So about bait and tackle...

Hi all,

I finally have my  Penn Jigmaster 500, Ugly Stik Tiger 7' rod 20-50 rated, and 20lb powerpro braided white fishing line.

Now I need to put it all together and turn it into something usable for fishing.

What I want is a setup that can be used for targetting all of the following: White Sea Bass, Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish.

I have absolutely no experience with saltwater fishing, not and my bait/tackle knowledge is extremely basic. So here's my questions.

I've heard adding monofilament to the spool on a conventional reel helps prevent slippage. What pound rating do I need, and how much do I put on?

What kind of bait and tackle should I get to keep on the kayak and set up before I head out? Since I don't have any fundamental knowledge, I'm having difficulty understanding online stuff. It's even harder since most educational stuff are on video, and since I can't hear them talk I don't really know what they are doing and why. So it makes researching this hard. If you can show me what I need on Bass Pro, that'd be awesome.

What kind of leader line should I get?

I'm going out with Bushy on Friday, and he'll have a setup I can use. But I'd like to try to get my own gear rigged up if possible since it'd be nice to learn something before then. I don't know what kind of hooks, bait, weights, etc I would need. I think the two ways to do it are drop shot, and trolling. But I don't know how to do either.

One last thing... I hear people talk about placing their lure at the bottom at depths of 200+ yards. How do you know without a line counter?

Thanks for any assistance!

Hi Rbark,
There is alot of good information on this site from very experienced anglers, so take some time to search for answers to your various questions. I'm sure others might chime in with some help as well.
That being said I would first prepare yourself for kayaking in the ocean if you don't have much experience with it. Second have your questions ready for Bushy and soak up all the information he gives you like a sponge. I have learned most of what I know about fishing from other fishermen and have learned more in one day fishing with and experienced angler than a years worth of internet searches and trial and error on my own.
Good Luck and have fun.

Welcome! A few quick answers for you...

- Regarding mono on the spool first... Braided line is expensive, so many folks use mono as "backing" by filling the majority of the reel with mono and just the last 100 yards or so with braid. ALSO, braid will slip against the spool if you don't (a) use some mono backing, or (b) put a wrap or two of tape in the spool before tying the braid to it (gives the braid something to grip against).

Personally, I would say 20 lb braid is on the light side for targeting rockfish and lingcod. I prefer mono, but I'd go with 40-lb braid if I were gonna use braid, and tie on a 10-20 foot "top shot" of 20-lb mono.

Regarding baits. I am a big fan of Big Hammer swimbaits. A 5" or 6" pearl white big hammer swimbait on a 2-oz lead head is incredibly versatile. It'll catch rockfish, lingcod, halibut, striped bass, etc. A simple stop and go retrieve hopping it up and down off the bottom will do the trick.

Another good rig to get familiar with is the "three way". Google that one for info. This will work with live or dead bait.

Regarding depth. Most of the fishing we do is in less than 100 feet of water. If we're out salmon fishing we may go down as deep as 200 feet. Unless you want to fish on the bottom (halibut, rockfish, etc), you either need to measure your depth by counting 1 foot "pulls" of line off the reel or by using a line counter.

+ 1 on what Alex said. I use 40# mono backing with 100 yards 50-65# braid topshot and 2-3' mono or fluoro leader for vertical jigging, straight 25# mono or fluoro for cast and retrieve fishing.

I use about, (whatever I have allot of) 30# mono on the spool first,  then leave room for 100-150yds of braid, I use 30# braid with a snap swivel at the end then snap on 25# mono leaders for RCG, Ling, hali.  Since I've never done WSB or salmon I'd be reasearching that myself. 

The 30# braid/25#mono leader works for me, the leader so far always breaks first and when stuck on the bottom isn't overly hard to break off.

See what Bushy uses and do that.