[AVA67]

If you get on a decent party boat tuna chunk bite tangles are inevitable. Braided line and big fast fish are just a really bad combination. As far as I know currently all party boats tuna fishing in NJ have Mono only or (200+ yard top shot rules). If you have two fish hooked one with mono and one with braid and the lines touch, the mono fish will be sawed off the vast majority of the time. It is also incredibly dangerous for the mates attempting to untangling the crossed lines. Especially as a new angler to this type of fishing you could / will have the ability to great negatively affect the trip for those fishing around you.

The reason that some people choose to have braided line backing is to increase their line capacity in the event of a large big eye, swordfish, or allison tuna it is amazing how fast 300 yards of line can melt off of your reel. Many prefer to have the ability to fish a smaller lighter reel (30 class) while still having 400+ yards of 80 lb line.

I also think mono has a distinct advantage for chunking tuna. The stretch in the line is a great advantage with the violent head shakes as well as keeping tension on the line as through the belly on the line as fish quickly changes direction or charges the boat.

Your first few tuna trips will be learning experiences. Spool up with 80 pound mono (leaves you a larger margin for error with drag settings and abrasion resistances with tangles and other lines) and enjoy your trip.