Going on a party boat Sunday, any tips?

Hey folks, I booked myself a spot on the Queen of Hearts out of HMB for Sunday am. Can you offer me any tips for party boat fishing? Its shallow water light tackle. I was planning on using 20lb braided line on one pole and other will have 20lb mono. SOmeone told me people get angry when people on party boats use braided line. I'll use whatever keeps the peace.

Any tips on where to fish off the boat? its a 30 person max and I was thinking off the back of the boat so if there is current my line wont go under the boat.

Any advice will be helpful. I am bringing plastics and some weird home made jigs just to try.

John

been doing some reading online about party boats and their feelings about braided line. sounds like i will spool up with mono on both poles for this sunday.

i ma curious to see what its like as i have never been on a boat like this. the thing they made clear to me is that you can bring alcohol. i dont drink but can't wait to see how loaded people get. i'll be sure to fish wherever the people are puking since they will essentially be chummng the water.

john

Get there early and you want to be to the rear of the boat so your line goes straight out instead of the side where your line has a tendency to go to the rear of the boat Also when the party boat reads fish they will then go right over them so I like being at the rear.Remember early,early,early.... or you'll be josting for a position on the boat.  Frankfishing

Bob or Randy will be your captain.

Braid on that boat is ok, and not frowned upon. 20# braid is perfect. It allows you to feel the fish vs the bottom and will whip off the reef fast if you get caught. When you board, stand at the back of the boat looking forward and fish the right hand side if you want to cast lures and the left if you want to drag a ganion or swim bait. The two hotspots on that boat are the Harry spot. Far back right hand corner, or on the right hand side where the steps are leading to the bow. Be sure to ask how to whip off the reef the proper way if you are not sure how too.

I would bring iron and cast, 4oz, 6oz, and one or two 8oz incase you need to get down fast.
Rootbeer colored split tail grubs on a leadhead slaughter there.
remember only 2 hooks allowed, add a teaser fly on a dropper loop about 12" above your iron or swim bait.

Also a frozen mackerel on a 6oz leadhead produces many a big ling.

I would use a 6' rod for casting and or a 7' rod for draging.

You could always ask which side they plan to drift, but 97% of the time they will drift as I have said.

Be sure to tip Heather well, she is a hell of a deckhand.

Anything else I can help with or clarify?

P.S. leave the braid... forget the mono fishers you may tangle with... the captains on the boat like you to fish braid... or at least don't mind it. Be sure to wear a long sleeve shirt in case you need to break it off if stuck. wrap the braid around your arm a few times and pull, don;t let the reel pull a break off or you will kill the spool of braid.

hey guys, thanks for all the advice. i al\m looking forward to trying it out. my dad used to go out on captain john's years ago and i remember him spending the day at sea and we would be on shore playing. i just wnated to see what its liketo be on a party boat for once.

i'll take photos and document the day's activities.

thank you very much!

john

I would say steer clear of the braid on  a party boat.  The deckhands I have talked to hate it, as it is a total pain for them if you get tangled with other passengers, and you will tend to cut off fish of others if they run on your line.

If you do used braid, I recommend a wood dowel at least an inch in diameter to wrap it around to break off snags.  I always get freaked with the though of getting cut by braid.

MolBasser

tried queen of hearts on a sat afternoon last mo. my first on a boat and my best fishing here so far(that’s why im lookin for cheap kayak).

its like fishin out of a bucket for black rf. few got lings a couple of reds. i was giving fellow boaters rf for their limit. fish was in 15-70ft. feathered rf hooks some rubber worms.  sinker was  5/6oz . i should have tried whole or as big squid as i can in the end for the biggies. was using boat eqpts  w/about 50/75# line so its just pulling fish  up. I think your 20 will do good more feel on the catch. trip went south by pescadero or san gregorio. if you bottom fish stay on left side so you wont fish under boat like i did on right side. boat faced wind/north and drifted toward beach alot.

i had a blast fishing and not just cause of the 12pk of heiny's i brought now i know why they call em PARTY boats. i was the only one who brought beer/got loaded.

oh yea tip heather she was awesome one crew for 40ppl you can even help her rig tackles if a lot of nubs on boat – she rigged about 30 rental rods when i went.

have fun and enjoy.

hey guys, thanks for even more tips! i will put a load of mono on top of my braided line to fill the reel. second pole will have just mono. then if it breaks off i'll use the braid. i'll try to arrive early to get a spot on the back end of the boat.

thanks for all the tips!

if you don't get a corner in the back, why not try the bow?

You'll be the furthest point on the boat, so at no time, you'll be fishing "under".

You'll be away from the fumes - a major reason for sea sickness

and you'll have more room to throw iron or pitch plastics ahead of the drift.

IMHO its the prime spot.

If you're fishing live bait, bring a bait bucket w/ aerator. If anyone wants to share, have em contribute $x amount towards a tip. Tell the deckhand you got a big tip for him and to keep the bucket full and the water fresh.

John,

I'm with Elric, if you don't mind the roller coaster motion the front is a great spot.  There's more room to move around and use an underhand cast to get your bait/lure away from everyone else.  The captain of the boat can actually see you so if you're catching fish or fighting a fish they won't move the boat on you.  If you're swinging fish/weights into the boat you don't have to worry about taking out a window with your gear.  If the wind is just right in the back you can constantly get clouds of diesel fumes or worse yet a whiff of the fumes from the bathroom...yuck. 

However, the deck hands were usually in the back helping out so we were on our own a lot of the time.  The one thing the deck hands don't mess around with is gaffing/netting fish.  When there was a ling, salmon, striper or halibut, as soon as we saw color they jumped on the gaff/net and snagged them right away.  The captain would leave the steering and help out if there were fish to be bagged.  It would be a good idea to bring a pair of pliers to pop your fish off the hooks so you can get your bait back into the water.  If the bite is hot it may take a while for the deck hands to get to you.

When we fished live bait the group I was with took turns going to the back for bait.  If you got bait for the group you got to bait up first...there was some honor among our group of "bow riders".  I never thought about an aerator but that's a great idea. 

Depending on the drift it was usually the folks in the bow that hit the schools first.  So the captain would steer the boat into the school and the bow riders usually got bit sooner.

One time I lucked out and half the boat was from a company that brought trays of food.  Otherwise be prepared to listen to tons of fish stories.  We fishermen have no shortage of friends and unfortunately BS stories too.

Have fun,

Gary

bring a banana 

Last year on the Wild Wave (we got skunked on the salmon that trip)



 

(note the passengers clenched fist....)


MolBasser

wow, that banana thing is getting creepy! is that for real? i think that guy was about to get his ass beat from the looks of that fist.

I always go to the bow.  You can do a overhand cast out there.  Cast out into the wind and use braid with a iron (jig) let it touch bottom and reel up alittle.  You have to bounce it on the bottom (keep in contact with the bottom).  Not a heavy drag on the bottom (this is snag city).  But, lightly touching it every now and then.  You must be always bring in some line as the boat drifts.

When your line gets near the boat wind all the way up.  You do not want your line to drift under the boat or if you cast out in front of the bow.  Do not let it get pass vertical.

Braid has a bad name but, even deckhand use it all the time.  Just have a knife to cut it when you get a snag.  Braid cut threw the water better and can use less weight or smaller irons.

Ken kickfish