You need to have some success in the light of day. I know there are those that will toot the percentages of the night time, but if you are trying to learn something new, complete darkness isn't the best way to do it. You can catch fish in the day, trust me it's more than a little bit possible. Not only that it gives you a chance to watch how the plastic works when you do this or that with your rod/reel, what does the bait do and how does that makes the fish react. For a beginner trying to learn how a bait works, how fish react, what needs to happen to catch, in the fall it's not necessary to dwell in darkness. Yes you can catch larger fish at night, but is that what you want?
If it were summer, I'd tell you to stop fishing, go to a friends house with a swimming pool and watch how the plastic works. With a steady retrieve, stop and go, twitching and pausing, different heads and rigging. Nothing better to gain confidence then knowing what is happening on the other end, based on what you are doing. Step out of the darkness for a bit, you might be surprised at what you learn while you can see
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