Adding to my quiver

[Jim O]

I now have a 40#, 50#, 60#rig, and a surface iron rig.  What would you recommend be my next rig?  Heavy?  Finesse?  Something else?

[JasonGotaProblem]

Spend that money on a short trip to practice.

[jurelometer]

Unless you just like buying gear,  go on the trip and see what you are missing (if anything) and like fishing with.  I suspect that there will be lots of folk on Alan's trip that will be happy to let you borrow a big rod or take a test drive on something that looks interesting.

Something to consider test driving is a low profile levelwind outfit in the 400 to 500 size.  It looks to me like a lot of the catching on these trips is stuff other than big tuna, and IMHO, if you like throwing lures, you can't beat a modern low profile for saltwater lure casting.  These outfits seem to be gaining popularity with the long range crowd.

-J

[Jim O]

Unless you just like buying gear,  go on the trip and see what you are missing (if anything) and like fishing with.  I suspect that there will be lots of folk on Alan's trip that will be happy to let you borrow a big rod or take a test drive on something that looks interesting.

Something to consider test driving is a low profile levelwind outfit in the 400 to 500 size.  It looks to me like a lot of the catching on these trips is stuff other than big tuna, and IMHO, if you like throwing lures, you can't beat a modern low profile for saltwater lure casting.  These outfits seem to be gaining popularity with the long range crowd.

-J

Yeah, I'm thinking of other trips, too, in which case I won't have gear to borrow.

[Brewcrafter]

Jurelometer's low profile levelwind on a 9' gets a lot of use in my group, but If you are all in - get a proper 100#.  JIgging monster tuna (yes, many time a futile sleep losing exercise), trolling, or dropper looping when using big baits for big yellowtail. You may not use it as much but when you do, nothing else will do and your 60# won't be close to cutting it.  Of all my long range outfits my 80# was the last outfit I put together. - john

[alantani]

when it comes to bluefin, i refer to 20 and 25 pound rigs as suicide rigs.   

[jurelometer]

Unless you just like buying gear,  go on the trip and see what you are missing (if anything) and like fishing with.  I suspect that there will be lots of folk on Alan's trip that will be happy to let you borrow a big rod or take a test drive on something that looks interesting.

Something to consider test driving is a low profile levelwind outfit in the 400 to 500 size.  It looks to me like a lot of the catching on these trips is stuff other than big tuna, and IMHO, if you like throwing lures, you can't beat a modern low profile for saltwater lure casting.  These outfits seem to be gaining popularity with the long range crowd.

-J

Yeah, I'm thinking of other trips, too, in which case I won't have gear to borrow.

But if you buy the slightly wrong stuff, now you have gear to unload at a loss in order to get the right stuff.  And part of it being the right stuff is personal preference.  That takes experience.

A lot of the long range guys don't get to fish that many days, so they scratch the itch by obsessing over and accumulating a large amount of gear.  And if you buy it, then you feel compelled to bring it.  Being a gear nut is part of the process that they enjoy.

But there is a big difference between need and want.  If you want it, more power to you.  But what you need is a different question than what are the gear nuts bringing.  Maybe you are asking the latter?

Not judging, just trying to figure out which camp you are in.

-J

[redsetta]

...but when you do, nothing else will do...

No truer words spoken.
If there's one rig you want to have absolute, unwavering faith in, it's that one.
Like many here, I've been blessed with a lot of bucket list catches over the years.
And when I've been onto the fish of a lifetime, it's great to have zero doubts my set-up is 100% sorted and up to the task...
That said, I fully support others' advice of doing more trips!
Enjoy the quandary and let us know what you decide.
Good luck, Justin

[MarkT]

when it comes to bluefin, i refer to 20 and 25 pound rigs as suicide rigs.   

I've caught BFT on 20# rigs multiple times. They aren't all cows! On short trips don't leave out a 20# rig!

[Jim O]

Unless you just like buying gear,  go on the trip and see what you are missing (if anything) and like fishing with.  I suspect that there will be lots of folk on Alan's trip that will be happy to let you borrow a big rod or take a test drive on something that looks interesting.

Something to consider test driving is a low profile levelwind outfit in the 400 to 500 size.  It looks to me like a lot of the catching on these trips is stuff other than big tuna, and IMHO, if you like throwing lures, you can't beat a modern low profile for saltwater lure casting.  These outfits seem to be gaining popularity with the long range crowd.

-J

Yeah, I'm thinking of other trips, too, in which case I won't have gear to borrow.

But if you buy the slightly wrong stuff, now you have gear to unload at a loss in order to get the right stuff.  And part of it being the right stuff is personal preference.  That takes experience.

A lot of the long range guys don't get to fish that many days, so they scratch the itch by obsessing over and accumulating a large amount of gear.  And if you buy it, then you feel compelled to bring it.  Being a gear nut is part of the process that they enjoy.

But there is a big difference between need and want.  If you want it, more power to you.  But what you need is a different question than what are the gear nuts bringing.  Maybe you are asking the latter?

Not judging, just trying to figure out which camp you are in.

-J

Unless you just like buying gear,  go on the trip and see what you are missing (if anything) and like fishing with.  I suspect that there will be lots of folk on Alan's trip that will be happy to let you borrow a big rod or take a test drive on something that looks interesting.

Something to consider test driving is a low profile levelwind outfit in the 400 to 500 size.  It looks to me like a lot of the catching on these trips is stuff other than big tuna, and IMHO, if you like throwing lures, you can't beat a modern low profile for saltwater lure casting.  These outfits seem to be gaining popularity with the long range crowd.

-J

Yeah, I'm thinking of other trips, too, in which case I won't have gear to borrow.

But if you buy the slightly wrong stuff, now you have gear to unload at a loss in order to get the right stuff.  And part of it being the right stuff is personal preference.  That takes experience.

A lot of the long range guys don't get to fish that many days, so they scratch the itch by obsessing over and accumulating a large amount of gear.  And if you buy it, then you feel compelled to bring it.  Being a gear nut is part of the process that they enjoy.

But there is a big difference between need and want.  If you want it, more power to you.  But what you need is a different question than what are the gear nuts bringing.  Maybe you are asking the latter?

Not judging, just trying to figure out which camp you are in.

-J

Unless you just like buying gear,  go on the trip and see what you are missing (if anything) and like fishing with.  I suspect that there will be lots of folk on Alan's trip that will be happy to let you borrow a big rod or take a test drive on something that looks interesting.

Something to consider test driving is a low profile levelwind outfit in the 400 to 500 size.  It looks to me like a lot of the catching on these trips is stuff other than big tuna, and IMHO, if you like throwing lures, you can't beat a modern low profile for saltwater lure casting.  These outfits seem to be gaining popularity with the long range crowd.

-J

Yeah, I'm thinking of other trips, too, in which case I won't have gear to borrow.

But if you buy the slightly wrong stuff, now you have gear to unload at a loss in order to get the right stuff.  And part of it being the right stuff is personal preference.  That takes experience.

A lot of the long range guys don't get to fish that many days, so they scratch the itch by obsessing over and accumulating a large amount of gear.  And if you buy it, then you feel compelled to bring it.  Being a gear nut is part of the process that they enjoy.

But there is a big difference between need and want.  If you want it, more power to you.  But what you need is a different question than what are the gear nuts bringing.  Maybe you are asking the latter?

Not judging, just trying to figure out which camp you are in.

-J

I understand completely.  I do not want to be a gear hound.  If there's one single comment I hear from virtually everyone is that they bring too much gear.  I remember hearing a guy speak who had been in the tackle industry.  He said "we" decide what you need to have, what the next big thing is, what you can't do without...
Point well taken.

[sciaenops]

If SoCal trips are in your future, I'd get a 25# outfit next. A Lexa 400 on a 8' composite stick of your liking is a versatile rig for most anything we catch under 50#. And if you're cheap like me, you can piece one together that won't break the bank.