Spirit of Adventure Charter, November 4-14, 2026

[sciaenops]

personally, i use 30 pound alot.  i just never let the deckhands know.  when there are bigger fish in the water, they will tell everyone to use 40 or 50, minimum.  if we are having trouble getting bit, i'll drop down to 30 without letting them know.  i'm ok with with it.  pulling 15 pounds of drag on a 30 pound line class reel is not something that i worry about.  i just won't say anything. 

😂sometimes silence is golden even more so when you drop in w/25# in a pick bite

A 25-30# rig goes on all my trips short or long. A single speed on an 8' rod is pretty versatile (flyline, surface iron, even make bait).

[Keta]

personally, i use 30 pound alot.  i just never let the deckhands know.  when there are bigger fish in the water, they will tell everyone to use 40 or 50, minimum.  if we are having trouble getting bit, i'll drop down to 30 without letting them know.  i'm ok with with it.  pulling 15 pounds of drag on a 30 pound line class reel is not something that i worry about.  i just won't say anything. 

    Now I would never do that....

[Brewcrafter]

  Great to see we are all guilty, so I guess I'll be safe bringing my TRQ15NLD in November. 
Jim - As far as that "One more rig", all of the advice is sound (and downsizing your 40 with a lighter topshot totally doable if necessary).  And while I am not trying to $pend your money, and if you think Long Range or even short multiday Bluefin trips (like that SOA 3-Day that Alan has) I would heartily suggest a United Composites Viper, paired with a Penn VISX 20, Okuma Mak 20, or Avet EX for a legitimate 100# rig.  Bluefin jigging, tuna trolling, even dropper looping for monsters this rig will have you covered.   Not only do I take mine on every trip, it is one of those setups that I actually USE on every trip. - john

[MarkT]

I haven't taken anything lighter than 40# the last couple of years and didn't miss it at all! I've been trying to cut back on all the stuff I bring.

[Crab Pot]

I haven't taken anything lighter than 40# the last couple of years and didn't miss it at all! I've been trying to cut back on all the stuff I bring.

Even on short trips?

[Hardy Boy]

I dont think a 30 lb rig is necessary... put 30 on your 40 lb rig. I would also say that you can tie 69 lb leader on your 60 rig .... who would have guessed. When we first went to cedros everyone took five or more rigs ..... now its 2 and we catch the same amount of fish .... go figure.


Cheers

Todd

[MarkT]

I haven't taken anything lighter than 40# the last couple of years and didn't miss it at all! I've been trying to cut back on all the stuff I bring.

Even on short trips?

On the 10 days. Cedros too... I only take 50# there!