Pirate's Den LED's

[Enniberg]

I have read a fair bit about Pirate's Den LED's here and wanted to share my own experiences.

Over the past 2 weeks in Ukee I have tried out the red flashing LED in a brown turd hootchie, and I can testify that it catches fish.

Dragged them in the mud and spread over 2 trips it landed 7 halibut and 2 Chinooks over 20 lbs. One of the trips I ran the exact same lure on the other side, only rigged without the LED and it had only one hit.

Quality could be better - I think it says on the packaging that the light will last 150 hours, but of the 3 I bought, 2 of them lasted one trip and were too dim to make a difference after that, and one was defective out of the package.

Now I know to test them before leaving the store, and not expect more than one trip for the $5 paid.

 

[spring fever]

I have read a fair bit about Pirate's Den LED's here and wanted to share my own experiences.

Over the past 2 weeks in Ukee I have tried out the red flashing LED in a brown turd hootchie, and I can testify that it catches fish.

Dragged them in the mud and spread over 2 trips it landed 7 halibut and 2 Chinooks over 20 lbs. One of the trips I ran the exact same lure on the other side, only rigged without the LED and it had only one hit.

Quality could be better - I think it says on the packaging that the light will last 150 hours, but of the 3 I bought, 2 of them lasted one trip and were too dim to make a difference after that, and one was defective out of the package.

Now I know to test them before leaving the store, and not expect more than one trip for the $5 paid.

As you are probably aware I test LED lights for Pirates Den-suggest ways to rig them and how to use them. I am not tied financially I am just interested in fishing them. If you understand how they are made then you will start to understand how you can prolong their life. They contain a small printed circuit board with tiny non-rechargeable batteries- then the whole thing is coated in an epoxy. They are really very tough. The non -use shelf life is about 2 years. There is no way of knowing when they were manufactured although Pirates Den sells a lot to stores so there is a huge turn-over. I get quite a few LED's to test and only had one dead out of the package- store-testing is easy-just wet your finger and touch the 2 prongs on the end and they will light. MAKE sure when you are finished using them that they are dry and have stopped blinking-this will eat into battery life if they have not shut off.. Make sure they are stored in a dry place-tackle box condensation can set them off as can condensation on a boat at night. My boat has suddenly lit up like Las Vegas in the middle of the night because night time condensation has set them off. They can be extremely hard to see in the sunlight-test in a darkened area-any blinking is still very effective down deep. A single flash LED will last longer than a double flash. The multi-colour LED's (extremely effective) will only last about 20 hrs due to the sequential strobing but the packages are labelled for 20 hours. I have changed my whole style of fishing because of LED's but you have to dry them when finished and look after them to get the most use out of them. The bottom of a tackle box is not the answer. I still have some LED's that work well from when I was testing them in Mexico 2 years ago-some that I use in white cuttlefish hootchy's (my Fav) barely got the 150 hrs. That is not a guarantee only a best case scenario -water temp will play a key role as well.
So all -in-all test before leaving the store, make sure they are stored in a dry place, dry well after using, and use them-don't store them forever! I wouldn't want to be without them myself. I think Pirates Den is marketing 10 packs which significantly lowers the unit costs-cheaper than anchovies.

 

[salty-dog]

I have read a fair bit about Pirate's Den LED's here and wanted to share my own experiences.

Over the past 2 weeks in Ukee I have tried out the red flashing LED in a brown turd hootchie, and I can testify that it catches fish.

Dragged them in the mud and spread over 2 trips it landed 7 halibut and 2 Chinooks over 20 lbs. One of the trips I ran the exact same lure on the other side, only rigged without the LED and it had only one hit.

Quality could be better - I think it says on the packaging that the light will last 150 hours, but of the 3 I bought, 2 of them lasted one trip and were too dim to make a difference after that, and one was defective out of the package.

Now I know to test them before leaving the store, and not expect more than one trip for the $5 paid.

First, thank you for your support in purchasing our products. Please pm your address info and the products purchased to me and I will warranty the lights that you purchased. We do everything possible to ensure our products will deliver on the promise of lifespan. Each and every one is tested after building them and again before packaging and being sent to retail outlets.
When a fault does occur, I want to know why so it can be prevented in the future.

 

[Enniberg]

As you are probably aware I test LED lights for Pirates Den-suggest ways to rig them and how to use them. I am not tied financially I am just interested in fishing them. If you understand how they are made then you will start to understand how you can prolong their life. They contain a small printed circuit board with tiny non-rechargeable batteries- then the whole thing is coated in an epoxy. They are really very tough. The non -use shelf life is about 2 years. There is no way of knowing when they were manufactured although Pirates Den sells a lot to stores so there is a huge turn-over. I get quite a few LED's to test and only had one dead out of the package- store-testing is easy-just wet your finger and touch the 2 prongs on the end and they will light. MAKE sure when you are finished using them that they are dry and have stopped blinking-this will eat into battery life if they have not shut off.. Make sure they are stored in a dry place-tackle box condensation can set them off as can condensation on a boat at night. My boat has suddenly lit up like Las Vegas in the middle of the night because night time condensation has set them off. They can be extremely hard to see in the sunlight-test in a darkened area-any blinking is still very effective down deep. A single flash LED will last longer than a double flash. The multi-colour LED's (extremely effective) will only last about 20 hrs due to the sequential strobing but the packages are labelled for 20 hours. I have changed my whole style of fishing because of LED's but you have to dry them when finished and look after them to get the most use out of them. The bottom of a tackle box is not the answer. I still have some LED's that work well from when I was testing them in Mexico 2 years ago-some that I use in white cuttlefish hootchy's (my Fav) barely got the 150 hrs. That is not a guarantee only a best case scenario -water temp will play a key role as well.
So all -in-all test before leaving the store, make sure they are stored in a dry place, dry well after using, and use them-don't store them forever! I wouldn't want to be without them myself. I think Pirates Den is marketing 10 packs which significantly lowers the unit costs-cheaper than anchovies.

Thanks SF, I appreciate your input.

Based on what you are saying they should ideally be stamped with a date of manufacture, and have the information you are listing included on the packaging.

Color and intensity does seem to be important - my buddy was dragging the white flashing one and did not get a hit.

Next day I tried using the one from the day before, it was still flashing, just without the intensity - no hits. I then popped in a new one and they started biting.

 

[Enniberg]

First, thank you for your support in purchasing our products. Please pm your address info and the products purchased to me and I will warranty the lights that you purchased. We do everything possible to ensure our products will deliver on the promise of lifespan. Each and every one is tested after building them and again before packaging and being sent to retail outlets.
When a fault does occur, I want to know why so it can be prevented in the future.

Thanks, I will send you a pm.

It is good to know that you stand behind your products.

 

[spring fever]

Thanks SF, I appreciate your input.


Color and intensity does seem to be important - my buddy was dragging the white flashing one and did not get a hit.

Next day I tried using the one from the day before, it was still flashing, just without the intensity - no hits. I then popped in a new one and they started biting.

Absolutely colour matters-intensity I'm not so sure on. Colour first-we all know that certain colours disappear the deeper you go-but that applies to the natural light that comes down from above the water. I believe if you put an artificial light that is red or green at depth then that is the colour it will still be at depth. I wish I was still diving to check that out. Just as you switch different coloured hootchys around from the same manufacturer to get a better result I think you also have to switch LED's around. I try and match my LED's to the hootchy I am using-if I think a white cuttlefish would work then I go with a white LED inside it-the same goes for a green double glow-green LED. You should always use a proven lure with the LED and get the LED to enhance what your lure was trying to do. Intensity is another ball game-yes I feel better with a new light down-no question but over time the light will dim but in a proven lure such as a green double glow you are still farther ahead than the straight luminous light the rubber would have produced. All I can say is if you put 2 exactly the same hootchys down side by side at depth and one has an LED in it-the other straight-on my boat at least the LED the majority of times will outfish the straight presentation.

Will it outfish anchovies?? Guess that depends on who is spinning the bait! LOL I'm showing my prejudice here-No it won't-but we can't always spin bait-so when I can't spin bait because I don't have any or it's too rough I have every confidence that an LED hootchy will produce as good or better than any other hardware. My 2 cents!!

 

[salty-dog]

Just open question to the LED guys have you looked into LED on steady on? Dimmer less intensity...... Basically you just pulse the LED on the board fast enough you can't see it to save power. You can achieve this I know because I have done it.... Do you guys have any steady on I just see flashing stuff.... I assume you don't as it would take up too much battery power?

Yes, we have done this, however, the lifespan is very short. We have experimented with an extremely fast flash and a constant on mode. The constant on uses less power than a rapid flash but this is because the flash unit requires power to operate whereas the steady or constant on only has to power up once. Even with L.E.D.'s, the start up is a major power draw.

With constant on, the lifespan is approx. 30 hours or so with the first 70-75% being productive light.

We do have another model that we are currently working that I believe will fare well in the industry. It requires a special flash module to be built and we have sourced a builder. Over the winter months, I will have more time to devote to this project along with two other major projects that are currently in the works. It is hoped that come spring, we will have all three in regular production and on the market.

 

[salty-dog]

Thanks, I will send you a pm.

It is good to know that you stand behind your products.

I got your pm and am taking care of this for you. Yes, I stand behind my products 110% and offer any after sales support that may be required. This is why we have the website-- support. I will not post my number on public forms, however, I do have an email address where anyone can ask questions.

 

[salty-dog]

As Spring Fever pointed out, if you wish to test any light in the store, I am certain the store will not mind. I will send out memos to all of our retailers. Just please test at the counter or ask the sales staff to test it for you. Rarely do things like this occur, but we are human and prone to the occasional mistake.

Thank you.

 

[Enniberg]

Just wanted to report back that salty-dog did send me replacements for the faulty led's, and he even threw in some extras for me to test - fantastic customer service! Thank you!

I have continued fishing the led's, and have become a definite believer in the lights - so far I cannot say I catch more salmon - but the ones we got on the led's were some of the biggest of the season for our boat.

Bottom fish is where it really works magic in my books - halibut bite better than on anything else I currently have in my tackle assortment, and ling cod seem to love it too.

 

[spring fever]

Just wanted to report back that salty-dog did send me replacements for the faulty led's, and he even threw in some extras for me to test - fantastic customer service! Thank you!

I have continued fishing the led's, and have become a definite believer in the lights - so far I cannot say I catch more salmon - but the ones we got on the led's were some of the biggest of the season for our boat.

Bottom fish is where it really works magic in my books - halibut bite better than on anything else I currently have in my tackle assortment, and ling cod seem to love it too.

Salty-dog is a very honourable guy. I have been testing lures with him and for him for the last 2 years. He truly wants to help guys catch fish-he has told me on many occasions-"if you can't catch fish with it or don't like it he won't sell it". He has some neat innovations coming and is fully deserving of the angling communities support. Testing or not-changed the way my boat fishes'-. many more choices on how and what to do. I'm sure I haven't come up with every way to use the lights so don't be afraid to innovate and experiment. My latest is Jughead meet LED-next trip -once my wounded kicker is put back together.

 

[Theb55]

X2. A great guy.

 

[Seafever]

Giving these a bath next time out......days are overcast so should light up pretty good. Mainly targetting Coho....but you never know....

(ones in pic are not assembled...I put em together when I'm out there.....

Off ECVI

 

[spring fever]

They look good-I sometimes use herring, anchovy oil-or Vaseline to help the LED's into the cuttlefish heads.

 

[Enniberg]

So far my best led lure has been a brown turd with a red gumpucky in the nose and a red flashing led. The led really lights up the gumpucky - killer.

White cuttlefish and white turd work well too.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

 

[nicnat]

interesting stuff, thanks guys, definitely going to try these out, especially for the halibut.

cheers nicnat

 

[Seafever]

Enniberg.......where were you fishing that hoochy/LED you describe?

 

[Enniberg]

Enniberg.......where were you fishing that hoochy/LED you describe?

Seafever, we fish mostly out of Ucluelet.

 

[Seafever]

In a big Turd hoochy there would probably be room for TWO LED's.........wonder how that would work.......

 

[spring fever]

In a big Turd hoochy there would probably be room for TWO LED's.........wonder how that would work.......

You can also put them in the Pirates Den glow wench(sold at HC) which in my opinion is actually better than the turd but of similar size. I believe it might hold 2 lights especially if you clip the top loop off with a pair of side cutters or just sand it off. I have never tried this but it certainly would make it noticeable down deep. I have tried putting a piece of sponge in the nose of the wench (turd) ahead of the LED and shooting it with a hypo full of any number of fishey oils. This is an amazing enhancer for all fish!!