Few questions about offshore sea bass..

[bulletbob]

I really want to see if i can get down this coming week as I am off until jan 2...
1-How deep are the boats fishing?... I have gear thats ok for about Mud Hole depths.. maybe 200+ feet or so.. 30 pound gear 12 ounces or so of lead.. After that I start to have problems....
2- Is typical Mud Hole Ling/Inshore tog gear ok??..

3- On the "open boats" which I know get a big crowd on these offshore trips, is there enough space to at least put my head down on my arms and catch some sleep?.. Its 5+ hours drive each way from where I live, and I will need a few hours sleep some time during the trip..

4-How much lead is needed on a typical day? 10 oz ok??

5-Are clams the only bait provided, and if so, would I gain any advantage bringing som bait of my own, perhaps some whole small squid, or some baitfish like mackeral, butterfish, smelts??
I realize porgies love clams, but also know that the bigger sea bass at times prefer "non clam" offerings...


Never caught a 3-4 pound porgie, we just see very few that size inshore.. I have caught 1-2 pounders, and can barely reel 2 of those things up even in shallow water!...
6- Are those giant porgies decent eating, or does the quality fall off as the size increases??..
I have eaten big sea bass, and to me, they are every bit at good as the 13 inchers...

7-If the trip is a "no go" how soon is everyone made aware??. Is it a show up and hope for the best sort of thing??.. I would hate to drive that far, and have to turn around and go home...

anything else I should know???.. I have been on many sea bass trips, many Mud Hole trips, but never did a trip this long or this far offshore, and I just don't want to find I am improperly prepared when we are 75 miles from port, and fishing is about to commence.. I would appreciate any and all input from a few veterans of these wintertime offshore trips... bob

[AndyS]

Start with 24 oz of lead, 8/0 hooks, 2 of them 3 feet apart, whole squid.

Big wrecks, big water, big fish, leave the inshore stuff at home.

The sea bass are 24 in. long. Get your whole frozen squid at the asian market.

[tautog]

16-20oz lead, at least 40lb top shot and leader. A giant porgy can gnaw through a light leader if they swallow the hook. As for overall tackle the question is can it fish 16-20oz and swing 5lbs of fish and the lead into the boat. There will be a place to lay your head but I usually go right to the floor because there is nowhere to fall if it gets rough. Big porgies taste the same as smaller porgies to me. As for bait, I just use what the boat gives me. I used to bring fresh mackerel for hake and pollack, but there are much less of those around and much more dogfish. Usually cancel in the morning, but I had one trip cancel at 5pm, welcome to winter fishing. Complain to the NOAA about their crappy forecasting accuracy.

[AVA67]

1. Boats will be fishing 180-240'
2. Generally you want gear at least in the 40 lb class, depends on how heavy your ling gear is...
3. It depends on what boat you are on and how big the crowd is, certain boats everyone gets a bunk, certain boats it is every man for themselves.
4. 12-20 oz depending on the current, but consider 16 oz your standard and your tackle needs to be able to handle 20 if needed.
5. The only extra bait you might want is small whole squids, or if you can get FRESH clams.
6. Porgies are good eating at any size, I actually prefer the bigger ones
7. Depends on the boat and the day...most boats try to call 6 hours or better, but weather changes hourly this time of year...you might make the drive, or atleast part of it, for nothing.

Hope this helps

[MVP]

All good advice except for 8/0 hooks

[arat]

I use an 8 foot st croix premier musky rod the glass graphite mix. That seems to be enough for me. But I always carry 3 rods. A backup and a meat stick capable of holding 24oz or more if need be. Only needed that once but hey you never know.

I usually pair my rods with a canyon hs15, shimano trinidad14 type reel maxed out with 40 or 50 braid.

Leaders always 40-50 with 5/0 -6/0 gami bait holder hooks. Hi lo's

As for cancelations you just don't know till the last min sometimes and sometimes you way ahead of time. Winter weather is so unpredictable bring a sleeping bag and pillow and find a comfy spot on the floor if you can't get a bunk