Newbie Fisherman Needs Help

[sentientcj]

Hello all. Moving on to my 36' Ketch in December. Cruising from Marathon over to Bahamas and then South. Have fished here in the Colorado Rockies since a child, flyfishing mostly. But never deep sea. So the question is, what is a good:

AFFORDABLE ROD/REEL SETUP

And what tackle do you use? I'm looking for something universal or to use for as large a variety of fish as possible (attempting a circumnavigation). I've looked online for "offshore rod/reel) and those suckers are $500+! The cheapest I've found are ~$200 but I haven't the foggiest on quality.

Any suggestions on a budget setup and tackle would be greatly appreciated from you seasoned fishermen out there.

thanks!

[ReMetau]

Cuban yoyo will be your best bet. I use 400lb mono with a florocarbon leader. I put the 400lb mono around a winch and use a bungee for shock absorption. This is for trolling and is a nice affordable method.

If you are going to do bottom fishing on a reef, then get a nice sturdy casting rod/reel.

If you are in Marathon, then take a trip to West Marine and talk to John or Todd, they will hook ya up with what you need.

[GordMay]

Penn Senator ➥ Penn Senator Combos - PennFishingStore

[sentientcj]

Originally Posted by ReMetau

Cuban yoyo will be your best bet. I use 400lb mono with a florocarbon leader. I put the 400lb mono around a winch and use a bungee for shock absorption. This is for trolling and is a nice affordable method.

If you are going to do bottom fishing on a reef, then get a nice sturdy casting rod/reel.

If you are in Marathon, then take a trip to West Marine and talk to John or Todd, they will hook ya up with what you need.

Thanks! Where do you attach the bungee...?

[ReMetau]

Originally Posted by sentientcj

Thanks! Where do you attach the bungee...?

I will run the line on the opposite winch that the jib is using so I run the bungee up to my track car.

If I run a planner on the line, then the bungee gets stretched too much to be of use, but without the planner it works quite well to let you know a fish is on.