Flathead lake diver

I've not specifically hunted Flathead but have hunted open water on plenty of other waterbodies in MT and the West. Layout hunting isn't that much different from selecting a shore blind in that you want to set up either where the ducks want to be or where they will pass en route to where they want to be. I wait to see what the birds are doing before dropping the first decoy. Consequently, I don't worry about setting up in the dark when using a layout. It may be 50 feet or 1/4 mile from shore in three feet or 50 feet of water. You said you have all of the tools but exactly what tools you have (e.g. a tender boat with a second person) may (should) limit how far you want to hunt from shore. You need to be able to get the heck to shore instantly if bad weather shows up.

I don't know if you have the gray or olive drab paint job on your DP, but if you have the door system to hide yourself I wouldn't mess with the visquene. You'll spend most of your time cursing it and it's really not necessary. My DP is gray and works great in the open.

Late season divers are still relatively easily decoyed and without a ton of decoys...if you're in the right spot. It's sorta like field hunting since when the birds start to congregate in one area, all followers will head to that spot. The beauty of longline rigs is that you can move pretty quickly. I'll be surprised if you see much other than whistlers, sawbills and maybe a few buffies this late in the year, but you may be surprised at the mallards wanting to land out there too.

Have fun and be safe!