Yo ALW,
Happy Holidays.
You may be asking the wrong person on the minimum tackle required as I bring twice as much as most folks. But then again, many people ask to borrow or I need to give away items as well.
When fishing for cows I have 6 rods set up specifically for them. I Have 5 Calstar 755XXH's and one Calstar 760XH.
One is dedicated as a kite rig, 3 (My main go to rigs) are set up with Accurate 30 High speed reels and 2 are set up with Accurate 50's one of which is a High Speed. Both are dedicated for bigger baits.
My name is Jamie and I am a Jig A Holic. So I have 3 or four rigs set up for this application as well as big poppers but only one is set up for casting jigs/poppers to cows and It is not quite right so I am having a new Super Seeker 6470XH built just for this need.
If I see the tuna are mixed with wahoo or the tuna are under 150 pounds, then I will go with these setups.
I have one rod dedicated to making mackeral or squid.
So far that is 11 rigs but somehow I manage a few more.
I now have a Super Seeker 10 ft. Ulua I am using on big fish just because it is different and a blast to use. This is set up with a 12 size, two speed reel and lots of spectra.
Last trip I was testing a couple of new rods so that took me up to 14 but that was not necessary yet I managed to use every one of them.
Most of the Long range San Diego boats are now equiped with both freezers and RSW (Refrigerated Salt Water) holds. The RSW's keep the fish just above freezing providing for Sushi Grade fish upon your return. Unfortunately, the RSW's can only maintain the quality of fish for around 6 days max. This means on a ride down, fly back to the Hurricane Bank, you can only use the RSW for the last day and sometimes 2. If you are doing a ride down ride back you can generally get 2 days or more if you continue to fish on the return trip back to San Diego. What is great about the RSW is Crew Generally removes the Gills and much of the guts before placing the fish in the hold so there is NO blood contamination of the meat.
Lately, the big fish have been found closer to home so we are getting around 3 or 4 days of RSW at the big fish grounds.
The earlier caught fish are placed into the frozen holds. The temperature and brine solutions are checked fairly regularly to assure the best quality of the fish upon thawing.
The processors are waiting at the docks and generally trade frozen for frozen and fresh for fresh but that is negotiable. You can also trade either for cans.
The organization for long range fishing out of San Diego has truely matured. Just about everything is provided for and is generally first class. The Crews are generally the best in the overall fleet and have been trained to provide customer service. The experience the angler gets on these boats is nothing short of phenominal.
Many times you can fish 24/7 but few folks would want to miss the dinners. Most of the chefs/cooks are creating dishes associated with fine restaraunts not fishing vessels.
It is easy to over eat and most fishermen come home a few pounds heavier but infinitely more relaxed and happy.
As far as gear goes, when you come from out of state, many of the boats can provide loaner gear, generally free of charge. These will usually not be old gear as many of the boats have sponsers. They will be packed with Spectra and a top shot so you only pay for additional top shots you actually use. You can ask the front office to reserve what you need when you book your trip. If you wish to bring your own, that can be done prior to your own departure and can come by freight or ?? Again, talk to the front office and they can advise you on the most cost efficient means of transportation and how they will store your gear until you arrive.
Short or long range fishing is a blast anywhere you do it regardless where in the world you do it. San Diego, however, may be the best of all the locations short of running yachts out of a mother ship.
Enjoy the day.
Jamie
Fishordie
What do you take on those trips for tackle? What do you think would be a minimum? How are the fish kept for such a long trip? Are they frozen? Thawed out at the dock cut up and refrozen? When I fish Alaska my fish are fillited vacpacked,frozen each day and put in a 50 lb box to go back on the airline. I live in Houston so am some what limited by the airlines. My airline tickets are free but the baggage isn't.
Al
