Offshore Sea Bass Combo Reccomendations

[max1373]

hello
taking my first offshore sea bass trip in the spring- what weight conventional rod and reel will i need

thanks

[thefishermanmechanic]

Wow ,I was unaware that was allowed? I would use a medium/heavy rod rated 20-40 or 40-60 in the 7' range you will be fishing in the range of 200` so weights up to 24oz. reel 65# braid with a topshot of 40 fluro or 50 mono.

[Garone Custom Rods]

Originally Posted by max1373

hello
taking my first offshore sea bass trip in the spring- what weight conventional rod and reel will i need

thanks

When you say offshore seabass most guys are thinking 18hr trips that go 50-80 miles out, but that is typically a winter fishery and it is closed right now. Is this what you are going to be doing or do you plan on going on a 3/4 or full day trip? Also what are you looking to spend?

[Kevin Bogan]

The best rod for Offshore Sea Bass is an E glass Heavy, rated 30-50 lb, and it will hold between 8-24 oz. You can fish braided line, and it performs well in deep water. For inshore Sea Bass you can use as light as a Medium, but a Med Heavy is a better choice, and it will function well as a deep water Fluke rod and striper rod. You can get a Killer Stick at about $150-175 in FISH POISON.
Remember, Fish Poison is the CURE, not the disease.
We have been using these on our party boats for many years and they are well proven.

[max1373]

yeah a 18hour trip

wow
didn't think i had to go that heavy
is that deep water two hard on a 30lb 6 to 1 ratio? reel

[Garone Custom Rods]

Originally Posted by max1373

yeah a 18hour trip

wow
didn't think i had to go that heavy
is that deep water two hard on a 30lb 6 to 1 ratio? reel

Just looked at the regs, I didn't realize we may have a seabass season starting March 1.

For Offshore seabass I like something with a 4:1-6:1 ratio. A lot depends on how much torque the reel has. My favorite reel for this fishing is the now discontinued Saltiga 20 star drag filled with 50# braid. I have also used my Trinidad 10A with 30# and it worked fine. I like the heavier braid because I prefer to fish 50# topshot and leader on my bait and jigging rig and If you get stuck with 50# leader on 30# braid the braid can break mid line. As far as rods go a lot depends on the depth you are fishing and how much current there is. I typically fish an 8' similar to what I would use for blackfishing with heavy sinkers or even light cod fishing. Some guys prefer shorter rods but you need to bring one rod that can handle 20 oz of lead if the current is cranking.