A couple of other thoughts on night fishing:

You really should know the water you are night fishing. I usually arrive a hour or two before dark and "run down" the lake some distance and then fish back from there. You can scope out any obsticles in the day light as well as visually check out potential spots along the way.

But a counter thought to that - not being the spring chicken I once was I have a hard time fishing all night these days. If I truly want to fish all night into day light I don't put in until about 30 minutes or and hour past dark so that all of my energy is on "night fishing". I also tend to fish closer on these type trips.

An organized boat is a must. You need to have everything in it's place and a clear path to walk the boat. I rig every rod I am going to use prior to dark and have back up lures handy and easy to find at the top of my box. I take several flash lights and have a small one in my pocket and 2 or 3 more seeded in specific spots in the boat for easy access. A spot light is nice for dark nights but don't overuse it. There is nothing worst that a spot-light crazy nut running in your direction while you are trying to fish.

Cut down on the number of rods. Sometimes during the day and not on a specific pattern I may take 8 - 10 rods out but that would be tangle city at night. I try to take 4 or 5 rods out max for night fishing and I also limit my lure selection greatly. Spinners, jigs, and worms are pretty much my staples although you can catch them other ways.

Keep your hooks sharp and re-tie as necessary. Fishing at night has a way of "lulling you to sleep" and not thinking of things you normally would but I have found fishing spinners and jigs heavily around rock will most definitely dull your hooks and nick your lines. You are out there for the big bite and those are the last things you want to have when it comes.

Be patient and cautious with everything. There are some people on the water at night you don't want to encounter -- avoid them when you do. Run cautiously. I usually just get my boat up on plane and run easy from there. The biggest problem on dark nights is depth perception. Sometimes I can't tell if I am 50 feet or 500 feet from the bank. You won't have that problem on the full moon but I like to fish dark nights too.

Good luck out there this week end. I hope to get out after dark some myself next week.

kc