I fish all night on the boat and it can be superb. The fish tend to come into shallower water and venture out from structures. Live baiting can be brilliant. I find the darker the night the better. I fish the same tackle as day time, occasionally adding small luminous beads above the hooks. I only fish the night if the weather is settled and calm.
You can see all the lights on shore but on a dark calm night you cannot see where the sea stops and land begins, floating debris and rocks are impossible to see. I have a couple of spotlights fitted on the roof in a position so they dont illuminate the prow of the boat and blind me. I also carry a high powered movable spotlight to illuminate the shoreline if I come in during dark. You should also have an all round white light to warn other boats of your presence and allthough not required by col regs on a small boat running lights are usefull when you are underway so others can see which way you are travelling. I have 2 deck lights, a low power for background lighting and a high power for tackling up and landing fish.
Fixed lighting is better than head lights or torches as from shore or other boats moving lights can be taken for a distress signal.
A plotter/GPS is really handy both for finding your way round and for the anchor alarm facility. If you are anchored when the tide turns it can trip the anchor, the alarm will tell you if this hapens as without visual reference points it is hard to tell if you are dragging. I have 2 GPS sets on separate circuits for this reason. I use a different anchor at night which is twice the size recomended for my size boat along with heavier chain and rope and let more out than I do when day fishing.
All these lights need power so I have my boat set up with 2 batterys. One is the dedicated engine start only, it is 3 times as big as it needs to be and is replaced every 2 years. The lights etc are on a second battery. I can start the main engine and charge this battery should I need to but so far it has lasted all night easily. I also have a way of charging the battery from the auxilary engine and can use either or both for engine starting. The main engine is also able to be started with a pull just in case.
My lifejackets are autoinflate types and are fitted with lights, I also trail 50 yards of high vis floating line with a large buoy attatched from the stern in case of a MOB. The main anchor line is fitted with a buoy so it can be slipped if someone goes overboard. It then remains in a fixed posion to give a reference point to start the search. Even though I fish with mates we go through what to do and who is responsible for what in case of an emergency everytime we go out. Everyone knows how to start the engines and how the battery switches work, we can all use the radio and navigate the boat home. Everything has it's place at night. There is an emergency torch, a knife in a holder. There is a floating automatic lit dan buoy for a MOB on a bracket. Even the landing net has a holder.
All this may seem over the top but you are on your own at night. Any sort of incident is magnified as you have lost your vision. You need to be really organised and have everything to hand. Make sure you have extra warm clothing and hot drinks and food. It can be surprisingly cold. I have a small cooker fitted, which I consider a safety feature, for hot drinks and food.
It is well worth doing as it is a different place at night. Have alook up at the stars while you are out, it is really amazing how many you can see.
