable of adjusting color tone from warm white to cool white to penetrate all water conditions.
  • Small, lightweight, and low maintenance 
  • Versatile mounting capabilities such as this Trolling Motor Bracket for Underwater Lights

Resistance to Corrosion

There is one things you can't change about flounder gigging, and that's where it's done. Flounder are found in saltwater environments, and the best flounder gigging lights are typically run underwater to minimize the amount of light reflecting off the water surface. The number one cause of premature failure on lights used for flounder gigging is due to their inability to hold up to long term saltwater exposure. 

Low Voltage and Easy to Mount

This is one of those features that most don't realize when they first purchase their flounder gigging lights, but realize very quickly when they arrive and start figuring out how to put them to work. 

Low Voltage - 12V is Ideal

The most desirable voltage to run flounder gigging lights is 12V DC, because it's easy to hook them up to your standard deep cycle battery. If you want to run them on a generator, then it's easy to utilize a power converter to do so. If you opt for an AC voltage flounder gigging light such as metal halide, HPS, or halogen, then you are stuck with AC voltage only and it is very difficult to run these off batteries. These lights are also not very durable or friendly to mount to boats - they are well known for breaking easily. 

Easy Mountability

Lights such as the Swamp Eye Submersible and Mini Swamp Eye Submersible are compatible with boat adapter poles that will quickly and easily mount to the lip of your boat with an all-cast-aluminum c clamp. These are designed to hold up to saltwater long term, and are also very versatile to various boats commonly used for flounder gigging. 

Flounder Gigging Light Boat Mount

Another easy method to mount the Swamp Eye Submersible Lights is the Trolling Motor Adapter for Underwater Lights. Quickly and easily attach the underwater lights to your trolling motor, making it easier than ever to turn any boat into a flounder gigging boat. 

Flounder Gigging Light Trolling Motor Mount

There are very few lights made to be submerged in saltwater and run year after years of use. The Swamp Eye Flounder Lights have truly raised the standard for what's expected in a flounder gigging lights. They are made to withstand harsh environments, and keep running year after year. 

Recap & Recommendation of the Best Flounder Gigging Lights

The Swamp Eye Flounder Gigging Lights are some of the best lights for flounder gigging. They are among the only flounder gigging lights available that are capable of addressing all criteria listed above. They have been tested and proven, year after year, by commercial fishermen, full-time professional guides, and amateurs alike. After all, one of their testing methods is to literally take a sledge hammer to one of their lights. 

The Swamp Eye Submersibles are a great underwater lighting option for mounting to your boat. Here are some great mounting ideas.



The Mini Swamp Eye Submersible are a smaller version, capable of running above or below water. They are commonly used on boats in areas where there might be shadows, or as a method to have uniform lighting that is extremely resilient on smaller boats. The cover photo of this article was taken on a Pro Drive boat with Mini Swamp Eye Submersibles mounted across the front. Another common use is to mount them to flounder gigs. Here are some ideas for wading and gigging light setups. 



What Makes them the Best?

Adjustable LEDs for all water conditions

The Swamp Eye Submersible is color tone adjustable to be able to see through clear or muddy water, regardless of tide, sediment, or wind conditions. As for spooking fish, the adjustability helps you to increase water visibility so you can stick him before he takes off. The big doormats typically stay in deeper waters, so increasing visibility is the most important. 

Portable Power for Gigging Flounder

They run on portable 12 volt DC batteries, whether small portable deer feeder batteries or deep cycle marine batteries, and have the lighting industries' highest efficiency LED chips to run at maximum brightness with minimum power draw.

High Brightness LED Flounder Gigging Lights

As previously mentioned, they are high efficiency and maximum brightness LED chips. They can illuminate flounder at great depths with some of the brightest American-made LED chips available. 

Corrosion Resistant, Made to Last

Above all else, the Swamp Eye LED Flounder Gigging Lights are simply made to last. They were designed to withstand electrolysis, stand up to corrosion, and take the beating associated with running underwater while flounder gigging. 

FAQs Related to Flounder Gigging Lights

What are the best lights for flounder gigging?

The best lights for flounder gigging are the Swamp Eye Flounder Gigging Lights by Outrigger Outdoors. They are available in various formats, all specifically designed for anglers who are flounder gigging at night. The Swamp Eye Submersible is a great option for those gigging from a flounder boat, while the Mini Swamp Eye Submersible is a great option for above water lighting or for flounder lights for wading and gigging. The Swamp Eye Light Bar is commonly used on above water flounder boat setups. 

How many lumens do you need for flounder gigging?

The minimum amount of lumens for flounder gigging is 5,000 lumens if you are wading and gigging and 20,000 lumens if you are gigging from a boat.

The amount of lumens you need for flounder gigging depends on the size of your boat or if you are wading and gigging. If you are wading and gigging, at least 5,000 lumens is ideal for being able to properly illuminate your surroundings and safely locate flounder. If you are flounder gigging from a boat 

What color light is best for flounder gigging?

As we discussed above, it really depends on the water clarity. A warm white light works best for muddy water and a cool white light works best for clear water. The Swamp Eye Lights offer the best color light for flounder gigging because they are adjustable from warm white to cool white for different water conditions. 

How do you make flounder lights?

You can make your own flounder lights by ordering LED chips, mounting them to a heatsink, and using silicone to waterproof them. Seems simple right? Not so much. In order to get quality components at competitive prices, you have to order at large volumes and know exactly what to specify. This is similar (but smaller scale) to trying to build your own car. The car manufacturers have the technology and manufacturing abilities to produce cars for far less than you can build one yourself, which is why people steer away from building their own cars. We have received many customers who end up frustrated after spending hundreds of dollars on making their own flounder lights that ultimately do not last due to the lack of quality components and a sub-par design. It's a lot cheaper to invest into a reputable brand up front that has tested and proven quality flounder lights that actually work.

 

Thanks for reading along! Outrigger Outdoors is your trusted source for all things flounder gigging. 

2 comments

  • Outrigger Outdoors

    Hi Troy – that is common when you use poor quality lights that aren’t made for flounder gigging. I would suggest you go with a light made for flounder gigging such as the Mini Swamp Eye Submersible or Swamp Eye Submersible. They are both fully water resistant and designed to last for a long time in the harsh saltwater elements.

  • Troy

    How has my flounder light filled up with up with water an stopped? Is this common thing after twenty mins of use or is it a faulty product

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