6 Best Underwater Dock Lights – Reviewed with Pros & Cons

Underwater dock lights can feel a bit like a cheat code at times. In some scenarios, dock lights can draw huge numbers of fish to the area around your dock or pier, making it easier to successfully get yourself a huge haul. 

These lights can be the perfect addition to your dock, especially if you are often out when the sun goes down, but you need to make sure you get the right option and match the lights up to your needs and the location of your dock (freshwater and saltwater options may be different).

What is an Underwater Dock Fishing Light?

For those who are new to the concept, it might seem strange that an underwater light attached to your dock or pier could make any difference to your fishing efforts. It’s not like the fish are moths drawn to a flame?

Fish tend to have two color receptors, and they can pick up blue and green wavelengths pretty well, which may draw them to certain colored underwater lights.

These lights may also help to create a little ecosystem near your fishing spot. Phytoplankton is microscopic algae that use photosynthesis and are attracted to lights as they are looking for a food source after the sun has gone down.

Other fish and aquatic creatures are tempted in by the phytoplankton as it is food for them. You’ve effectively set up your bait just by adding light!

Also read: Best Depth Finder For Pontoon Boat in 2022

The Best Underwater Dock Lighting Options

Let’s dive into some of the best options for underwater dock lighting, including LED models as well as other light technology such as sodium lights.

Green Blob might sound like the villain from an old horror movie, but it is actually one of the very best brands for producing underwater dock lights.

This is a flexible LED model which can be bought in different designs, offering 7500 or 15000 lumens, and either a 30ft or a 50ft power cord. A longer cord might be required to fit this under the dock.

It’s high-quality and made in Texas to high standards, plus it can be used in either freshwater or saltwater settings. It has a flexible power adapter with a 12V DC output, and a plug included so you can simply plug it into a suitable power source and you’re ready to go. LED lights are also notoriously very energy-efficient.

The green light is perfect for attracting a lot of different species of fish. Green is the most universally-successful color for these types of underwater fishing purposes, attracting trout, bass, catfish, redfish, and more.

What we like

• Excellent energy-efficiency from the LED design.
• Fantastic for those who want really powerful lighting and a high lumen rating.
• Relatively easy, plug-and-play installation.

What could be better

• No option to change the colors (some of the best underwater dock lights for fishing can change color settings).
• Not as good at repelling some unwanted creatures like barnacles.

Some people still prefer to use HID lights, not least of all because of the fact that they burn hotter which can help to prevent the buildup of barnacles that you might get in some climates if you’re using LED lights.

This light is very long-lasting and high-quality. The 175W lamp gives off enough light to cover about a 10ft area around it, and the manufacturer has calculated that it will cost the average user just 3 to 5 USD per month to operate. On top of this, it is great for durability and the lamp itself should last 6-8 years with no replacement needed.

This fishing light has a measured rating of 9000 lumens and drops down into the water easily with the included weight. A 110v grounded outlet, along with a piling or post to mount the control box are all you need to get started. It’s a little on the expensive side, but you are likely to get plenty of value out of it.

What we like

• Extremely long-lasting and durable.
• Hot enough to burn off some of the barnacles and other unwanted creatures.
• Affordable to operate and very little maintenance required.

What could be better

• This is a pretty expensive model, which costs a lot more than LED equivalents.
• Requires somewhere to mount a control box.

Ready to experiment with the colors under your dock? This is a fantastic model for doing so, which even comes with a remote so that you can make lots of changes to the lights and even effects like strobing and dimming.

The Pimp My Dock kit comes with everything you need to mount it, and has a PVC installation channel and mounting screws. It can take a little more effort to put in place than some of the other models but it also doesn’t need to be pulled out of the water once it’s down there (well, not often).

The brightness is incredible at 15,000 lumens and as you would expect, they are IP68 rated which means they are submersible underwater. The lights look great, but they also allow you to experiment with which lights might work better for attracting local fish.

A plug-in “Dusk to Dawn” timer means that you can also set this up to automatically turn on and off, and there is a 30ft power cord that allows you to find a power supply nearby.

What we like

• Easy to control using a remote controller and changing the colors and effects.
• Choose the brightness required with a dimmer.
• Includes mounting equipment.

What could be better

• Requires mounting which can be difficult for those who aren’t DIY-savvy.
• The power cord is not as long as some competing options.

The “Fire Water Marine” underwater fishing light isn’t just for docks, as it can be used on houseboats and other forms of boats, too. It’s a simple and no-frills design but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be well-made, and this is created in the US, to great effect, and is suitable for use in freshwater and saltwater.

The manufacturers have claimed it is particularly good for crappie, shad, and squid, and the green light can also attract a number of fish through the microplankton that will be attracted to the 10,000 lumens green light.

The power cord is almost 30 feet long and the standard US plug is easy to use with a generator or other standard power source. The LED lights are economical and they are rated for an impressive 50,000 hours of use.

What we like

• An affordable way to attract fish.
• Rated for both saltwater and freshwater.
• Economical and cheap to run with relatively low demand on power.

What could be better

• Cord is not as durable as some of the other options.
• The warranty only covers the first sixty days fully.

While most underwater fishing lights have a green color to them, this model comes in pure white and provides a huge amount of brightness as a result.

It’s good for allowing you to see what’s going on and illuminating your dock, even if it may not have the same effect of drawing quite as many fish to you.

The dock light itself has a timer and a key fob that allows you to control the power or even dim the lights, so you have a huge amount of control, and with the timer, you can make sure that you are not using the light for more time than you need to and running down its life span.

The lights use an LED driver and come with a quality GFCI plug, and the light can be mounted flat with the included kit. The light efficiently produces 16,000 lumens and even has a longer cord than some of the other models.

What we like

• Great power while retaining low running costs.
• Key fob control allows you to dim and alter the lights.
• Extremely well-made and durable, built in California.

What could be better

• No option to add a green hue to attract more fish.
• Quite an expensive product.

If you’re looking for the utmost in power then an incredible 30,000 lumens can be achieved with one simple LED underwater fishing light, shown to attract a variety of different fish.

With its IP68 rating, it is waterproof as well as being rust and corrosion resistant. It can be used down to a depth of 50 meters safely, in freshwater and saltwater.

The clever design has a heat dissipation feature to help to prevent a buildup of unwanted warmth, but it also has a downside as it doesn’t plug into the standard 110V power supplies we use in our homes.

Instead, it needs to be collected via included crocodile clips to a separate battery, such as a car battery.

The product does come with a great 3-year warranty and has a 50,000-hour lifespan, so it is a good option for those who want long-lasting brightness.

What we like

• Extremely bright design.
• Suitable for freshwater and saltwater.
• Waterproof down to 50 meters.

What could be better

• Not always easy to connect to power, and needs a separate external battery.
• No control over brightness or colors.

How to Choose Underwater Dock Lights

As we stated earlier in the article, choosing underwater dock lights may be different depending on your own unique needs. It’s important to understand the features and how they match up to your needs.

Saltwater Fishing Lights or Freshwater Fishing Lights

Fortunately, a lot of the products on the list can handle both freshwater and saltwater environments.

Freshwater is nowhere near as corrosive, but when using these products in saltwater you need to make sure that they are suitable for submerging for long periods, and don’t cause any hazards by being submerged.

Saltwater’s impact on metal can be extremely profound and this could be dangerous when mixed with electricity.

The housing of the underwater fishing light is all important in this situation. High-grade steels may even degrade over time, so aluminum is a good option. Anodized coatings can also be a way to add a little more durability.

Fixed or Movable Dock Lights

A lot of dock lights are designed to be fixed to a certain spot, meaning they need to be mounted. This should only be done by a confident and competent person. If you don’t know the first thing about DIY, doing it underwater isn’t the best option.

Fortunately, you may be able to attach it at a lower tide and use the mounting kit that comes with your light.

Other dock lights are movable and can be dangled within the water at your pier or dock. This means less effort when it comes to installation, but it also means that you can choose more than one spot on the dock. It’s also easier to perform any maintenance if you can simply lift your lights out of the water.

Power Supply

The majority come with a 110V power supply, which gives you a lot of options to connect them to power. Some models of underwater light are powered by batteries, such as marine batteries or car batteries. This may give you more portability, but it isn’t the most efficient way of doing things and is an extra upfront cost.

Underwater Dock Light Power (and Color)

This is an area of some debate. How much power do you really need? 

Most experts agree that the more intense light, the better. This will attract more of the smaller plankton you need to build your own ecosystem.

Above 6000 lumens is a good idea for a dock light, as this will provide you with a decent spread of light and allow you to attract some fish, but bright lights such as 15,000 or 30,000-lumen options can be even better.

It’s arguably the color that is more important. This guide explains: “green light attracts the most fish. Green has a high lumen output of 130 per LED alongside a 520 nm wavelength”.

Blue and green lights have been shown to have the best results when it comes to attracting fish to your dock, but an understanding of the lumen output and wavelengths fish can see will help you to establish the colors to use. 

The Final Verdict

Powerful and economical underwater dock lights can vastly improve your fishing experience. The Green Blob Outdoors Underwater Fishing Light is a great option for a green light, but there are color-changing products too, such as the Pimp My Dock DIY Multi-Color LED Under Dock Lighting Kit. 

While LED lights are the most popular these days, Underwater Fish Light Classic 175W Single Fish Light provides an HID alternative if you would prefer to use this technology. It is all about ensuring you get a suitable, durable model for the water you will be fishing in.