My first charter... need some help!

[civicbro]

Hello everyone! My dad's friend invited us to go on a 3/4 day charter. Not sure where but were taking off from Santa Barbara. Anyways, I only fish freshwater but this is a chance for me to get into some salt water action. I have no idea what kind of fish to expect, except for some rock fish. I have no idea what kind of reel, rod, and line to equip myself with. I'm also clueless on how to rig everything. How strong should the line be? Where do I attach the weight? How many hooks do I use and what size is best? I greatly appreciate any advice and tips. Hopefully it all goes well because I'm planning on posting some pics. Thanks and Tight Lines to all!

[hhyakfish]

Hey CivicBro,

what kind of equipment do you ALREADY have?

[willis949]

Im telling you your best bet is to rent the rod/reels that they have.Its only $15-20 and they come rigged up for you.PLus they have extra on the boat so if you snap off you just grab another one.I have my own but I go out 10-20 times a year.Save yourself the headache.

[civicbro]

Hey CivicBro,

what kind of equipment do you ALREADY have?

I only have lightweight equipment b/c I mainly fish for trout and LMB. I want to invest into some saltwater gear. What kind of rod/reel would you advise?

[hakaveli]

Hey CivicBro,

what kind of equipment do you ALREADY have?

I only have lightweight equipment b/c I mainly fish for trout and LMB. I want to invest into some saltwater gear. What kind of rod/reel would you advise?

if u dont really go out alot get a jigmaster combo 100 bucks or less for the setup . if u really want to spend . a good setup is around 250+

[victor101]

what hakaveli said. some 20# p-line should do it. the hooks i use the most are size 2/0. 4,6,8 oz. weights for rockfish on a double dropper loop http://www.animatedknots.com/dropperloo ... dknots.com (http://www.animatedknots.com/dropperloop/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com) (weight goes on the bottom) if you are going after anything other than rockfish use 1-2oz sinkers or flyline.

[DavidE]

For your first 3/4 day charter go with the rental rods. Invest in a few Torpedo weights as most boats are rockfishing right now. Get a couple 3oz, 4oz,8oz and 10oz. Get some hooks #4, #2, 2/0, 4/0. And get some 1/2 or 3/4oz leadheads.

Above should cover rock fish. Also take along an assortment of sliding egg sinkers and carolina keepers in case you have some top water action or opportunities to fish the water column.

If you catch the salt bug You'll need a 20# set up and a 30# set up for starters. You'll need to match the rod to the type of fishing you'll be doing most often. When you get your set ups you may want to try the Diawa Sealine series. A great line of reels at really good pricing.

If you want PM me with any questions as I have completed my tier 2 gear and will starting my tier 1 gear collection next season. :D :D

[IslandBoi]

Hakaveli hit it on the nose ....

Not sure how close u r to Sante Fe Springs but @ Sav On Tackle when I was there couple weeks ago, they had a nice starter setup

Penn Rod w/a Penn Jigmaster 500 on it $89.00. If this is ur 1st baitcaster type reel, put some big game 25lb. crystal on it, cuz your will get the birds nest....

Get some Mustad hooks: 1/0, 2/0, 3/0

Torpedo weights: 1oz, 2oz, 3oz

Lead heads: 1oz, 1 1/2oz, 2oz,

If ur gonna fish with plastis, get some 5" fishtraps, various colors. Check out some of Japan Ron's reports, he has all kinds of great info for plastics

Most likely gonna go for some rockfish/sculpin, maybe some cudahz,

Carolina Rig or Drop shot most likely setup

Bring some jigs too, Tady's , if ur going after some cudahz....

Also, call the landing and see what they have been targeting and most boats, the deckies on there will help you set up.

Good luck and welcome to the Salt

P.S
Bring your lite tackle for some fun with the mackerel, I always do :)
DAVIDE knows about that, hahahahaha JP baybee!!!!!!

[getinmybelly]

i'm a salt noob too, just started on saltwater about 9 months ago. i'd recommend circle hooks. it's a lot different than lake fishing for trout/bass. deeper water, not as much feel, etc. not sure how everyone feels about circle hooks, but for a noob like me starting off, that's my :2cents:

i also 2nd the daiwa sealine reels. i got a shimano teramar rod. works good for me.

[SanDimasLMB]

Yes, circle hooks are nice since you don't neet to set the hook, but considering your a FW fisher and your used to swinging for hooksets I'd say don't get circle hooks, The first time I tried saltwater I used circle hooks and I lost almost everyfish since I swung for the fences.

[IslandBoi]

U can use circle hooks, but you don't need to set for the fences, just keep reeling!!!!

What I mentioned was a started kit with low funds $$$$

Once u get used to it, and get hooked to the salt (which u will) then go for the high end stuff slowly, becuz it gets expensive ....

[ghetto dad]

not that i read all the above, cuzz im tired as hell, but all the advice above is great.....DONT FORGET BARREL SWIVELS!!! 2 Reasons,,,,,1, it will help keep your line from getting twisted all to hell fishing rockfish, and also, if you get snagged on the bottom, 99% of the time, it will break at the swivel.....if you dont have a swivel and get snagged, you stand a chance of the line breaking half way of more up, and losing ALOT OF LINE!! Sometimes, maybe not even enuf for another drop.....IMO though, I would rent a rod.....make sure you ASK if its comes with tackle (weights, hooks, swivels, etc). Some landings it is included (not many), but most it IS EXTRA!! hope this helps bro, have fun on your trip!!!

[ghetto dad]

btw, im jealous!!! Santa Barbara has some EXCELLENT ROCKFISHING, many times being VERY shallow compared to down south here!!! good luck!!

[civicbro]

Thank you everyone who replied.. Great info! I'll check out our local Sports Chalet and see if they carry any beginner Diawa reels. Ill grab some swivels, 2/0 circle hooks, and egg sinkers.. I think that should do it. Is 25lb line strong enough? I was thinking rigging the weight at the bottom with 3-4 hooks w' swivels attached to the main line above.

[willis949]

You sure as hell do NOT want to have 3 or 4 hooks on your line at once.Are you kidding??You dont want to get a multi-fish hookup with 3-4 lb barracudas or bonita.Believe me it will be a mess and the people around you wont be too happy.

[civicbro]

You sure as hell do NOT want to have 3 or 4 hooks on your line at once.Are you kidding??You dont want to get a multi-fish hookup with 3-4 lb barracudas or bonita.Believe me it will be a mess and the people around you wont be too happy.

Didn't think of it that way. How should I rig everything???

[DavidE]

If you're bottom fishing, you'll more than likely tie two dropper loops and have the weight at the bottom. There are a few subtleties to this but this is probably the most common set up. make sure you get the larger torpedo weights !!

Try a live bait on one hook and squid on the other. You may also want to put a smaller live bait hook on the top loop and a lead head with a grub or squid strip on the bottom loop.

Try a few different things and go with whats working for you.

Good luck!!

[ghetto dad]

3 or 4 hooks????? you can only LEGALLY fish 2 hooks while rockfishing, unless rules are different up there??????

[willis949]

I have been on many charter and open boat trips and to be honest I have never used more than one hook on a setup.There is really no reason to.If you guys are on top of fish you are most likely going to hook up.