rookie tuna tackle

SS, I fish the party boats a lot. What you were told is correct, and thats why I use mono. THe one downside of the party boats is that tangles are inevitable, so you want to do what you can to minimize the downtime. The reason they cut the spectra first is that once tangled, esp. in small diameter, it is just about impossible to untangle.

What I do is fish spectra as backing for some line capacity, and then add 150-200yds mono on top. This is longer that most, but it makes sure that your line in the water (and therefore the line subject to tangles) is mono, not spectra. I would get some berkley Hi test in 20#(rated to break at 39#) or better 30# (rated to break at 50#). Put about 150yds on top of the 50# spectra you have. I like to have at least 400yds on an offshore reel, so you may have to experiment.

As a guide, I use a line calculator to estimate the two capacities. For example, if a reel holds 500 yds of 50# mono, and I want to fish 60# line on it. I will back with approx 300yds of 80# spectra. THis line has the diameter of 20#mono. So I use the line calculator to see how much 20# line the reel holds. I subtract the 300 yds capacity the spectra will use, and that tells me how much 20# capacity is left on the reel after I put the spectra on. I then use the line calculator again, with 20# entered and the remaining capacity, and enter 60# mono to convert. That then tells me how much 60# mono I should be able to top off.

You can play around with this and find an optimal capacity for what you want to put on any given reel. When I am buying a new reel, I do this also to see if I can get the 300yds spectra I want and 200yds mono. If not, I need a bigger reel.

Hope this is helpful (maybe to someone).

I just did the calc for you (God I'm bored!)

Estimate the torium 16 should hold:

200yds 50# spectra backing and

209yds 20# mono OR 142yds 30# mono.

So if you use 200yds of your spectra and add approx 200yds of 20# Hi Test (breaking at 39# reportedly), you would have a pretty good setup for 95% of the fishing you do on a party boat (jigging for tuna, snapper, kings, etc). Applying this to my criteria for buying a new reel, based on above, I would by the Torium 20 rather than the 16 so I could get 300yds of 50# spectra and around 150-200yds of the heavier 30# mono on it.

See what happens when I don't get on the water enough?

Deep is soo right. When I worked as a deckhand getting people to keep thier lines in front of them instead of letting them run down the side of the boat so they could smoke and daydream. I weas always telling people to keep thier lines straight out.
All they had to do was move to do that, but the idiotic idea that you can only catch fish in the stern was too strong for these guys. Thier line was way up past the bow??
when you move you put the tips together and it's almost impossible to tangle because it shows the rtelative diference in direction.
The guys who caused the tangle were alway for me the easiest to untangle. I just needed my snips.
It was always the same person who couldn't catch fish and the one who wouldn't let a person fighting a fish go by.By the end of the day I would have shortened the line alot.
I had a few of complaints and a bunch of compliments.
On the west coast we have trolling groups. If you have five rods then angler one through five would be up. After an hour six through ten. I bet you guys do the same. It was always the same guy who wopuldn't take his rod out when his turn was over. Being a little on the large size it was always my pleasure to help.
And worst of all it was often the same guy who would use ten to fifteen rod holders as if he was the only one on board. Those guys were always big talkers and little fishers.
When I would bunch up his custom rods onto two or three in a clip it was a riot. Once the guy was so stuborn I put his rods on his bunk.