If you have ever tried to drive a bass boat across a dark lake with a handheld spotlight balanced in one hand while steering with the other, you already understand why we got excited about this product. The Rigid Industries trolling motor mount light kit takes that awkward, unsafe routine and replaces it with a purpose-built solution that bolts right onto the bow of your Minn Kota Fortrex trolling motor. We spent time with this kit to see exactly how it installs, what it lights up, and whether it delivers the visibility night anglers and early-morning boaters actually need. Below we walk through everything we learned, straight from the source.

What the Rigid Industries Trolling Motor Mount Light Kit Actually Is

The concept here is refreshingly simple. Rather than clamping another accessory onto your boat and running extra brackets, the kit from Rigid Industries replaces the original diversion plate on the bow of a Minn Kota Fortrex 80 or 101 bow-mounted trolling motor. That means the light lives exactly where the factory hardware used to sit, keeping the profile clean and integrated. When we handled the kit, that direct-replacement approach stood out immediately because it removes the guesswork of finding a spot to mount a spotlight.

At the heart of the kit is an SR-M2 driving light. According to Rigid Industries, this light was chosen to deliver an incredible amount of distance and width so you can see what you need to see. Whether you are launching the boat at night, loading it back on the trailer in the dark, or running down a river or across a lake, that combination of throw and spread is what makes the difference between confidence and guessing. If you want to see the driving-pod family this light comes from, take a look at the SR-M Series Driving Pod.

Why a Wide, Long Beam Matters on the Water

On land, headlights sit low and you rarely worry about hitting something floating in your path. On the water, the hazards are different. You are watching for floating debris, buoy markers, and anything else that might sit in your path as you move across open water. The SR-M2 driving light in this kit is designed to light up that whole scene, not just a narrow cone directly ahead. During our review we appreciated that the beam is described as both long distance and wide, because in real night boating you need to catch a marker off to the side just as much as something dead ahead.

This is where the kit earns its keep for the night-fishing crowd. If you have relied on a handheld spotlight in the past, you already know the trade-off: you get light, but you give up a hand. That means one hand on the spotlight and one on the wheel, which is not the safest way to run a boat in the dark. The Rigid Industries kit eliminates that handheld spotlight from your grip and puts both hands back on the wheel. For us, that safety benefit alone justifies the swap.

The Amber Lens Cover for Fog, Rain, and Mist

One of the smartest inclusions in this kit is the amber lens cover. Anyone who has launched before sunrise knows the challenge of early-morning fog. A bright white beam can bounce back off the moisture in the air and create glare that actually makes it harder to see. The amber cover helps cut through that early morning fog, and it does the same job when it is raining or a little misty on the water. By cutting the glare down, it lets you keep seeing what is ahead instead of staring into a wall of reflected light.

Whether you are fishing down the bank, working a grass line, or simply running to get home at the end of the night, that amber option gives you flexibility. You can run the clean white beam when the air is clear and swap to the amber cover when conditions turn soupy. It is a small piece of the kit, but it addresses one of the most common frustrations of low-light boating.

A Pro’s Perspective: Justin Lucas

We are not the only ones who noticed the difference this kit makes. FLW Tour pro Justin Lucas stopped by the Rigid Industries booth to talk about his experience. Lucas explained that this is the first year he has run Rigid Industries lights on his boat, and he admitted he did not know what he had been thinking not running them before. For a touring professional who lives and breathes competitive fishing, that is a meaningful endorsement.

According to Lucas, the lights made a huge difference in convenience, especially when it comes to rigging and tackling up at night. That is the unglamorous but essential part of tournament fishing that happens in the dark before and after the day on the water. He also pointed to the new mount for the trolling motor with a headlight built into it, noting that it works well when you are driving down the lake at night, in low-light conditions, or in fog, with the yellow lens available for those tougher moments.

A Closer Look at the Integrated Mount

What we like most about the design is how tightly it integrates with the trolling motor. Because the kit replaces the diversion plate rather than adding a separate accessory bracket, the headlight becomes part of the bow mount itself. That keeps everything low-profile and reduces the chance of snagging lines or bumping the light out of alignment. When you are pulling up to a dock in the dark or navigating tight cover, a clean mount is one less thing to worry about.

If you enjoy building out a lighting setup and want to explore other options beyond the boat, there is a whole category of compact, high-output lights worth browsing. We often point people toward Off-Road LED Pod Lights when they want to understand the range of driving and spot pods available. The same principles that make a good off-road pod (throw, spread, and durability) apply directly to a light living on the bow of a boat exposed to spray and weather.

Who Should Consider This Kit

This is a targeted product, and that focus is a strength. If you own a Minn Kota Fortrex 80 or 101 bow-mounted trolling motor and you regularly run before sunrise or after dark, this kit was practically made for you. Night-fishing anglers who have long dealt with a handheld spotlight will feel the difference immediately once both hands are free. Weekend boaters who occasionally get caught out after sunset will appreciate having a proper, wide-throw light ready to go instead of scrambling for a flashlight. Because this kit replaces the factory diversion plate directly, it is not a universal accessory you slap on any boat. It is engineered for a specific mount, which is exactly why the fit is so clean. If your trolling motor matches the Fortrex 80 or 101 platform, the installation is a matter of swapping the plate for the new light-equipped mount. If it does not, this particular kit is not the right one for your setup.

Our Takeaway

After going through everything this kit offers, our impression is that it solves a real, specific problem in an elegant way. It puts a capable SR-M2 driving light exactly where you need it, gives you a long and wide beam for spotting hazards, includes an amber cover for the worst visibility conditions, and returns both of your hands to the wheel for safety. Add in the fact that a touring pro like Justin Lucas has adopted it and calls it a huge convenience improvement, and it is easy to see why night boaters are paying attention. If you fish or run your boat in the dark, this is the kind of upgrade that quietly changes how you operate on the water.

Frequently Asked Questions

What trolling motors is the Rigid Industries light kit designed for?

It is designed to replace the factory diversion plate on the bow of a Minn Kota Fortrex 80 or 101 trolling motor.

What light does the kit include?

It includes an SR-M2 driving light that provides a long distance, wide beam of visibility for night boating.

What does the amber cover do?

The included amber cover helps cut through glare in early morning fog, rain, or misty conditions so you can still see what’s ahead.

How does this improve safety compared to a handheld spotlight?

It eliminates the need to hold a spotlight while driving, letting the boater keep both hands on the wheel for safer operation.

Has this light been used by any professional anglers?

Yes, FLW Tour pro Justin Lucas said this is the first year he’s run Rigid Industries lights on his boat and that it made a big difference for rigging and tackling at night.