Get your Combat-Fishing Stuff Here!

How Much?|How to?|When?|Where?
(Home)(guide to fishes)tackle types

 

• What is a Party Boat anyhow?
• What Should I always Bring and the General Rules of Party Boat Fishing?
• Souther California (LA + San Diego, California)
• Plymouth, Massachusets
• Destin & Tampa, Florida

Party Boats, also known as Cattle Boats, Head Boats, and 'Open Party' boats are a catagory of commercial sportfishing boats that instead of charging a fixed fee for the entire boat and scheduling around a small set of customers (Like a conventional Charter Boat-by the way the contract specifying the cost for a voyage and number of passengers is the definition of a Charter), charges a fee per passenger for regularly scheduled trips.  Like a train or plane, the boat has posted departure and return times, holds a set number of passengers, and charges the same fixed fee for all voyagers.  The numer of anglers (i.e. passengers) on a trip depends on the size of the boat, and the cost of the trip.  The less the trip costs, and the bigger the boat, (also the shorter the trip), the more people will be on the boat.  If the trip is taken during the local tourist season, and the trip is during the day, expect a large number of 'riders'(people who go out just for the ride-not to fish) and extremely novice anglers. If you want to avoid the crowds take trip during bad weather, off-season, long trips, or 'limited party' (costs more hence fewer folks).  Etiquete is a MUST for party boat fishing for both your sake, other anglers, and the crew (see the General Rules below).
 
 

back to top

First one must know the etiquete of party boat fishing:
1) Always obey the Crew and Captain.  Their goal is to keep you and all the other anglers happy, since with out your money they will go broke. Most of the time, with a good professional crew, this is not a problem.
2) Always be aware of those around you (right, left, and when casting-behind).
3) Be knowledgable of local species, and local laws-DON"T EVEN TRY TO BREAK THEM. Often a single illegal fish on a boat can result in very large fines for both boat Captain and the offending angler.  When in doubt, ask the crew or release the fish.
4) Exercise patience, kindness, and courtesy.  Cursing loudly, while common among most of us anglers when fishing alone, can offend others on a party boat.  Never drink excessively (if allowed at all).  If your lines get tangled, don't get frustrated or try to assess blame-it goes with fishing elbow to elbow, and can be a good way to MAKE friends.

5) AND THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: HAVE FUN! A party boat is a great place to meet other anglers and 'trade lies' as anglers often do.  I have kept in contact with some of the people I have met this way, and they have become friends for life. Yes, there is more to fishing than just catching fish.

What should I bring on a party boat?
1) Food, Beverages (I recommend fruit juices and soft drinks-while I do occasionally indulge in moderation in alcholic beverages, I find that they hurt my fishing abilities and make me take too many trips to the 'head'. Also, some boats prohibit alchohol on board.) Some boats sell food and drinks on board so check with the boat before going out.
2) A camera (sealed in a Zip Lock Bag to prevent it getting wet).
3) Extra Clothing (much colder on the water then on land)
4) Rain Gear
5) Sunscreen and Polarized Sunglasses
6) An old towel to wipe your hands on (Trust me-this is a must)
7) Non- Marking, no-slip, warm shoes that can get wet.
8) A cooler to get your fish home in (you probably can leave it in your car at the dock).
9) Tools: Plyers, Scissors, Folding Knife, extra line, and a tackle box or bag that can get wet.
10) At least 3 Bungee Cords or lengths of rope: To tie all of your gear down and keep it from slapping around.
11) Sturdy Fishing Tackle (Specifics in each section below)
12) A waterproof bag or heavyplatic bag to put you non-fishing gear stuff in.
13) Any specialized baits not provided by the boat (call the boat first, more to follow below)
14)  Cash in small denominations (usually I bring $40 in ones and fives, and $3.00 in change, though I very rarely spend more that half of it on a day trip). You will need it to tip the crew (ask what is customary), to buy extra tackle, to pay for fish cleaning, to buy snacks, to put money on the 'Big Fish Pool', etc.
15) Asprin (or equiv.) and/or dramamine (for those sea-sick prone-take one BEFORE you leave the dock)
16) DON'T EVEN THINK OF BRINGING A GPS or other navigation equipment.  The coordinates of wrecks and special fishing spots are the bread and butter of most boat captains, and they will do nearly anything to guard them.  Attempting to wrest these precious numbers from a captain is akin to trying to find out and use your credit card number!
17) A GOOD ATTITUDE!

Whew! Sounds like a lot of stuff but without these items you may loose some of the fun in your trip.
 
 

back to top

• My personal favorite trips are the summer  6 hr, 1/2day and 3/4 day trips to the kelp beds off La Jolla in the and around the some of the local islands.  The trips usually start around 6:00AM and return around 5PM.  After a short trip to the live bait barges, where the boat fills its tremendous live wells with anchovies and sardines (by the way-if you bring a light 8lb test rod and a small rubber tail or marabou jig you can have alot of fun catching Calico bass and mackeral while the boat is stopped), the boat coasts over the swells to exit the bay and enter the Pacific.  The ride then is only usually 1-2 hrs to the kelp beds.  As the boat anchors, a deckhand climbs atop the massive live wells and begins pitching netfuls of anchovies into the water behind the boat. Within minutes the water begins to 'boil' as barracuda, yellowtail, and tuna, converge on the hapless baitfish.  Every angler when they leave the dock is issued a number, and as the day progresses, anglers rotate by number to the very back of the boat to fish in the thick of the live chum slick. This of couse doesn't mean you can't catch fish at any other position on the boat, it just means that you have the opportunity to fish for a while in the most active part of the chum slick.  The last trip I caught about 60% of my fish while in the back of the boat, mostly barracuda, but my largest fish and all the large mackeral, and the only yellowtail I hooked came from my starting position on the side of the boat.  This is one of the only type of party boat trips I know that encourage the use of 8lb-20lb test   (read on about the New England and Destin trips to realize how nice this is), and where your can see and cast to surface busting fish.  The By the end of the trip all anglers are exhausted and completely covered in blood, scales, saltwater, and fish slime (but with a BIG GRIN!). Tackle should be a baitcasting or heavy spinning reel with a good drag and that can hold at least 300 yards of 10-25lb monfilament like the Penn 555GS, 500, 650, 750, 850 (or any Newell) with a long rod and flexible tip. These fish are VERY line shy, so mono should be clear or olive green-NEVER flourescent!  The rigging is simple-tie the line directly to a short shank baithook, and use either trolling (torpedo), split-shot, or rubber core sinkers  one to four feet above the hook if the fish are hitting deep.  Hook the baits through the lips, eye, or nose, and cast carefully.  A large variety of lures work, including diamond jigs, iron casting jigs, tin squids, spoons, bucktail jigs, and plugs (just see what the other anglers are bringing on board or ask one of the mates since the fish can be fickle as far as lure color and type go).

• Another type of cheap and exciting, but VERY exhausting, trip, are the winter trips for bottom fish.  This type of fishing is very similar in tackle and technique to both Gulf and Atlantic bottom fishing, but with very different species of fish.  Employing 20lb-50lb tackle (Penn 3/0, 4/0, 6/0, 9/0), and 16oz-36oz weights (.5kg to 1.5kg-very heavy), the anglers take the same live baits plus squid to rock bottoms in 150 feet to 300 feet of water.  Lures include large metal jigs (diamond jigs, etc.) and very large curly tail and bucktail jigs of 6oz-32oz.  Due to the depth, current, and massive weights, this type of fishing will exhaust even the most fit anglers, but will also result in the largest numbers and varieties of fish.  The last trip I took of this kind was out of Ensanada, Baja California, Mexico.  Ensanada is a three-hour drive south of San Diego (remember to get Mexican driving insurance and licenses) along a beautiful coast side highway, and as a fishing port straddles a small bay.  Their ae numerous boats that are very inexpensive and cater to both spanish-speaking and english-speaking anglers.  The waters that would normally take a full day to reach by boat from San Diego are accessable during a 12 hour trip from Ensanada.  Once departed, the boat stops at the bait barge and picks up sardines and anchovies, then travels 1-2 hrs out to several outcropings and kelp beds offshore.  After rigging a two or three hooked bottom finder rig (#4-3/0 hooks), and pegging an anchovy, cut mackeral, or squid to each hook (minnows hooked through the nose), the baits are lifted over the side, and lowered to the bottom 200-300 feet down (a very long way!).  Usualy bites are instantaneous, and usually at least one fish is brought up after a couple of minutes of furious cranking.  Occationally, a small bite is followed by a large tug as a lingcod or black sea bass eats the rockfish, adding a little more excitement to the experience.  Like most bottom fishing, however, large numbers of 1lb to 5lb fish are the norm. (click here for info on most commonly caught fishes)

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

1. California Fishing Licenses are required (sometimes Mexican Licenses as well) and are usually NOT included in the price of the trip. ($8 per day for California or Mexico)
2. Rod/Reel rental is usually NOT included in the trip price ($6-$10/day)
3. Bait usually IS included in the price
4. A burlap bag for the fish is NOT included for short trips(cost is $1.00)
5. Since California boats are large (typically 80-120 feet long) they often have a mini-resturant(a.k.a galley) on board-a good place to catch a snack or breakfast on longer trips).

back to top

 Ironically, one of the largest  party boat fleets in New England  (Capt John's) has its port only a half mile from where the Mayflower landed (Plymouth Rock), and as a result leaving from Plymouth on a trip also has the side benefit of a quick tour of the harbor and a good view of old lighthouses and a replica of the Mayflower.  The water in both Cape Cod Bay and in the Atlantic is cool year round (like southern California), and in both summer and winter most trips focus on bottom fish (Atlantic Cod like the one above, Hake, Pollack, Flounder, Scup, Tautog), though in summer a few trips are offered for bluefish at night, and in late summer for tuna (overnight trip). The bottom here is strewn with rocks, wrecks, and lobster pots, and few trips end without loosing at least 4 or 5 weights and a couple of jigs (diamond jigs mostly).  The trip from the dock to the fishing grounds for most 1/2 day trips (4 or 6 hours here) are only 20-30 minutes from the dock and in sight of land.  The boat parks over the wreck, sound the drop horn (which means you lower your baited hooks to the bottom), and usually anchors for about 30 minutes before moving to another wreck.  The bait provided by the boats here is clam (very slimy and smelly!! remember that towel I was telling you to bring above), which usually raided in seconds by pesky bergals who will pick at the bait with weak taps.  The angler who can exercise willpower will not strike at these taps but instead will wait for the yank of a larger fish.  An angler with even more willpower will strike at the first yank, but will not reel up until it is followed by a second yank from a second fish, resulting in a 'double'.  If any two anglers pull up sharks (usually sand sharks and spiny dogfish), the boat will sound a horn to pull up the lines, the mates will curse, and the boat will immediately move to a second wreck!  On longer trips (8hr, 10hr, 14hr, 20 hr all are called 'all day') the boat will travel out of Cape Cod Bay to one of the wrecks in the open Atlantic.  These longer trips are not for the faint of heart (especially in the Winter), and will require high quality raingear, cold weather gear (most of the year), and good non-slip water proof  boots. In winter, I must empasize that cold weather, watreproof gear is an absolute requirement, or you will suffer hypothermia (and most captains will allow you to board their vessel).  The winter longer trips are hard on the fisherman but result in spectacular cod, often over 20lbs and some bigger!  Any long trip in New England will tax your arms as well, since like the bottom trips in California described above, heavy weights and gear are used due to the deep water and very strong currents.  The rig here for all bottom fishing is the basic bottom finder with 1/0 to 7/0 long shank hooks (at least two  drop loops), and for lures the diamond jig and bug combo.  Inshore 4oz-16oz weights and jigs are used, while on the long trips 10oz-36oz weights and jigs are used.  Inshore, use 15lb-20lb tackle (Penn 500's and 3/0's are very popular) if you want to have good catches, though this will usually mean that will either have to bring your own or find a place near the dock that rents it. Offshore, the boat tackle rented tackle will probably suffice (Penn 4/0-12/0).  Remember to keep your ticket stub, as most boat offer prizes for the biggest cod and have a door prize drawing.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. Check on licenses for saltwater fishing in Massachussetts
2. Rods must either be brought from home or rented, i.e. rod rental is NOT included
3. Bait IS provided (Clams- which work pretty well)
4. Most boats have only a snack bar which sells sodas and microwavable snacks at high rates (Bring your own!)

back to top

 Related Articles:

• Rod Snapping King Mackeral Three Ways (Party Boat section)
• Winter Red Snappers for the Frozen Panhandler

 Now, obviously fishing more than one rig at a time could prove difficult!  What I do is when the boat first stops, I fish with the 6/0, since most large grouper (another prized denizen of the reef) are caught within 15 minutes of hitting the reef.  If I don't catch anything on it in 10 minutes, I switch to the 555 and fish it 10-15 cranks of the handle above the reef for amberjack and red snapper.  After the boat is on the reef for 30 minutes, or in the late afternoon, I switch to the fly line and spinning rod to pick-up surface cruising snappers, king mackeral, and mahi-mahi in summer or fish the double jig rig in winter for red snappers and amberjack (as small snappers are released by the boat, some are often intercepted by king mackeral, baracudas, and amberjack in their struggle to make it back to the bottom, sort of a live chum).  Also, in the summer and fall, take a couple of pieces of squid and toss them into the water and watch the pieces descend through the water. If the squid is intercepted by anything, rig up the jigs, cast them out (CAREFULLY, WITH AN UNDERHAND TOSS!) and retrive it with swift jerks for mahi-mahi, tuna, and spanish mackeral.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

1. Licenses are PROVIDED BY THE BOAT (included in the cost)
2. Squid is provided free, but buy a bag of frozen minnows or jumbo live shrimp (winter) at a local baitstore before boarding
3. Rod Rental is INCLUDED in the price of the trip
4. Most boats have only pre-packaged snacks and sodas on board-therefore bring a cooler with your own!
5. Drink lots of water, and dress lightly in the summer to avoid overheating.
6. Year-round wear sunscreen and reapply it every 4 hours to avoid sunburn (the Florida sun is merciless)
7. In the winter bring raingear and warm clothes-it does feel cold on the water and it is often rough.

• San Diego
• Plymouth
• Destin/Tampa

back to top

back to top

Year Round in all Three Places!!!!!

back to top

Where am I?

 See the map below.

 

back to top

Get your Combat-Fishing Stuff Here!