Hey all, looking to charter a boat with fam and friends in late October. This will be my first (can't believe it) charter trip ever, so I'm trying to get prepared with tackle and pointers now.

What kind of tackle should one bring? I think I'm decently equipped, but a lot of my family/friends may not be. I know you can rent rods, but was thinking they may want to just buy something they could use in the future?

Anyhow, I have a couple rods. One: 9 1/2' custom fiberglass rod in a medium I believe with a Penn 704z and a 10' Tidewater rod with a Penn 650SSM. Will something smaller work for cod and the like? Maybe some halibut?

I went to my local shop and picked up premade rock cod rigs, but they seem to be just a hi/low rig with heavier test and a couple of 5/0 hooks that have bucktail jigs and large red beads.

I also bought new Power Pro HI-VIS Yellow 40 lb test braid. Good enough? And what motion sickness pills are best? I'd rather not take the chance of me hurling even though I'm normally pretty good. Plus, I want ppl to enjoy it so I'd want to prepare them.

Anything else I should consider?

Thanks in advance for any info!

Tight lines!!!

-F33r

The past times I've gone rockfishing on a charter boat, I just used the rental rods for $10, as none of the rods I owned could handle the 1lb weights we were using. Be aware, the rentals are really crappy for the most part. The setup I rented last time out was horrible with the drag slipping even when completely tightened, so I had to reel extra just to get the fish in. Most of the people who brought their own rods seemed to be using a sturdy 6-7ft heavy rod. And definitely go braid with mono/flouro leader if you'd like for a little more abrasion resistance.

You can also use various style jigs or leadheads baited with a large grub or swimbait and target ling cod as well. Other than that, those pre-made shrimp fly rigs baited with squid will work great for rockfish. One rig I found recently was to put a dropper loop about 18" above the jig and tie on a shrimp fly hook so you can target both rockfish and lings.

As for motion sickness, I hear that dramamine works. Other than that, you can go with glaucoma meds if that'll suit you better...it works great.

Good luck.

thanks man. was hoping to use my personal rods. anyone think the med or med heavy will be too light?

Basically not what you'd want to take out rockfishing, especially as a new guy. When you get it down you can down to even 1 oz baits and a bass flippin stick at times, but for the most part since your using shrimp flies and 8oz+ cannonballs, you'll get no leverage with your rods. You'll also want to go with a casting reel, spinners aren't gonna be too helpful out there. Probably best to go with a rental (uglystik tigers w/penn jigmasters are the plain jane standard), until you know this is something you'll be doing on the regular and purchase something you like.

Braid will be nice, more for better feel/sensitivity and hooksets than anything else. If better abrasion resistance is the goal, go with heavier mono. 20lb mono is the plain jane standard, as is.

Dramamine FTW.

thanks!

i've read on other posts/boards that medium tackle can be ok if you play the fish. i REALLY dont want to rent their crappy tackle, but if i need to i'll go out and buy an uglystik tiger. wouldnt mind having one in my arsenal anyhow.

...and, i would really want to use spinning reels. what makes spinning a no go in your opinion?

the posts you read where medium rods would be ok, they are most likely talking about shallow water rockfishing where you are using lighter weights. just like bassturd said, when you're using 8oz+ weights, the medium rods just dont cut it.

i'm not sure what bassturd's reason for no go on the spinning set up is, but in my opinion, when you're using a casting reel, you're in constant contact with your line and you immediately feel when you hit bottom which is when you want to start reeling up a bit to prevent snagging up in the rocks. with a spinning setup, when you open the bail and start letting line peel off your spool, your weight might have hit bottom without you feeling it right away and that could result in snags. other than that, not too sure what the other cons are, but i'd recommend going with the rental casting setup.

bangs on it, superior control for the most part. Better drags/cranking power another, no line twist as well. Multiple deep drops on a spinner ain't fun...at least for a guy I seen once. You'll not see much spinners in evidence out on the water, and those are the reasons. Your 704z could do it I suppose, but spinners are far from ideal for this type of fishing. I love my 704 but this ain't where I'd take it. Also, even if light gear was a good choice for your location, your rods are not really suitable. I wouldn't go more than 8ft for reasons of control, leverage and handiness on deck. I prefer freshwater bass gear for light tackle rockfish, medium heavy flipping sticks about 6'6-7'6 are about ideal.

Ocean conditions vary day to day, and from location to location. You can fish a 4oz bar to the legal depth limit, most days. Nowadays, all rockfishing around these parts is shallow water rockfishing, at least if you're fishing legally. However, not all days, and a bit of acquired skill is needed to work lighter gear effectively. For a general "one size fits all" rf setup, I'd say start with a heavier gear to cover all possible bases until you feel more comfortable.

What size Penn jigmasters do they use?

500s. Some boats also run senators, don't remember the size.

They're actually decent workhorse reels, most commercial fishermen use them. One of the most durable and easy to self service reels around. The reason the rentals are crappy is poor maintenance (hey, they ain't using them themselves). If you were gonna build your own setup, theres lots of more modern choices available too.

First and for most, I'd highly recommend you to fish on the tiger fish. If you and your friends are pretty serious about fishing, this is the boat to go on. My experience every trip, I've limited eveytime and from reading reports, they seem to keep up with that standard. Capt. Al is the sh*t, Boats clean, and the deck hands are on point. Get on a farralon trip if you can.

As for rods and reels, if this is you and your friends first trip, I'd highly recommend to just rent and see what the regulars are using, then you'll get a general Idea on what to get for your next trip. Otherwise, good cheap all around bay/ rock cod rods will be a simple deep sea ugly stick or shimano talora 70mc with penn 500 or shimano tld 5, 10, or 15. Or if you want to go expensive, go with gloomis or calstar with shimano trinidad TN, 14, 20 or talica. DO NOT go braid....there will be tangles on the boat, and i no need to explain no more...20-30lb mono is good.

Get there SUPER early to reserve a spot. Anywhere on the back of the boat I recommend, if you like to cast out a lil, go to the front. I don’t really suggest the sides, unless you want to get tangled. 4/0 - 5/0 flies are good. Get a couple of different colors and styles. You want to get 6-8oz. torpedo weight (I personally never had to use 1lb. cannon balls). After checking in on the boat, ask the deck hands whats the best tackle and color. Last, Keep your ears open, capt. will tell you how deep the fish it and then FISH ON!!! Take throw up pills the night before and pop 2 more 1hr before you depart. Club soda or ginger ale and corn chips has helped me.. GOOD LUCK!

Thanks for all the info!

First and for most, I'd highly recommend you to fish on the tiger fish. If you and your friends are pretty serious about fishing, this is the boat to go on. My experience every trip, I've limited eveytime and from reading reports, they seem to keep up with that standard. Capt. Al is the sh*t, Boats clean, and the deck hands are on point. Get on a farralon trip if you can.

Where does the Tiger Fish ship out from?

As for rods and reels, if this is you and your friends first trip, I'd highly recommend to just rent and see what the regulars are using, then you'll get a general Idea on what to get for your next trip. Otherwise, good cheap all around bay/ rock cod rods will be a simple deep sea ugly stick or shimano talora 70mc with penn 500 or shimano tld 5, 10, or 15. Or if you want to go expensive, go with gloomis or calstar with shimano trinidad TN, 14, 20 or talica. DO NOT go braid....there will be tangles on the boat, and i no need to explain no more...20-30lb mono is good.

Yep. I was thinking about an Ugly Stik Tiger in heavy or a classic Sabre in heavy.

Get there SUPER early to reserve a spot. Anywhere on the back of the boat I recommend, if you like to cast out a lil, go to the front. I don’t really suggest the sides, unless you want to get tangled. 4/0 - 5/0 flies are good. Get a couple of different colors and styles. You want to get 6-8oz. torpedo weight (I personally never had to use 1lb. cannon balls). After checking in on the boat, ask the deck hands whats the best tackle and color. Last, Keep your ears open, capt. will tell you how deep the fish it and then FISH ON!!! Take throw up pills the night before and pop 2 more 1hr before you depart. Club soda or ginger ale and corn chips has helped me.. GOOD LUCK!

All good info! Thanks again!

I've been out on charters a few times and here's my two cents:

They've changed the depth limits to 80 fathoms, I think, so you probably wont be using the 1 lb cannonballs. Nevertheless, you'll want to use a med-heavy to heavy rod. Shorter is better since you'll be having to swing it around the boat a lot when you catch fish. My buddy that owns a charter boat uses his tuna stick whenever we go out. It's only like 5'6" or 6'. I would also try to use FLOURO if you can. I like braid but if you're on a boat with a bunch of people someone's bound to drift into your line and cause a mess. Mono is fine but the stretch really puts you off the bottom. Most of the rentals will have mono in the 40ish lb test variety. My buddy recommends flouro because you can really feel the bottom. I can't say I disagree.

To be honest, I would just rent gear. It's hit or miss as to whether it'll suck but you wont end up buying something you may never use again. Despite what you might anticipate, rockcod charter trips are pretty stressful/wearing. You gotta get up really early, sit on a boat for a while before you hit fish, then clean a bunch of fish. It's a taxing day. It takes a lot of commitment to get out there more than a few times a season.

My buddy has a boat out of Emeryville (http://www.salmonqueen.com) and he will put you on fish. Bangers and I have both been out on his boat. Every time I go I get limits, double limits, etc. He's got all the radar/sonar/etc. from his tuna/salmon trips and really homes in on the action. He's also a cool guy w/ a nice fast boat and nice staff/deckhands. He usually goes out to the Farrallon Islands although some of that may be restricted this year because of max depth limitations.

As far as bait, squid works wonders. These guys aren't picky at all and you can catch them with plain shrimp fly hooks. They aren't bass -they've never seen a lure. If live bait's available, the New Salmon Queen will pick up sardines. Nothing can resist their lively action. Double hook ups is almost the rule.

If you want lings, you'll want something like what Bangers described: a jig bouncing off the bottom w/ a shrimp fly kicker on top. The lings hang out in the rocks and ambush prey. Bounce off the rocks, rip it up a few turns, then drop it down again -you'll catch fish.

Dramamine works okay; take one the night before and one the morning of your trip. Try to keep a light stomach. MJ is is better if you're into that type of thing. If you're not, go to your doctor and request the prescription motion sickness pills. They're supposed to be a lot better than the over the counter stuff.

Good luck! Don't forget to tip your deckhand!

thanks!

what's the going rate for fish cleaning to the deckhands and what's the range for tipping?

how many yards would be good to fill a reel up with?

in my opinion, i'd spool as much line as possible, anticipating possible snags and tangles with others that will result in losing some line. Its always best to have enough, because if you can't hit bottom, no fish.

I usually have him scale the fish (I like to keep them whole) and he'll charge like $11-12. Filleting is easier (obviously) and he'll charge like $8-9. I don't know what expected tipping is but seeing how he lines your rods, tackle, helps with snags, land fish, etc., I usually give them around $20.

These guys really depend on tips for income so, if you can afford to, you should really help them out. Come to think of it, even $20 seems a little low but he always seems impressed which tells me lots of people really don't appreciate what these guys do.



Bangers is right: you want a lot of line in case you get snagged. If you're 100 ft off the bottom and have to cut your rig you'll be screwed if you only reeled on 200 ft. If you lose two rigs (if can happen if you don't want the height of your weight carefully - ESPECIALLY WITH MONO where you can't always feel the bottom - you'll be really screwed.

One popular technique that you might want to use is to tie the weight at the bottom with a lighter line than your mainline. If the weight is snagged (what usually happens) you'll just lose the weight and not your entire rig.