Most lights are not much help for navigating after dark except for spotting pier heads and docks. Your gps, and radar are best used after dark. Keeping everything as dark as possible helps your night vision to see other boats running lights. I have spots mounted on the front of my boat, but for the reasons above. I also have flood lights mounted under the rear downrigger railing for out the back of the boat, I use these lights for after dark fishing. They light up the water and I can see the planer boards as well as the tips of my rods on the downriggers, but since the light is behind the boat it doesn't affect my night vision.