# Installing Rope Lights In Your Shanty ??



## Fish On (Sep 1, 2004)

I was wondering How do you guys power your rope lights to light up your shanty , do you need to buy a power convertor ? or are they rigged to run off of AA batteries or other household batteries , I saw some rope lights at home depot is that the kind to buy , they have a regular plug on the end to power them ??....I see clam sells a set that runs on 7 AA batteries , any suggestion on how to rig them up ???

Thanks for any help ...Guys


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

I have a set of the lights that Clam sells and they came with alligator clips that hook to my Vexilar battery. I have not ran them for more than 4 hours so far and the battery seems to power both fine for that amount of time. I would get the ones that run off double AA so save the Vex battery life. Not sure how you could rig the plug type. I will also caution you, the Clam rope lights are nowhere near as bright as what is shown in the picture. They give you enough light to see your gear but nowhere near bright enough to retie 2 lb iceline. They give you a nice glow but you will probaly need something brighter to do any detail work. I am thinking about adding anoother string and dedicated battery to run them.


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

they have a lantern hanging


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

Fish on. avoid those lights that run off 120 volt household type current. you can buy them that run off 12 volt. you dont want the home depot lights unless they say 12 volt. there shouldnt be a plug on them.

this is something im about to get working on. i have 2 strings of 12 volt LEDs that im going to rig up. i bought these at gander mountain last year but we ran out of ice pdq. one string for the bar that is directly overhead me and one string for the bar that is forward of that bar, over the fishing area. im planning on getting a seperate 12v SLA battery. maybe only a 7 amp hour or less if i can find one, not sure. you can get SLA batteries for $20 or less. (same as a vex battery) i thought about jumper wires but i know that will end (for me) in a mini-disaster at least a couple times. small regular rechargeable batteries would be nice though, and lighter. it would take 8 AA or C or D batteries to get 12 volts. i got some clear masking tape too, im going to try to aim the led bulbs. should be a fun project.

i just hope 2 strings puts out enough light, if not then its all for nothing. i also have an led headlamp that i use, that thing is sweet.


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## papaperch (Apr 12, 2004)

Hardwaterfan - I suggest you get a 12 volt motorcycle battery. Still light in weight and inexpensive and more amp hours than those gel cells that come with the vexes.

Also dry cells like C and D size tend to discharge faster the colder it gets. In case you might not know how to determine battery charge life.

P = I X E Watts = Current X Voltage. By substitution lets assume the Vex draws 1/2 amp and your light strings use 1/2 amp each. 7 amp hours divided by 1 1/2 amp total load would result in 4.66 hours of use.

I have a PHD in electrical theory unfortunately the PHD stands for piled higher and deeper

 Just add your total of amps each item and divide into ampere hours rate of battery. By going to a motorcycle battery you will get an easier to maintain battery with at least double the work load ( Amp Hours )


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## 1977 walleye guy (Mar 11, 2006)

Pappaperch is right on the money, in MHO. Cycle batt. will be a couple of pounds hevier, but in the long run your better off.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

thanks for the input guys. i will look into them.


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## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

Here's another ideaa I have heard of. You can buy 12 volt lights ( christmas mini lights) and use them. We had them on a ladder truck ( Fire truck) for a few years and they ran off the batterys. I have no idea where to find them now but I do know they are cheaper than regular lights you buy from a shanty dealer. 
Not even 100% sure they still make them any longer.


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## Fish On (Sep 1, 2004)

Thanks Guys !!!...for all the input


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## Erie Addict (Apr 12, 2004)

Last year gander mountain had a 6' 12v DC rope light set for $19.99 you could get them in white/Clear or red. Put them in my voyager and ran them off of a 12 gel cell battery, Same type the vex or Aqua view runs off of. They would shine for about 20 hours on thier own battery. Just used alligator clips to attach them to the battery. I endded up putting the red ones in the boat for night fishing. They work great and don't attract bugs like the white ones.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

that sounds good. im assuming you ran 1 string off a 7 ah battery for 20 hours? thats the same string i have, i have 2 strings of the clear. the way i use my vex i dont want to run jumpers to it. im going to get them their own battery.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

ok its just like swantucky said. enough light to be able to see whats going on and all that but not enough to tie jigs with. i have a headlamp ive always used for that. i like it, i think it will work out nicely. should be pretty slick when im done.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Mark's Live Bait And Tackle On lake Rockwell Rd In Ravenna 330-221-5213

I love to ice fish and have my own theory regarding the lights inside the shanty.If you're fishing in 20' or more water the lights will be OK.Most fish hold tight to the bottom during ice season.If your fishing a smaller, shallower body of water I would use just enough light to be able to see.I feel the light will spook the fish.Also, when not fishing from a shanty,depending on the coldness, put some of the slush back in the hole to keep the light from shining through.I would do this especially on a sunny day.Think of it like this, the fish can see quite well beneath the ice no matter what the conditions are outside.A couple beams of light shining in the water will not look natural or normal to the fish.There's a chance the fish might avoid that area.I catch more fish when using a shanty vs. sitting on a bucket in the elements........Mark


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

my favorite way to fish is sight fishing, no lights, no electronics, just you and the fish in the dark hut.

hey Mark you were right last year about the front poles on the pro. that they should have a bend to them. it would work. dont know why they dont have that, maybe they changed them though. seems like they change them every year.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Mark's Live Bait And Tackle On Lake Rockwell Rd In Ravenna 330-221-5213

Hardwater, Clam hasn't changed the design on any of their shanties.I just got my truckload of shanties in and the design is the same as in years past.Anyone needing a shanty(I have 8 models to choose from) or other ice fishing gear at a great price can call me anytime.........Mark


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

if anyone is curious i measured the draw (just figured out how  ) of the 6' LED rope lights from GM (the 6 footers) and they draw about 150 mA per string. i have two so that makes 300 mA of draw. for comparison, i measured my vex and it draws about 230 mA (its rated at 275 mA). kinda disappointed with how much they draw but i guess its a lot of LED's

also, i mounted them on two of my cross bars and actually aimed the LED bulbs so that they all point down to the ice area. seemed to approx. double the amount of useful light! i used "crystal clear duct tape" (or something like that.)

i guess being that LED bulbs shoot such a focused beam of light, they have to be aimed, otherwise if they are shooting into the dark blue fabric of the shanty, they arent doing a thing for the lighting.


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## papaperch (Apr 12, 2004)

hardwaterfan : check out forum on iceteam web page. They have 12 pages on this alone. Sounds so good I ordered a pair of these. Go to www.iceteam.com once there get on discussion page then to " ice fishing tools ".

All ogf guys that like ice fishing : this site used to charge for discussion board membership but now they are free. Lots of discussion on tools and technique.
heavily dominated by minnesota and iowa and michigan anglers but lots of good info that only us ice nuts would appreciate.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

yep, i read that on that "rainy day"  those LED lights are the way of the future as far as all-around lighting goes. incandescent bulbs will be a thing of the past someday. 

theres a 45 page thread on that iceleaders.com website. you might have to dig back a few pages. all about LEDs.

i think im gonna give what i have set up now a try. seems good enough. could always modify later on or in the future. LED lights arent cheap. but i bet the price keeps falling on them.


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## papaperch (Apr 12, 2004)

LOL should of figured another hardheaded hardwater would be up on this . I figured in case you might have missed it.

I am getting soooo antsy I am going on an open water trip tommorow just to test those ice rods I built. Will do a little serious fishing but mostly to test if these rods will perform how I think they will.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

hey thanks man, good luck with the new rods too. actually the guy who's lights are the main gist of that icetam thread is also in the iceleaders thread, them guys go nuts with those LEDs. i think the hardest part is not knowing actually how many LEDs you need, how bright they are, etc.


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