I am going fishing on a large party boat. Do you have any tips ?

Party boat fishing can a rewarding and comparatively cheap way to fish off shore. The experience can be much more rewarding however if you know a few things about party boats in general. First I advise finding a party boat that allows you to bring your own rod and reel. Let them provide the terminal tackle and the bait but you are better off using your own rod and reel. When you fish on a large party boat you will most of the time be taken to a spot over either a coral reef or old shipwreck. It can be anywhere from thirty to eighty foot water depth at these locations. You will typically be fishing for snappers and groupers but will often have a wide variety of other fish take your bait. Because you are fishing deep over a structure like a reef or wreck you should have a very stout heavy action rod. When you do hook a fish of any size it must be horsed in rather quickly. If it is allowed to pull drag it will thrust your line right into the structure and break off. You want a stout rod that allows you to quickly move the fish off the bottom with several pulls. You will want to spool your reel with braided power line for two reasons. First it%u2019s added strength will allow you to horse the fish off the bottom without breaking off. Secondly braided lines do not stretch like monofilament or fluorocarbon lines. This is important again in trying to keep hooked fish away from the reef or wreck you are fishing near.