Paddlin’ with Madalyn: Finding the Right Setup

Before taking a kayak out on the water, be sure to familiarize yourself with the light requirements for your setup. From sunset to sunrise—and during other times of restricted visibility such as rain or heavy fog—kayaks that are paddled by hand or pedal-powered require some type of flashing white light. Motorized kayaks require both a continuously visible, 360-degree white light pole on the stern and standard navigation lights on the bow, red on port (left) and green on starboard (right).

There are all kinds of options for lights and many are budget-friendly. Before I installed permanent navigation lights on my kayak, I used something like these battery-operated lights available on Amazon. Eventually, I upgraded to the Super Bright LED Button Lights by YakPower. When these are paired with the Five Circuit Power Panel Switching System, I have the ability to turn on and off my navigation lights (and any other 12-volt electronic plugged up to the system) with the push of a button conveniently located right beside my seat.

For a white navigation light, I chose to go with the Visipole II by YakAttack because even when conditions may not necessarily require use of a navigation light, I take a small amount of comfort in having a flag visible at all times.

The only downside to this product is being out of reach from the seat. Once it’s on, it’s staying on until the trip is over or the kayak is beached somewhere.

Even after upgrading the stern lighting to include YOLOtek’s remote-operated NavLIGHT SHOW four-foot LED light pole, I still run with my flag because there’s no such thing as too much visibility on the water.

A flag and YOLOtek light combo at the front of her kayak makes Madalyn Roberts more visible when on the water, especially after the sun goes down. (Photo by Madalyn Roberts)

Firefly Outdoor & Marine designs high-quality products that effectively eliminate the uncertainty that comes along with fishing in the dark. Josh Welch’s XTR130 (seen here) is rigged with a tri-light combination connected by a wireless Bluetooth system with remote, making him ready for anything the night may bring. (Photo by Josh Welch)

When looking for lights, there’s no doubt an overwhelming amount of options. While I’m certain there are newer, better products out there than what I use, I’ve been running the YakPower light and circuit system for several years without any notable issues.

If I were to upgrade my lighting further, the only products I would consider would be from Firefly Outdoor and Marine. While I have not yet used them on my own kayak, seeing them in action on B’n’M ProStaffer Josh Welch’s Bonafide XTR130 is enough to make a lady wanna jump ship.

Welch advises, “The Nighthawk, Diamond Series Bow Light and SL4 Bow Spotlight paired with the AirWolf Wireless Bluetooth System gives me the opportunity to light up the night with the touch of a remote button.” Welch hits the nail on the head when stating that what makes the Diamond Series bow light ultra appealing to us kayak anglers is its feather weight of just over four ounces for such bright lighting. Welch adds, “The yellow deck light attached to the bow light is just the cherry on top for low light needed to retie baits.”