ok guy's need some help from ya'll
I've been going on those party boats and there rods well lets just say that they barely work
so my question is what is a decent rod and reel for these party boats and the type of fish they hook up with.please help

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Mad Fisher

I've got several offshore rods and reels so maybe I can offer some suggestions. But first, how much do you want to spend?

I would suggest a Penn 209 level wind reel and a short, strong, stiff rod. I have a Penn Peir stick and a Shakespear Sturdy Stick. I bought the Penn 209 and Penn Peir stick in a combo at bass pro for like $40. I ended up buying another Penn 209 with the Sturdy Stick for about $75. Highly reliable rods and reels.

Joe - IMHO you are going in the right direction in getting your own rig...my question would be not how much you want to spend (even though that's important), but what do you REALLY want to catch (or try for) on a regular basis? With the possible exception of DD, I can't imagine trying to boat a 100# yellowfin on any "boat rod" at the coast - ANYWHERE!! I know they do it, but after seeing the junk most boats have, I don't know how these guys get those big ones in (and most are lost - I can tell you that). If you want big fish, I personally would not go less than 80-120# class standup rod, with a minimum of 6/0 reel with 80# line....hook up a huge shark, yellowfin, AJ and you will understand. Once you start going a lot, you will see that the real veterans use their own stuff...you learn the hard way after loosing a lot of good fish!!

hay guy's what about a penn 330gti or a mitchell rtp 4/0 .they both hold 350yards of
30 pdtest and for a rod i might use a ugly stick tiger rod 7 ft (mh) action 30-60 test
type of fish would be like - red sanpper grouper amber king mack tuna and shark
could something like this handle these fish??


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Mad Fisher

The rule is usually no less than 50# line and a rod to match...it's not so much whether the rig will hold the fish, but how many lines will you tangle as your fish runs up and down the boat and through other fishermen...something you have to consider when fishing a head boat...private charters you can catch marlin on a fly rod...who cares...you won't be tangling anyone else.

Note: Also consider you might, and probably will, be using 2 lbs. of weight just to try to stay on the bottom...plus a fish that might hit like a 30# hybrid striper...could you set the hook with a med. action rod...much less get it up from 100+ feet of water? That is why we use those pool cue rods...just don't have any choice. A 50# grouper is like bringing a jeep up from the bottom....no muscle = no fish = guaranteed.

[This message has been edited by bobaloo1 (edited 09-03-2003).]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33975&item=3624410972

See if this helps.

Alot of good suggestions so far. However, you have a very diverse list of species and it will be very difficult to have one rod and reel to do everything that you listed. That being said I would opt for a Shimano TLD 25 reel(Lever drag, no level wind) spooled with a backing of 80lb mono and topped off with 500yds of 80lb Power Pro line, set the drag at about 15lbs at strike and you will have about 22lbs at full drag. With the power pro you usuallly won't need more than 8oz of weight to hold bottom unless you are fishing a huge live bait. Match that with a 6ft 50-80lb class stand-up rod with a roller stripper guide and a roller tip. Try to find a rod with a soft tip but stiff butt section, alot of times they are hard to find in bargain prices but I have seen some under the Bass Pro Oceanmaster series(made by Star Rods). That won't be the cheapest option available but it will last forever and you will never loose a fish due to equipment failure. This rig is a bit on the heavy side for king macks and average size snapper and a bit on the light side for 100+ tuna and sharks but overall it fits the bill.

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FishBait Charters
Casey Cox
214.536.6674

Thanks BaitFish....finally someone that agrees with having drag..most folks that go on offshore trips just don't seem to consider it even remotely important. One Port A. outfitter not only has NONE on their reels...but will yell at you for taking your hand off the handle (cause it will reverse reel - gear problems?) And folks still go out with them thinking they could actually land, say a small marlin on one of those junky things...unreal. A huge fish will either strip line or take it all out of your hands...I guess that's why some don't really want you to catch a BIG one. Man, I can get on a soap box on this subject...sorry about the rant.

I agree with the Shimano TLD 25. I even have one I'll sell that's only been offshore 4-5 times. Penn and Shimano lever drags are about the best things going if you can afford them. Look at regular Ugly Stik boat rods too. They're stout, come with gimbals and are really affordable. You really need to be fishing with 50# line
or heavier if you're going to be on party boats with a bunch of other folks who may or may not know what they're doing.