I prefer to dig at the water line so I prefer a shovel.
For clothing I wear neoprene chest waders, thin wool socks, a thermal longjohn type shirt with the sleeves cut off like a muscle shirt or the same with an old under Armour sweatshirt and a stocking cap. Waterproof boonie of it raining too hard. Trust me on the no sleeves it’s way better than wet sleeves.
I prefer a shovel with a longer blade (hard to find these days) and an extra long handle so I can “thump” for them without constantly stooping. For my net I just buy at the local hardware store, no idea the brand but as you’ve noticed too long is no good. I use a cheap nylon web belt with the two metal loops so it’s easy to tighten or remove with cold fingers. Extra long to accommodate various layers when needed.
As for light, in my opinion you can’t beat a lantern. Headlamps will work too, but a lantern cast a wider milder light. With headlamps everyone seems to look at you and blind you for the next 5 minutes. My favorite way to manage the lantern is two diggers per latern and trade off as you go.
