[Ryan W]

I think that some of these tips are very good! I do disagree with some of them though, and I'll put what I think instead down here. I'll go item by item for easy reading.

Boats: All of the boats mentioned are good. My personal favorite boat is a non-sponsor, so I won't name him (PM me if you really want to know). All of these boats mentioned are good (I've never fished the NK 3). I don't like the night trips ( I have never caught well on them. I just go with the day- it's fine. I never did use lights though)

1) rods and reels: I think that a two setup thing might work, but I only have one. I have a shimano TLD star 15/30 that WAS spooled with 50 lb braid (until today, when some jerk tangled me and it was so bad that the mate had to cut off a good bit of my braid- not too happy about it, especially when the other guy calls me a jerk for "Tangling him"). I like red because it's easier to see. I pair it with a fiberglass "barefoot" rod that has held up very well (other people have claimed problems with the guides, but I've never had any, and I fish my equipment hard). I tie on a topshot of 40 lb mono followed by a snap swivel and then a rig.

2) Rigs: I don't use circle hooks, I use J hooks. I have tried circles, all they do is tangle and I can't get the hook in the fish (I've tried no hookset, late hookset, immediate hookset, it doesn't seem to make a difference- I still can't hook them). I use mustad 2/0 baitholders ( I buy them en masse from a tackle shop in point). I have tried all types of rigs, and find that rigs with dropper loops work the best. I tie a surgeon's loop for the sinker, than just make 2 droppers for the hooks, one right above the surgeons loop, and then another about a foot up from that. I think that the two hook setup works well on wrecks where there's a lot of contour, where you can be in a hole and have fish swimming along the main wreck on top and fish in the hole as well. The hook on the top catches the fish on the wreck, the bottom catches fish in the hole. It works pretty well and rarely tangles.

Weight: I agree with leif here. I use sinkers from Sam the sinkerman, and buy the flat banks for this type of fishing because they snag less. I've seen some people wrap their sinkers in medical tape to avoid snags, but it doesn't seem to work to me and I've never done it myself. Sam is the ONLY option for purchase of sinkers!

Bait: Here is my major disagreement. I don't use any "glamorous" bait, and I will only use bergall strips and clams. If you or someone near you gets a bergall, take it and cut it into strips 2 inches by 1/2 inch by filleting it and cutting the fillets. This is harder to pull off the hook and not as attractive to the bergalls. Otherwise, I only use clams (fresh or frozen- fresh is better, but frozen is usually fine as long as they are defrosted properly). It's important to not have the clams sit in the sun for too long. I actually try to pack a lot of clam onto my hook instead of small bits. I do this for a few reasons:

a) It lasts longer, so that it doesn't get picked off by bergalls as fast.
b) I think that ling, even smaller ones, like a larger meal. I catch ling of all sizes on my "lots of bait" setups (I am up there in the fish count more often than not). I have had better luck this way.


5) Tips in general:

A) TIP THE MATES BEFORE THE TRIP STARTS! I myself worked for tips for a few years, and know that this would make me want to work very hard for you. The best thing to do is to give them half of the tip first and say "I'll get you again at the end of the trip" All but the most unscrupulous of mates will take very good care of you if this is the case (but some won't, and I have encountered these people). I usually tip at least 25% of the fare for good, hardworking mates. For me, Bad mates make zero. I will start with the half tip, and then if they are bad, I will give them a nickel at the end of the trip to let them know they did a very poor job. On my usual boat, I will tip over 50% of the fare sometimes because the mates are very good. I always receive good service for a reason.

B) keep the hook exposed to be able to get a hookset, no matter how much bait is there. If the point is exposed, you'll get a set on them.

C) I usually keep the bait still, but with a quick bounce occasionally. I think that the constant bouncers don't do as well.

D) MAKE SURE you don't tangle. Make sure you have a good rig with a low hook on there!

E) Don't piss anybody off by skating around. A good rule of thumb is that if there is only 1 rod holder between two people, you shouldn't go there. If you do, you will only tangle and catch less than you would have where you were before.

F) Ling can be made almost any way. I like tomato sauce personally, but any other way is fine too. I've never tried the fish cakes.

G) Ling freeze fine. I rinse with fresh water and make sure the bag has no water in it prior to freezing, and they do fine.


Best of luck. Try to get out there now- they are hitting! Don't sit around and wait. A lot of these boats never post reports, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the fishing stinks! Trust me, it's good now. Get out while you can!

Catch 'em up!

Ryan