Lumens: A measure of the total amount of visible light in some defined beam or emitted from a source. The higher the lumens, the brighter the light. When it comes to lumens, it is entirely down to angler's preference and what the headtorch will be used for. For general fishing, a headtorch capable of producing between 50 and 300 lumens will make a great all-round unit, but if you require something more powerful for sea angling or lamping fish like barbel, then aim for the most powerful you can afford as it will make a difference. There is nothing more romantic and exhilarating than standing out on the bank playing a carp under the light of the moon. However, sometimes a little artificial intervention is required and Nash’s new Moonshine range has a headtorch for every requirement! Given how much we actually do when out on the bank overnight, it’s handy if you have the ability to choose different light modes on your fishing headtorch. For example, you’ll need a fair bit of brightness when you’re landing and unhooking fish.

Next up we have the Swiss army knife of the range, the multi-functional and extremely versatileMulti Lite. The Multi Lite is the headtorch for you if you wish to scale down on alternative bankside lighting but without being left in the dark! At max 350 lumens, you’re looking at an extremely bright head torch here, ideal for lighting up the far margins on a midnight cast. With a simple one button operation, you can cycle through the various light modes, which also includes red, green and blue. These will help you maintain your night vision, and ensure stealth, if you’re out and about poaching!As experienced anglers ourselves, we at Angling Direct understand the importance of proper lighting when out on the bank for a lengthy carp fishing session. Setting up in low light conditions or being woken up in the middle of the night to reel in a catch can be a real challenge without the right lighting. With our carefully selected range of carp fishing lights, we aim to make your stay at the bank easier and safer, no matter the time of day. Night Fishing Lighting Options

Credit to Ridgemonkey they have also thought of carp anglers dashing out of their bivvy when creating this fishing head torch. It’s actually got a clever dual-orientation design, which means there is no upside down. No matter which way you put it on whilst you’re running out to the rods – you can’t go wrong! Moving up into rechargeable batteries will give you lumens for longer, but at the cost of having to find a wall outlet once battery life starts to fade. This is a particular issue if you’re planning on running or adventuring in winter or at high-altitudes, as cold discharges batteries fast. The incredibly powerful rechargeable cells can also be swapped with a battery adaptor to allow use of 3 x AA 1.5V batteries, guaranteeing you are never without your most valuable location tool.

Tackle Brands

It wouldn’t be a best head torch comparison without a Petzl on the list would it? Petzl are well renowned for their quality products which have stood the test of time for years. Alternatively, like some of the torches on this list, they are powered by traditional batteries. In our opinion, these are only worth it if you are going fishing a couple of times per year. Any more than that and it makes financial sense to invest in a rechargeable head torch so that you’re not constantly replacing batteries every month. In addition to that, you’ve got a total of 5 brightness settings split across white and red, so more than enough to satisfy your lighting needs: Inevitably, extra features increase the weight of any headlamp, so be realistic about your needs and the overall burn time you actually need. Fortunately, modern LED technology has pretty much levelled the playing field, so AAA-powered head torches usually show pretty similar performance figures.

Headtorches have come on a long way in recent times, dramatically improving the way we angle after the light has faded. Budget fishing headtorches used to just be used for baiting or sorting out a fish after capture but now many anglers use the beam functions for searching for fish like carp and barbel during the night, or for illuminating their spots or far margin markers for precise casting. The best headtorches shortlist: This impressive torch boasts a massive 760 lumens. That’s enough to light up the far margins and more. Starting with the light itself, it’s a maximum 450 lumens, so more than enough for all of your lighting needs. Like most of the torches reviewed here, it has a few brightness settings across White, Reg & Green colours. When it comes to choosing a headtorch for fishing, the main purpose is to illuminate the area around you so you can see what you're doing. All headtorches will do this regardless of price but in some fishing situations you may need your headtorch to be more advanced. In fact, that’s what this head torch was designed for. It’s all about making it easy to find carp when turning up to a venue after hours.In the light itself you get five beam options to suit all situations: low white/green, medium white/green and high white. The Nitelife head torch is another which has been specifically designed for carp angling by our friends at Trakker. Featuring up to 580 lumens, this really does deserve the award for brightest head torch on this list! As a result. you may find that some head torches like the RidgeMonkey bear a little too much weight. They’re great for how long they last, but they are large and protrude from your forehead quite a bit.