Do glow in the dark lures work?

For those who enjoy night fishing, there are quite a few options available to help you out. From our Green Blob underwater fishing lights to underwater fishing habitats to glow in the dark lures, just because it’s dark doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a productive night of fishing. While we’ve talked about the effectiveness of underwater fishing lights extensively, we haven’t talked much about other tools. So, do glow in the dark lures work?

 

Yes, glow in the dark lures work — with some species, that is. Today, let’s look at why glow in the dark lures work better for some species than others.

The science behind glow in the dark lures

Glow in the dark lures have been around since at least the 1950’s. Back then, they were relatively simple lures that used zinc-based additives to cause them to “light up.” In fact, many of us might remember some of our childhood toys, such as Zartan from the G.I. Joe toy line, that lit up after you exposed them to a light source for a period of time. To see Zartan’s special skin, you simply held him up to a light source (such as your desk lamp). When you pulled him away, his skin tone changed (just like in the cartoon). Slowly, he would revert back to his normal skin tone, but you could recharge him like this over and over again.

 

Older glow in the dark lures are no different. To activate them, all you had to do was hold them up to a light source (such as a flashlight) to cause the zinc to react and turn them a bright green color. Just like the science behind an underwater green fishing light, green glow in the dark bait helps to attract game fish.

Mind you, the science is slightly different. Green fishing lights start out by attracting zooplankton, then baitfish, and finally game fish. Glow in the dark lures don’t work in the exact same way.

However, consider this: both underwater lights and glow in the dark lures are green

Why are they green exactly? Again, it has to do with the science behind how certain chemicals react and attract fish. Statistically speaking, green fishing lights jump start the underwater ecosystem faster than any other color. This is true for several reasons.

1. Zooplankton are naturally drawn to green light visually and for reproduction. Using a green light really is the best of both worlds for this species of aquatic life. They like to see green, and green makes them more likely to produce more zooplankton.
2. Where zooplankton congregate in large batches, baitfish are going to amass. Where baitfish swim in groups, schools of game fish move in for a tasty meal.
3. Green light has a really short wavelength. Why does this matter? Because green light can travel further in the water than almost any other color. Effectively, it has the widest reach, allowing it to be seen by zooplankton, baitfish, and game fish easier than any other color.

Does this automatically mean that a basic green lure is going to create a food chain? No, and for several reasons too.

1. Unlike a battery powered underwater green fishing light, glow in the dark lures need to be recharged. Remember Zartan from a few paragraphs ago? He, too, had to be recharged. Eventually, as the time increases since the last exposure to a light source, basic glow in the dark lures will fade. This isn’t enough time to start the food chain.
2. A typical green underwater fishing light (sold from Green Blob Outdoors!) has a typical brightness factor of 15,000 lumens. This is over 10 times the brightness of an outdoor security light. Glow in the dark lures have a mere fraction of this brightness level.

However, they’re still green, right? Are you wondering how they’re still an effective tool for night fishing then?

Glow in the dark lures work alongside other night time fishing equipment

Simply put, glow in the dark lures are not a one-stop-shop option for taking your nighttime fishing game to boss level. Instead, basic glow in the dark lures work alongside your underwater green fishing light.

Why? First, it’s important to understand why they even work in the first place. Many saltwater fish species feed on bioluminescent baitfish. A glow in the dark lure mimics their natural prey and make them more likely to take a bite on your line than otherwise. 

Second, we’ve reiterated the point in several blogs, and we’ll mention it again here too. When fishing with a light, you cast your line towards the other edge of your green fishing light’s field. This is where highly desired game fish are often lurking, waiting for the right moment to dart in and get a meal. So, if your glow in the dark lure “wanders” away from the pack and just so happens to make its way to the edge of the light (where the game fish are): boom! The closest game fish just got an easy meal.

However, recharging them every five to ten minutes is a pain, isn’t it?

That’s why battery powered lures are now available

Technology is great, isn’t it? As LEDs became more and more efficient, they also became smaller and smaller. Whereas the only option available in the 1950’s (and, really, even the past couple of decades) would have been basic glow in the dark lures, today we have battery powered LED options. These lightweight lures only way a couple of ounces yet can pack enough battery power to last up to 12 hours.

There are even some newer options that can accumulate the charge of the sun during the entire day, holding on to it for later in the evening when you set out for your round of nighttime fishing. While we’re still inclined to call these basic lures (since they’re not battery powered), they’re still more advanced the previous options that needed recharged almost every 5 minutes!