Saltwater Off Shore Deep Sea Fishing(Party Boat)

[bigbill]

We drive to RI so it's less of a boat ride to go deep sea fishing in the ocean. I just picked up a PENN 49m and two PENN master marnia 349 deep sea fishing reels. I haven't been deep sea fishing in decades. I'm not sure what brand of line or line test or mono or braid to use??? Does anyone here go deep sea fishing for cod, blues, stripers and Pollack?

[A-Jay]

Call the Party boat you plan on fishing from.  The Capt or crew should be willing & able to provide you the best advice as to the type and size tackle and terminal tackle you'll need.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

[bigbill]

I been out there before with a boat rod with a roller tip and a Penn 49m reel but I'm not sure if modern braid would be better than mono or copolymer. A lot has changed since I been out there.

I just picked up these awesome Penn deep sea fishing reels really cheap too.

[SirSnookalot]

I'm out in the ocean all the time.  My suggestion is to use the boat's equipment, they will be using exactly what's needed, that's what they do for a living.  If you do choose to take your own gear don't use braid, many party boats frown on it because it will get tangled with other lines, they will just cut it anyway.  I'd be using 30 or 40# inexpensive mono, one may not realize this but drifting puts a lot of line twist even with a conventional reel.  Usually these boats supply the terminal tackle, lead, hooks, leaders, etc.

 

Wear a back brace, pulling up any fish out there is going to put a lot of pressure on your back.  Out there you are fishing vertical, I find a 50# tarpon is a lot less pressure on my back when I'm fishing off a beach.

[John G]

 

 

Wear a back brace, pulling up any fish out there is going to put a lot of pressure on your back.  Out there you are fishing vertical, I find a 50# tarpon is a lot less pressure on my back when I'm fishing off a beach.

The couple of times that I went out for Grouper aboard a party boat, I wish that I had had one of the belts that you wear around your waist and you can put the butt of the rod into. The ocean type combos are big, heavy and bulky and I found it hard to reel and hold the rod under my armpit at the same time.

[SirSnookalot]

The couple of times that I went out for Grouper aboard a party boat, I wish that I had had one of the belts that you wear around your waist and you can put the butt of the rod into. The ocean type combos are big, heavy and bulky and I found it hard to reel and hold the rod under my armpit at the same time.  Yes it is.

Grouper is a bottom fish, pulling one up from 60 or 80 fow isn't easy, vertical fishing can put a real strain on your back, even a 10# black or gag grouper is a nice catch.  Fighting belt can be a real help, especially if the rod has a gimbel butt.  A conventional rod and reel will turn in your hands, you have to pull up with both arms then reel down, you just can't crank a larger fish in, if the fish are really big sometimes you can't turn the handle on the reel.

I don't get on a party boat too often anymore, this is how I handle a larger fish on a smaller private boat.  Not all fish fight the same, sometimes they are taking line straight out and circle the boat, you have to move with the fish.  Fish like some shark species hang close to the bottom, they are very strong but don't always pull line out fast.  I sit down and brace my legs against the boat rail with the rod under my groin, just hold it in place until the fish starts to tire, then I pull up and reel down.  Saves a lot of wear and tear on my back, I've had chronic back condition for 30 years.  The fish species determines what the landing technique should be.  With those bluefish up north you have to move with them, they're a fairly tough fish.