Last night was my first time hooping so I'm not even a beginner but I like that your taking safety seriously. The glow stick on the back is not a bad idea. The glow stick on the front may cut down on your night vision which you will need to see your floats. I think the front one is a good idea if you don't activate it unless you absolutely have to be seen.
I fish a lot in the dark and always use a good headlamp that also has a red light. The red light definitely helped last night.
Good luck.
