Which side of the island will you be?
Tying the boat to the dock: We prefer tying to the cleats not the posts. I typically have 8-12 lines on my boat as I live on the broads side. I always tie for the worst weather. That way I don't worry about my boat overnight.
Wind Direction: N, NW, WNW, W, WSW are all dangerous directions on Rattlesnake Island. An inexperienced boater should not go out if the wind is 10+ mph for any of those directions. WSW is interesting as the more West this is, there will be large waves. It the wind is more to the south then you will be fine. While you may not have trouble driving with waves, you may have a lot of trouble docking in the wind. You will probably not see wind as in my picture taken this June, please be careful. This is not to alarm you but to make sure you are aware.
FYI, I would have a lot of trouble docking in this wind. A new boater would get washed into the rocks.
Weather Watch: Always know the hour by hour forecast. Weather can can change suddenly.
If you have a smart phone or tablet get the Storm App and turn on the wind component. The longer the waves travel the larger they will be. That is why the above wind directions are dangerous on this part of the lake.
Also get the Wind Alert app. This is a forecast and displays a map with the wind speed and direction.
If a storm is coming, you probably cannot out run it. You can alway head for any shore and dock. People are very kind about this.
Low water: When docking at your house, make sure there is a lot of water under the boat. Big waves make troughs and the boat can hit bottom. Raise the motor/out drive when the boat is docked with these low water conditions.
Keep your cell phone charged, carry an extra battery.
The good stuff: September is a wonderful time to be on the lake. The water is still warm and there is little boat chop. There will be space at any of the towns' docks.
Check out the web cams at
http://www.rattlesnakecam.com/watch.htm for the conditions around the lake.
Please, no outside fires. The island is very dry and the fire boat is over 10 miles away.
Enjoy
IG