5 Things You’ll Need Before Night Fishing
People travel from all over the country to cast a line in the tropical waters up here, and it’s for a good reason; there’s nowhere quite like Cairns for great fishing! While fishing during the day is a fantastic family-friendly activity, the locals know that there can be some great catches to make in Cairns' night fishing spots. Before you head out though, you’ll want to make sure your boat prepared with the necessary equipment. You’ll especially want to make sure you have the following five items. If you don’t have them yet, don’t stress. Edge Marine have a full range of marine accessories in Cairns, so you can come in and get everything you need before heading out for a bit of night fishing.
1. Good Quality Navigation Boat Lights
High-quality marine navigation lights are a night fishing necessity. You’ll need four different kinds of navigation boat lights, all of which need to be fitted by a qualified marine mechanic.
- Masthead lights. This marine navigation light will emit white light from the centreline of the vessel, providing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon for 225 degrees.
- All-round white light. This provides unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees.
- Sidelights. A green light on the starboard and a red light on the port emitting an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 112.5 degrees.
- Sternlight. This is placed at the back of the boat and emits an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 135 degrees.
When night fishing in Cairns, it’s crucial to abide by the laws requiring you to use your lights. The Queensland laws state;
- Range of visibility: For boats under 12m, the masthead light should be visible for 2nm, sidelights for 1nm, stern light for 2nm, and all-around lights for 2nm. Vessels between 12-20m, the masthead light should be visible for 3nm, sidelights for 2nm, sternlight for 2nm, and all-round lights for 2nm.
- Power Vessel Underway: Boats less than 7m doing a maximum speed of 7 knots must display their all-round white light as well as sidelights when practical.
- Vessels at anchor: All anchored vessels or those attached to buoys need to display their all-round white light.
2. Marine Radar and Mount
It’s going to be dark out there on the water when you’re night fishing, especially when there’s no moon. You’re not going to be able to see much around you, including other boats. A marine radar is essential for night fishing adventures to ensure your vessel is a safe distance from those around you. You might want to invest in a marine radar mount as well, as the last thing you’ll want to be doing is groping around for your radar in a dark boat.
3. A Paddle
What’s that saying about being up that creek without a paddle? Even if your boat has the latest Suzuki outboard motor and you’re pretty confident you won’t need a paddle, it can never hurt to have one on board with you. Because, unfortunately, sometimes worst-case scenarios happen. Murphey’s Law dictates that if you ever did need a paddle, you’d probably need it at night too. So, it’s essential to keep one on your boat at all times in an accessible, convenient location.
4. Rod Holders
Your boat set up could be made even better with the addition of some aluminium boat accessories like rod holders. These handy little things are useful for day fishing and night fishing alike and are a marine accessory Cairns fishing enthusiasts simply must buy. Everything takes twice as long when you’re doing it in the dark, so aluminium fishing boat accessories like rod holders are particularly useful when you’re night fishing. You’re going to want two hands-free for things like baiting your hook, looking for supplies, or checking the radar.
5. Maintained Outboard Motor
This one is essential for all fishing trips but incredibly crucial for night fishing. A well-maintained outboard motor ensures you can get out onto the water and back in again without having to use that paddle we talked about packing. You should maintain your motor by;
- Using outboard engine covers when your boat isn’t in use.
- Ensuring your motor is flushed after every use using outboard motor accessories like muffs or flushing attachments.
- Always checking the oil levels before taking your outboard motor out onto the water.
- Taking it in for regular services with the technicians at Edge Marine.
- Keeping an eye on it throughout the night to make sure it’s running smoothly.
Get Your Marine Accessories in Cairns From Edge Marine
Edge Marine are enthusiasts for all things boating, fishing, and marine mechanics. Our qualified technicians have over 25 years of experience and have a genuine passion for providing great-quality service. Whether you’re looking for small boat accessories or speed boat accessories, Edge Marine stock only the best quality marine accessories in Cairns. If you’d like to see what products we have in inventory, come down and have a chat. We love sharing our tips, recommendations, and advice with like-minded boating enthusiasts. Don’t hesitate to contact us today.