Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

Never been stripper fishing on a party boat.
What gear ? Rent boat rod for 1st time?
Thx for your help.

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

……and let the jokes commence….:p

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

Lots of Dollar Bills!

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

Cash only...do not swipe or insert chip

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

Capt RON on the Fisherman is top notch out of Atlantic highlands and his mates are top notch. If I am going on a party boat that is my boat of choice..

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

Where are you comming from North or South ?

Spring is Raritan Bay, fall is generally the ocean.
Don't underestimate the Hudson River if you are up North.
.

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

You can save a lot of money by using NJ party boat coupons on Groupon.

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

I went on my first striper trip last December on Miss Barnegat Light it was a great trip, very cold, they were very helpful. I brought my own rods, they only fish with lures so not to attract sharks they recommend Ava jigs etc I caught my striper on a NLBM green shad plastic lure. Shop around party boat prices vary by the area that they are in try a 4 hour trip first then go for longer ones as your experience grows and what your wallet can handle don't forget to tip your mates enter the pool you never know if you will win it could pay for your trip. Dress for the weather its usually colder out on the ocean or bay, pack a lunch learn from the people around you if your lucky some one will help with technique some boats don't like casting out (safety reasons) its mostly drop your bait/lure and hope for the best tight lines hope this helps.

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

I would also go with Capt. Ron in the Spring. He usually gets the ball rolling in the Raritan. When the fish are up north he's the go to boat. He's not afraid to burn fuel to put a catch together. In the fall the Gamblers is the way to go when the fish are in the ocean between Sandy Hook and Barnigate Inlet. Capt. Bob and Capt. Mike get the job done with limited loads on a fast boat. I generally only fish them in the fall as Spring Bass can be frustrating when they are on Bunker pods. All the sponsor boats on here are good if distance is a concern.
I would use the boats rental tackle if you don't have a 15-30 lb spinning setup. I know the Gambler has rental spinning rods. They come with a jig or rig . If your clamming or livelining Bunker 30lb conventional setups will do fine as you don't have to cast. Hold off on loading up on lures until you see what's working. If you have some Ava 27-47-67s from Blue fishing bring them. Ava's catch everything !!!

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

The Golden Eagle out of Belmar will take care of your every need. Great crew and will show you everything you need to know. They have all the rods,hooks,lures and bait you will need. Look then up on their website.

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

It was more fun when you guys were talking about Stripper fishing !

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

Open Charter boats are also very good. Worth a try! Good luck and tight lines!

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

Most of the party boats will typically be jigging metal or casting plastics like shad bodies.. For this you'll need a 7 foot spinning pole and reel. Braided line with a mono leader is the way to go here since braid casts better and your leader should be on the longer side say 5 or 6 feet since it will make it easier to work out tangles with other anglers.. Can you use a conventional reel, yes and some do but spinning reels are a lot easier to cast and you won't get any bird nests like you would casting with a conventional set up unless you have a very good trained thumb to stop to the spool at the end of each cast. If you decide to want to rent a boat rod and reel, you're going to want to check with the boat since all carry conventional set ups and some carry both.

Charter or open boats will also jig but it's very common for them to bait fish as well as troll and they typically supply all the rods and reels you'd need for all those different methods.

Since you're new to this I would go out a few times and if turns out this is something you plan to do on a regular basis, I would invest in your own set up. I say this because it helps to become familiar with your gear and you can make your own choices of what line and leader you want as opposed to what the boat may have on hand...

Here is a posts talking about the gear you'd need

https://www.njfishing.com/forums/sho...t=Striper+reel

As far as timing, in the spring it usually starts coming on strong April 1 through May and in June a lot of boats switch over to Fluke. A sure sign to kick off the season is to watch when the Forsythia bushes start to flower. The fall season usually starts in October and runs strong into December.

Good luck... You're certainly in the right place since NJ has the best Striper fishery in the entire country!

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

THE FISHERMEN
RONNIE IS 🤴

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

I would stay away from the rental rods if possible. A rod in the 7 to 8ft range, medium heavy spinning would be a good choice to start with.

The party boats frown on braid, hard for the mates to untangle lines if they need to. I use 30 to 50lbs braid for backing with like 3- 4 yards of 25lbs mono or flouro for leader.

Paddletail swimbaits are probably #1 bait - Tsunami heavy shads or NLBNs are my favorites. If bunker is the main forage, flutter spoon works good. Ava jigs, 17 & 27s, are good to have. If the boat is using bait you will need circle hooks.

When it comes to boats there's a few that sail out along the raritan bay that will target striped bass - Keyport Princess, Prowler, Captain Ron, Dark Horse to name a few. They are all pretty close in price and schedule, couple of them will do night trips as well. Couple of the boats down in Belmar will also go out for stripers, but you might have a longer boat ride to the grounds if they have to go north to the bay to find fish.

Re: Newbie to party boat for strippers
 

I would go with the Prowler