When it comes to catching squid for bait, there’s no question about the value of underwater lighting. But a good underwater light source is also a big help for catching other live baits like Pacific and Spanish mackerel, and even game fish. When you attract a lot of prey species to your boat, after all, predators won’t be far behind.

PHOTOS:
Courtesy of Avalon Marine Products
Courtesy of Avalon Marine Products
LED Solution – All trim-tab light systems share roughly the same design with light housings mounted on a bracket attached to the top of the tab. Avalon Marine Products’ LED version, shown here, draws just 1 amp.

The through-hull options are relatively expensive, and installation requires cutting a 1-1/2- to 4-inch hole in your boat’s bottom – something best done professionally, and at considerable cost. Also, lamp replacement has to be done from inside the hull – a challenge in itself on many small boats.

Portable lights, while far less expensive, have their own set of shortcomings. While through-hull lights are directional, using a lens to focus their light downward in a cone, most portable lights are nondirectional and thus lack the range of directional lights.

Also, they have to be taken out of the water every time you move the boat. If they’re clipped to your battery terminals somewhere belowdecks, that can get old in a hurry. And of course, depending on where your batteries are located, the cord leading from the battery to the gunwale can be very easy to trip over in the dark.

Best of Both Worlds
Recently, though, a number of companies have begun to offer trim tab-mounted underwater lights, combining many of the best features of both portable and through-hull lights. Trim-tab lights mount on the top of your trim tabs so that when you’re on plane, they’re completely clear of the water. At rest, they’re submerged.

Like through-hull lights, trim-tab lights are permanently mounted, so you don’t have to connect and disconnect them every time you want to move the boat. Also like through-hulls, they generate an intense, focused beam. Most trim-tab light kits include two 75-watt halogen lights per tab for a total of four lights, producing a total output of around 5,000 lumens.

On the other hand, they’re far easier to install than through-hull lights and don’t require cutting a hole through your boat’s bottom. Most models mount right to the brackets on your trim tabs where the actuators attach, using existing holes. At most, you may have to drill two to four holes in each of your tabs.

As for the hull, you may have to drill two small holes in the transom to pass the power cable through, but those are above the waterline and thus much less “delicate.” If you already have existing holes in the transom for transducer cables, you may even be able to use those instead of drilling new ones. Trim-tab lights are also easier to maintain than through-hulls, at least on trailerable boats, since you can replace the lamps without burrowing down inside the hull.

An additional advantage of trim-tab lights over both through-hull and portable lights is that they can be aimed up or down by simply raising or lowering your trim tabs. With the tabs all the way up, most models aim either horizontally behind the boat or slightly downward. With the tabs lowered all the way, the beams are directed sharply downward and a bit aft – right where the current carries lures and baits when you’re anchored.

Not Cheap, but a Good Value
The four main manufacturers of trim-tab lights – Avalon Marine Products, Aqua Lights, AquaTab and Hurley Marine – all use roughly the same design, but prices vary substantially. Ranging from about $750 to $1,200 for a four-light kit with power cables, they’re certainly not cheap, especially when compared to the $20 to $100 you can expect to pay for a decent portable underwater light.

On the other hand, trim-tab lights are a good value compared to most through-hull lights. When comparing prices, keep in mind that the prices of trim-tab lights are generally for four lights, while the prices of through-hull lights are for a single light. You also have to factor in the substantial installation cost of through-hull lights. A reasonably competent do-it-yourselfer can install trim-tab lights with no trouble.

Georgia’s Aqua Lights, Inc. (www.aqualights.org) uses marine bronze light housings, as opposed to stainless steel, and its lights mount to the vertical “lip” on the aft edge of the trim tab, requiring some drilling. A kit with four 75w halogens bulbs runs about $800.

Hurley Marine’s Trim Tab Lights (www.hurleymarine.com) come with two dual-light units in stainless housings with 75w halogen bulbs. Street price is about $900. An installation kit including a switch/circuit breaker panel and two cable clams for feeding power cables through the transom is about $75. Green and blue lenses are also available for $50 for a set of four.

AquaTab Lites (www.aquatablites.com) also come with two stainless steel dual housings and four 75w halogen bulbs. Additionally, they can be ordered with zero-, 10-, 20- and 30-degree brackets. With the zero-degree bracket, the beams are directed straight aft when the tabs are retracted completely; with the 30-degree bracket, the beams aim 30 degrees downward when the tabs are retracted. Street price is about $1,200 with a complete installation kit. AquaTab also makes a single-housing model with one light per tab that sells for about $900.

Avalon Marine Products’ (www.avalonmarineproducts.com) basic TrimBright system also includes two dual stainless housings and four 75w halogen bulbs. Brackets can be custom-bent to direct lights farther downward if desired, and the company can fabricate bracket extensions to fit recessed trim tabs. At about $750 (with power cables but without switch, fuse, etc.), the TrimBright lights appear to be the best value. Avalon also makes a single-housing model for $450.

LEDs Solve the Power Problem
All of this sounds great, but the problem, at least for owners of small boats, is the substantial load four 75w bulbs places on their electrical system – roughly 25 amps. A group 27 deep-cycle battery – the kind usually found on seaworthy 18- to 25-footers – will run a 25A load for just two and a half to three hours. Add another 2.5A to 6A from your bait pump and 8A from your deck lights, and you’d better catch your squid quick.

The solution? LEDs. Avalon Marine Products makes its TrimBrights not only with the usual 75w halogens, but also with super-efficient 3w LEDs. Although the LED TrimBrights aren’t quite as bright as the halogen version, they produce whiter, cleaner light and, more importantly, draw just 1A (yes, all four of them)! That means you can run them for three days instead of three hours.

Realistically, with that same good-quality group 27 deep-cycle battery, you can sit on the squid grounds for six hours with your LED TrimBrights and your 1,100 gph bait pump (6A) going the whole time and your deck lights (8A) on half the time and have power to spare. (Obviously you should have a second battery, fully charged and isolated from this load.) The LED TrimBrights sell for $825. A one-light-per-tab LED kit is $500.