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Rod and Reel set up for fishing on Charters?

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neeko

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Hello All!

 

This weekend, for the first time ever, I decided to hop on a charter boat with my father just to see what it was like to fish out in the big ocean (way way way out to sea).

 

Needless to say, we were both hooked and will definitely be returning soon.

 

However, even though the experience was pleasant, The only thing that put us both off was the quality of the reels they provided us as well as the rods.

 

We are now looking to purchase a dedicated setup specifically for charter boat fishing and would like some input from the experienced folks here on the boating part of this forum.

 

What I noticed so far is that I will most definitely need a conventional reel and a nice beefy rod between 6' to 7' in length.

 

I'm a surf caster and have never had to look at anything else but surfcasting gear!

 

Since my surf casting setup is quite reliable brand wise, I was hoping to base my new set up off of the same brands that I know of as well.

 

Rod wise, I am looking to purchase a Shakespear ugly stik, and conventional reel wise, I am looking to stay with Penn.

 

The only question is, which conventional reels and line weight should I look for?

 

Any input is much appreciated!

 

Thanks!

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I note that you're using the term 'charter boat". Are you actually fishing on a charter, which is limited to just you and your party (usually but not always 6 or fewer passengers), or are you actually referring to a "party" or "open" boat, where you usually (but not always) need no reservations and just walk aboard on a first-come, first-served basis? Your description of the gear used makes me believe that you mean the latter, although i could be wrong.

 

The next question is, what will you be fishing for, at least most of the time? The best gear for fluke isn't the best thing for striped bass, and neither are o[ptimal for wreck fishing for blackfish, sea bass, etc. So you need to find something that will do everything adequately, but maybe do your favorite sort of fishing well.

 

With the above questions answered, answering your question shold be a lot easier.

"I have always believed that outdoor writers who come out against fish and wildlife conservation are in the wrong business. To me, it makes as much sense golf writers coming out against grass.."  --  Ted Williams

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Thank you all for the great suggestions thus far! it has definitely opened my eyes to several new options and combinations :)

 

 

I note that you're using the term 'charter boat". Are you actually fishing on a charter, which is limited to just you and your party (usually but not always 6 or fewer passengers), or are you actually referring to a "party" or "open" boat, where you usually (but not always) need no reservations and just walk aboard on a first-come, first-served basis? Your description of the gear used makes me believe that you mean the latter, although i could be wrong.

The next question is, what will you be fishing for, at least most of the time? The best gear for fluke isn't the best thing for striped bass, and neither are o[ptimal for wreck fishing for blackfish, sea bass, etc. So you need to find something that will do everything adequately, but maybe do your favorite sort of fishing well.

With the above questions answered, answering your question shold be a lot easier.

 

CWitek, you are absolutely right! They call em "Charter" Boats around these parts, but it is actually more of a party boat where they accept walk on's and prior reservations. On weekdays, the crowds are generally minimal; but on weekends, it can get pretty tight!

 

The boats in my area are a good mix with some specializing in bottom fishing (Flukes, Porgies, Sea bass) and others specializing in Stripers, Blue's and weakfish.

 

I'm looking to have a general purpose rig that can falls in both categories and so far it seems that I will have to pick reels based on the type of line that I am looking to use.

 

I haven't gone for big fish fishing yet, but so far on bottom fishing boats, it seems that I don't really use much line at the drop? How much capacity will I really need? Should it even be a concern in the first place?

 

Thanks!

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Line capacity usually isn't much of an issue, although if you fish for anything that can run--particualrly bluefish--you'll find yourself wanting to use a little heavier line than you might otherwise need, in order to better control your fish and keep it from tangling up with the guy next to you.

 

If you're bottom fishing for fluke, or chasing sea bass and porgies in relatively shallow (less than 60 or 70 feet) of water, a 7-foot Ugly Stick makes a nice rod, because it tends to be soft and is less likely to pull the hook from a fluke that's barely got the barb in the edge of its mouth. For a similar reason, mono takes the nod over unyielding braid (although braid will let you use lighter sinkers) and the reel need not be large; I use a 7000 Ambassadeur for that sort of fishing, just because I have one laying around, but you don't need anything quite that large.

 

Once you step up to bait fishing for striped bass and blues, as well as bottom fishing in deep water, you need something a bit sturdier. A heavier Ugly Stick still works, but I'd be inclined to switch to a Penn 112H, which is a solid reel that will take significant abuse. As ccb notes, if you're doing really heavy-duty bottom fishing, even the 112H is a little small, but that doesn't sound like what you'll be engaged in.

 

Weakfish are kind of a special case, because in many cases, even on party boats, they're taken on some sort of soft plastics, cast underhand away from the boat, which makes a spinning outfit a better choice here, although the lighter conventional outfit described for fluke could serve. (Note that some boats, such as those out of Captree on Long Island, also offer this sort of casting for bluefish and school stripers at time during the season.)

 

So I'd say you really have to take a good look at what you're planning to do. If fluke, sea bass and porgies will be your primary target, go for the somewhat lighter outfit; if fishing clams or eels for stripers, or chumming for blues, is high on your agenda, get the heavier rod and 112H. Always remember that you can take the smaller fish on the heavier outfit if you have to (although it will not be as much fun and very possibly not as productive), but the light outfit is completely outclassed if you need to drop heavy sinkers in deep water or control a large, active fish from a crowded deck (and if you're so fortunate, don't forget to keep that fish in front of you, to minimize tangles.) To put it all in perspective, three of us were out on my boat on Sunday, fishing for black sea bass on a wreck in about 80 feet of water off Long Island. I was using a boat rod with a 112H, and my friends were using similar rods, both with Newells similar in size to my Penn. That gear served fine for the black sea bass and occasional fluke that took our baits, handled the 8 and 10 oz. sinkers easily, kept the fish from running back into the wreck and tangling us up, and would have been perfectly fine if we had run across a school of quality bluefish and decided to switch over. It's probably the closest thing to a common denominator you'll find on the coast, althjough it is a bit much for shallow-water fluking.

"I have always believed that outdoor writers who come out against fish and wildlife conservation are in the wrong business. To me, it makes as much sense golf writers coming out against grass.."  --  Ted Williams

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To get a lttle further away from side of Any boat bottom fishing ,some have gone to 8ft rod, I have Star delux 35H (8ft) 40-50 wire guides, paired with Daiwa 400/450. pick up reels at flea market / yard sale 50-60 at top's , the 400/450 comparable to Penn 3/0 4/0, Bought the Star Rod at West Marine $120.00 ? Use 50/60 mono , here most Charter Boats say No to Braid . also Charters here are using/renting Rods paired the Penn 60/65 . Only going to use this tackle sparingly ,I cant see big money standing in corner

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I don't like fishing party boats but admit that I will get on one every year or two when there is a group outing. For jigging heavy jigs I prefer a rod closer to 6' and for bait a 7+. I agree that some boats will flat out not let you use braid and unfortunately won't tell you until you are already fishing. Nothing worst than buying a rod to use 1-2 times a year, bringing it then told you can't use it. Some may do it based on you and the crew they have on board. It becomes a safety issue for them. To me using braid also means that you can pack on more line and move down to a smaller, lighter reel.

 

To me deciding your line type is probably an important factor in choosing a reel if you know if you are going to face this restriction. I can almost tolerate fishing mono with cut bait / clams. IMO with jigs, you might as well just hang a rubber band between the hook and jig. That said, it can be even more painful when you are aboard with a bunch of rookies that slack line around you causing major tangles. Wanna see a man cry when his $30 spool of line comes up in a group tangle with the mate going for a total cut / replace on all of the lines? So their may also be some economics to it to consider as well in a line choice aboard a party boat gig.

 

Good luck. I have a penn gto for party boats. It is on OK reel. For any reel in a budget class make sure to take extra care of it with rinsing in freshwater after each use and liberal oil/lube where needed. Good luck with your reel shopping and especially with your fishing!

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It all depends what you will be fishing for.

 

I have a few party/head boat setups. Not that I do a lot of this type of fishing, but I can also give them to friends when we go out on my boat, etc.

 

I don't think they make them anymore, but if you can pick one up used, a penn Squidder is a great compact reel. They don't have much in terms of capacity, but are a nice little reel.

 

My arsenal consists of a Jigmaster, a 113h, and 2 500L's. I use strictly 30# Ande. It's a decent mono, and its pretty cheap, and accessable anywhere. Unless I am fluking, I GREATLY prefer mono. It's almost a given that you will lose half a spool in one of 3 trips, maybe more. This could be to tangles, snapping on the boat, or catching a rock. If you lose 100 yards of powerpro that hurts. If you lose 100 yards of ande, it wont cost much, and you can splice it. Lastly, if this will be strictly bottom fishing, IMO, it HAS to have a levelwind(I found this out after buying the jigmaster and 113h). You are not casting anything, so slowing down the line release doesn't matter, and this way your line lay stays nice and neat.

 

IMO, there are goods and bads to renting equipment.

 

PROS - lost line, not out of your pocket. broken rod, not out of your pocket. Broken reel, not out of your pocket(see a trend?)

 

Cons - Cheap equipment that's been used and abused. $5 per trip rental fee.

 

All of my set-ups are under $100 for rod, reel, and line. Going over this amount for a party boat, is not necessary. Your gear will be treated like any rental rod on the boat(deck sprayed down at the end of the trip, people walking bye, mates moving your stuff out of the way, etc.) so no reason to beat up an expensive get-up. If you are doing BASIC fishing, sea-bass, ling, fluke, blues, etc. you should get a short, REAL beefy stick, but not so beefy you can't feel anything. I say this because you don't want to be the guy that gets a 4 lb fluke, and because he is using 15 lb test, on an 8 ft rod, can't control his fish and tangles half the boat. My rods are all rated 20-40 lbs line, with a weight capacity of 4-6 oz. This is a very stiff rod, but sensitive enough to feel the bite. By comparison the average rental rods are like a 30-60 lb line rating, with about a 12 oz weight capacity. (Just as a guide for how stiff their rods are as opposed to what I believe is good for a boat rod).

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Like he said, but I prefer Penn 113 reels with 50lb mono as a compromise between weight and cranking power. Ugly Sticks are great rods, and Tiger sticks if you want them a little stiffer for larger jigs. Jigmasters are good(have 2) but can be tiresome fishing in 100'+ water if the cod/dogfish are biting

.

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You could get by with a squidder; but buy a power handle for it. They're kind of slow. Invest your $ in a nice rod. I like St. Croix. A 112h is nice; but as mentioned is a bit heavy for fluke etc...

Another nice option for a reel is a Newell 235 (5:1 ratio). This is what I would use for what you're talking about.

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd

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Chief2 said Jigmaster. It holds more line. I use it all the time for striper The great think about a Jigmaster 500 is that with one screw and a twist, you can take off the side plate. If you have two spools you can change them. like having two reels? one wire? one mono/

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^I also said Squidder, but thats my lighter-duty reel. The squidder is small, but imo, a fine reel with a power-handle in shallower water(IE 50' or so).

 

 

They have interchangable spools too. I have a power handle on my squidder reel, be careful, they can bend the reel shaft. I bent one,cranking hard on the squidder or 500 jigmaster?

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