A fishing headlamp I’m never without that is tiny & powerful

For over three years, the small and powerful Nitecore NU25 fishing headlamp has been my trusty companion when out freshwater or saltwater fly fishing at night.

At the start of the day, I place the NU25 my fishing jacket pocket and head off fishing. Then…

the headlamp is at hand when the light fades in the evening.

Gone are the days of heading back to the car before dark for those what now seem enormous headlamps and their respective battery belt packs or the compact filament bulb head torches with replacement batteries.

Why did I choose the Nitecoe NU25 fishing headlamp?

In summary, it is feature-packed and ticks all the boxes for me…

• A powerful head torch with four LED white-light settings
• Two LED red-light settings for protecting your night vision
• Lightweight (54g including strap) and comfortable to wear on your head
• Waterproof head torch
• Fits easily into a jacket pocket when not in use
• USB Rechargeable Li-ion battery.

Now, let’s look at this feature-packed, lightweight head torch in more depth…

NU25 fishing headlamp features

Light source settings and operational modes:

This Nitecore head torch has three separate LED light sources:

The main white LED light has 4 output settings:

The red light has two settings that help protect your night vision:

In addition, to the main white-light setting this fishing headlamp has an auxiliary high CRI (colour rendering index) setting with an output of 20 lumens that is ideal for short-range illumination (changing flies, reading, etc)

Unlike many head torches on the market, the Nitecore NU25 has separate buttons to control the white and red lights.

Two buttons are a definite plus for me because I hate having to scroll through the white light setting to get to the red light.

So, how do I use the multitude of light settings when out trout or sea trout fishing at night?

• While walking to the riverbank, I mainly use the medium white-light setting.
• For changing flies on the bank, I use either the low white-light setting, auxiliary high CRI setting, or high red-light settings.
• When climbing down riverbanks, I use the high red-light setting focused on the ground.
• For netting fish, I use the low red-light setting if required.
• Changing flies and sorting tangles while wading – I use the high red-light or low light settings while facing upstream and towards the near bank.
• While walking back to the car after fishing, I usually use the medium light-light and occasionally the high white-light setting.

I rarely use the turbo white-light setting, but it helps find your bearings at night. In addition, there is a special SOS location beacon mode that, fortunately, I’ve not needed to use yet.

USB Rechargeable Battery 

The NU25 fishing headlamp has an inbuilt 610 mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery, rated at 2.26 Wh and equivalent to three AAA batteries.

I have never run out of power while fishing from a fully charged battery. It’s also so easy to assess the charge level in the battery by holding the R button down.

Charging it up is quick and easy via a micro-USB charging port under the dust cover on the bottom of the torch.

Plug the micro-USB cable into the charging port and the other end into a USB charging point, e.g. car, plug, computer etc.

The Nitecore flashlight remains fully functional while charging and can be charged on the go with a probable power pack for extensive use situations.

Also, to prevent the light from turning in your bag or pocket, the NU25 has an easy-to-use lock feature.

Strap and lightweight housing

The lightweight head torch has a breathable elasticated nylon strap that is comfortable to wear. The inside of the strap has a thin silicone strip that helps hold the headlamp in position on your head.

The rechargeable head torch has a hollowed bracket to reduce weight and a hinge allowing the light to be tilted to a 60° angle.

Summary – NU25 Nitecore headlamp

Overall, the Nitecore NU25 is a tiny and powerful fishing headlamp that is now my trusty companion for all my night fishing activities. Since using this rechargeable headlamp a number of my fishing buddies have seen the benefits and bought a NU25.