Glow in the Dark Fishing Lure Review

Although our largest group of high volume purchasers are tackle manufacturers, our experts at Glow Inc. are not avid fisherman.  In fact, most of them would run at the sight of a worm.

But our bait-loving customers report great success with glow in the dark fishing lures.  To our surprise, they even claim that the fish prefer the glow lures during the day.

Fish tale?...Possibly.

Quick Glow in the Dark Fishing Tackle

Although we supply pigment to many lure manufacturers, you do not need to buy off-the-shelf glow in the dark tackle.  We suggest you simply take a store purchased spoon or lure and dip it in Ultra Green Glow in the Dark Paint.  You will need at least a 1/2 pint can for this to work.  Then hang it to dry for 20 minutes.  When dry, coat it with Krylon Crystal Clear Spray paint.  Now go fishing and enjoy yourself.

Professional Glow in the Dark Spoons

Manufacturers use airbrushes and masking to paint spoons.  Proper airbrush techniques can give you the ability to apply a smooth consistent surface with impressive fading effects.  For tips on using an airbrush, consult our painting techniques section.  Also remember to use a sealer.

Professional Glow in the Dark Lures

If you mold your own lures, you can add up to 10% of glow in the dark pigment (powder) directly to the medium before filling the mold.  This makes a lure that glows from the inside and does not usually need a sealer.

Night Fishing with Glow in the Dark Paint by Rodney Long

When I received my bottles of Ultra Green Glow paint, I was really excited to try it on my fishing gear. I wanted to see how much this stuff would make night fishing easier.

I am impressed. This stuff really works and now I'm going to tell you how to make your night fishing more productive.
The premixed glow paint can be brushed or sprayed. An airbrush is the best way to get an even coat of paint onto your tackle. But since most fishermen will not have access to an air brush, this article will cover brush painting. If you are lucky enough to have an airbrush, read the airbrush page on the Glow Inc. website.
The thicker you apply the paint, the brighter and more effective it will be. That being said, a light thin coat still does quite well.

Some of Glow Inc.’s products are waterproof and do not need an additional coat. Others like the Ultra Green I used for my testing require a clear sealer to protect them from moisture. I found that Krylon Crystal Clear spray paint as recommended by Glow Inc. is the best solution. It is readily available at any Wal-Mart or Home Depot for approximately $3. For fishing applications, I like to add 3 coats of this sealer.

One of the biggest problems with night fishing is seeing your rod tips. Even good lighting and brightly colored rods are a bit tough to see. The glow paint helps out here a lot. But, I just could not bring myself to paint the end of $200 fishing rods. A great solution is to use a coffee stirrer or drinking straw, depending on the diameter of your tip. You cut the straw to a length of about 2 inches and then cut a slit up one side. Paint the straw with a thick coat of glow paint and sealer. Then slip it onto your rod. In fact, I personally paint the straw after I have it on the rod because it looses some flexibility after a thick coat of paint.

This works very well to let you watch your tips. But you still have to directly watch them. I am lazy, which is what they say about all inventors. So, I developed a way to have the rod notify me when fish are biting. I went to the local craft store and bought tiny cowbells. Some have mentioned they like using the ones they sell for fishing, but I don’t prefer them. Paint your bells with your glow paint and sealer. Then attach them to the rod tip using a paper clip letting the bell hang loosely.

Many people fish with floats at night. Paint the top of your floats with a bit of Ultra Green and the sealer to make them visible.

When fishing at night or in deep stained water, you can use glow beads or glow lures to bring attention to your bait. Glow beads can be made from a 1/4” standard craft store beads painted with the glow paint. One or more of these beads can be threaded onto your line just above your hook. When painting the beads, we suggest that you string them on a line to keep the holes open.

I know they sell molded “glow beads”, but these are about 1/10 as bright as beads painted with the Ultra Green glow paint. A single glow bead in front of any lure or bait can really increase the number of fish caught at night.

Some have mentioned painting the glow weights. My experience is that the bead method allows you to get the “glow” closer to the hook. The glow paint is also much more durable on a bead than on a weight. Since the Ultra Green Glow paint puts out the same color as natural glowing deep water animals, it does not spook the fish in the least.

The final piece of advice I can offer is on charging your new glow items. You will want a bright light source or a UV light source onsite to keep your glow tackle not only glowing, but glowing brightly. An inexpensive way to accomplish this is with used disposable flash cameras, which can be acquired free from most photo developers. A better option is to buy a portable black light that runs on AA batteries. These are available from Spencer Gifts for approximately $15.

About the Author: Rodney Long is a designer of innovative fishing products for several major brands. He owns the patents for dozens of products that are used in the fishing industry. His biggest successes include the “Boomerang Fishing Pro”, “The Long Shot Wiggle Rig”, “StandOUT Hooks”, “Mojo's Rock Hopper”, and “Rig Saver weights”. More information on his products can be found on his website at http://ezknot.com.

Review of Michigan Stinger's New Glow in the Dark Lures by Daniel Clark

As a photoluminescent chemist, I didn't realize the level of bio engineering that goes into designing fishing tackle.  To say the least, I was surprised when I received a phone call from the engineer at Michigan Stinger requesting technical data.  That call took place over two years ago.  Since then, the Stinger engineers have performed over a hundred laboratory and real-life tests to design an efficient high end lure.  As I write this review, their 2004 line of glow lures are being distributed to tackle shops around the world.

Fish think about food like a hungry teenager.  If they see something that looks appetizing, they throw it in their mouth as fast as they can.  Therefore, the biggest requirement of a great lure is that it can be seen from a distance.  But the hard part is to design a lure that looks more appetizing than the local feeder fish.  Any mom that has to prepare healthy meals to compete with junk food will fully understand the complexity.

There are about 10 companies currently manufacturing glow in the dark lures.  The majority simply took existing lures and added a layer of the Ultra Green Glow Paint.  While this definitely increases performance, there was a lot of room for improvement.  Therefore, I will detail some of the technical aspects of the new Stinger line which sets them apart.

It is a fact that fish prefer their victims to have scales.  For the last 20-30 years, it was thought that shiny, smooth lures had better performance.  At the time, this was true.  Shiny lures improved visibility at a distance when they reflected light from the surface.  But photoluminescent pigment removes that benefit.  Careful observation of fish shows that a smooth, shiny surface actually sometimes discouraged fish as they approached the lure. To address this, Stinger's engineers stamped tiny random hexagons into the metal of the lure.  Although the lure now had scales, it was still a bit too shiny, so they added a texture to the paint to eliminate reflections.

The second major fact is that fish like to eat raw fish.  In Japan, they call this sushi.  The best sushi is colorful and as such is more attractive.  Once again, fish go crazy over something bright from a distance.  But as they approach, they want something that looks edible.  While a 3-mile island glowing green fish looks like caviar when you are starving, it is not so appealing as a mid-day snack.

For many years, manufactures painted lures with a variety of contrasting colors in fish inspired shapes.  No one has a doubt that this highly increases performance.  But when it came to glow paint, that knowledge went out the window.

When they started mimicking the colors and designs of the regular lures with different colors of glow paint, they found it made a massive improvement.  Tests showed that fish would lock their radar at a distance and kept approaching right through the attack.

As you can see, they made major technological improvements to something as basic and simple as a lure.  They now had a lure that was visible at a distance and attractive as food at close range.  But they decided to address another performance concern that they witnessed late in the process.

Photoluminescent paint is highly visible in moderate to low-light conditions.  In moderate to bright conditions, this long range visibility does not exist without some help.  They addressed this issue with fluorescent pigments, which convert UV light from the sun into a highly visible, almost neon light.  This is bright enough to increase long-range visibility, yet it is not focused enough to discourage the predator.

Although it is an expensive proposition for any manufacturer, Stinger actually adds regular pigment, fluorescent pigment, and photoluminescent pigment to every color of their new line of glow lures.

To the regular human, these enhancements will not visibly be the most impressive.  In fact, lures made by other manufacturers are much prettier.  But to a fish, it is the difference between a greasy Chicken McNugget and a slow cooked basted turkey.

I commend Michigan Stinger for doing the research to produce a truly advanced product.  If your favorite pass-time is sitting on a boat, relaxing, and drinking beer, than these high-end lures are not for you.  On the other hand, if you like reelin' 'em in, then give technology a try.

You may consider glow lures the latest fad, but Michigan Stinger's long list of national fishing trophies backs their ability to do one thing ...... Catch Fish!

Michigan Stinger's Glow Lures are distributed by Advanced Tackle.  You can visit their website at www.mistinger.com.  If you don't know the difference between a mouse and a keyboard, you may be better off calling (800) 299-4353.

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