“I want to catch some sea bass on the party boat!”

Sea bass are one of the best eating fish around, and one way to get a fresh
sea bass dinner is go out on one of Ocean City’s party boats and catch some. I
ventured out on the “O.C. Princess” out of Shantytown myself on Tuesday, May 15th,
and caught my limit of 25. You can’t always expect to catch that many, but it you
get lucky and the fish are cooperating, you have the chance to limit out yourself!

“What do you need to take?”

Fishing for sea bass on a party boat is quite simple. All need is a rod
with a good amount of backbone that can handle at least 6 ounces of weight.
You can use either a spinning or a conventional type outfit. Use a good-sized
reel that will hold at least 250 yards of 20-pound test. You don’t have to use
that heavy of a line, but you want a reel large enough and strong enough to crank
up two fish and a six-ounce sinker from a depth of 60 to 90 feet.

Any lighter weight trolling rod with regular guides (no rollers) will work
great if you are going conventional. A 15 to 30 pound class rod or even a 20
to 40 pound class rod will work fine. St. Croix has some new trolling rods
(Premier Saltwater Boat Rods) out this year that make “sweet” sea bass rods!
Sea Striker Billfisher rods are new this year and they have a 15 to 30 pound
class Stand-Up stick that you could use for party boat fishing. Make sure
you have a butt cap on if the rod has a gimble butt. Any solid glass Sturdy
Stick made by Invincible or Shakespeare will suffice if you want an inexpensive
bottom rod.

For the reel you can’t go wrong with a Penn. If you want a nice reel that
you also take trolling with later I would suggest the Penn GTI 320 or GTI 330.
These are level wind and very easy to use. If you don’t care for a level wind,
a 113H Penn or a Shimano TLD 25 would make great reels to put on a combination
trolling/ bottom rod.

If you want a spinning outfit, go with a Shakespeare Sturdy Stick, a heavy-
actioned Ugly Stick, Penn Slammer, or 7-foot Sealine-X Daiwa (rated 15 to 30
pound test) or any similar good-quality rod that will handle 6 ounces of weight.
If you have to go inexpensive, go with a solid-glass rod such as the Shakespeare
or Invincible Sturdy Stick or Olympic Tuff Tip rods.

For the reel, any good quality surf reel will also make a good party boat
reel for sea bass. A Penn 6500SS or 7500SS, a Penn Powergraph 6000 or 7000,
Shimano Baitrunner 4500 or 6500, or Daiwa 5500 or 5000 size Regal-Z or Jupiter-Z
will be work great.

“Do I need a lot of tackle?”

No. All you need are a couple heavy-duty bottom rigs, sinkers, and some
snelled #1/0 wide-gap styled hooks. Avoid using lightweight metal top and bottom
rigs as they tangle easily. If you know how to tie a dropper loop, you can skip
the bottom rigs and just buy some loose #1/0 wide gap hooks and tie them right
into your line off your reel. Take some 6 and 8-ounce bank sinkers or you can
buy them on the boat.

Aqua-clear brand Fluke/Weakfish rigs make great sea bass rigs as well.
They are “tangle-less rigs” made out of heavy monofilament and clear
stand-offs that are very versatile.

If you do not have a rod and reel you can rent one on the boat and the
mate will rig it up for you. All you really have to bring on the boat is
yourself and then you can buy what you need as you go along! Many of the
party boats now have food, drinks, and ice. Ask what is available when
you make your reservations, and yes, reservations are a good idea!

“What should we expect?”

First of all, the party boat will travel several miles to an offshore wreck,
obstruction, or artificial reef. The ride may be one to two hours, depending
upon where the “wreck of day” is located. A party boat fishes a different spot
every day so the fish have a chance to “come back.” On the way out, the mate
offer rental rods, rig up your lines if you want to buy a rig, and collect money
for the “pool.” The person with the largest fish (no sharks) wins the pool. Now
is the time to ask the mate any questions.

Usually the boat will anchor. The Captain will find the spot; the mates will
throw over buoys to mark the wreck or obstruction. Then the mates will anchor the
boat. Never put your line in the water until the Captain tells you to.

Be ready. Have your hooks baited and as soon as you are told, drop your
sinker to the bottom. The best fishing usually happens right away. As soon as
you feel the bottom, reel in any slack. As soon as you feel a bite, set the
hook. If the fish is not hooked, let it go back to the bottom. If you feel
a small fish on the end, you can wait another 30 seconds and wait to see if you
catch a second fish.

Fish hard when the bite is good, and rest and eat when the boat is moving.
The Captain may re-anchor several times during the day. Be sure to abide by
the creel and size limits. This is very important. Keep your fish well iced
during the day.

Snags are part of party boat fishing. Some areas are worse than others.
If you get hung up, let your line go slack for a few minutes. Sometimes a
fish on the line will swim you out of the wreck. Other times, the swaying
of the boat will put you at a different angle where you can get out of the
snag. If you get hopelessly snagged, call for the mate and let him pull it out.
Never cut the line.

Change your bait often. The smell of new bait will attract more sea bass.
If you just have a little piece of bait left, put on another piece. Bigger
baits catch more fish. It does not take much finesse to catch sea bass.
They practically hook themselves. The main thing is to get your sinker
to the bottom, get the slack out, and stay on the bottom until you get a bite.
Your goals are to not get snagged and to not get tangled with your neighbor.
If the anglers next to you have enough sinker weight and if they keep the
slack out of their line, all usually goes well.

If this is not happening, you can try to help them with their fishing
technique. Sometimes a few pointers to a novice can help both of you.
If you still are having tangling problems go for this technique. If the
anglers next to you are fishing straight down, cast out just a little
beyond them. If they are casting out, then fish real close to the boat.
You want your sinker going in a slightly different direction or angle then
your neighbors so they don’t drift together on the bottom floor and get
all tangled together.

At the end of the day, the Captain will say, “Time to go home.” Count
your fish and make sure you don’t have more than your limit of 25 sea bass
per person. If your fish may be a “pool” winner, be sure to be near the
stern of the boat when the trip home begins. And be sure to tip the mate
when the hat is passed around.

Relax; enjoy the ride home, and converse with your newfound friends.
When the boat docks, be sure to gather all your belongings, and go
straight to the fish cleaning station if you would like your fish
cleaned. If not, make sure your fish are well iced.

Party boat fishing is more than just fishing. It’s a day out
on the water with friends and family. The only thing that can ruin your
day is motion sickness. If you are prone to motion sickness, be sure to
take your medicine one hour before departure and you should be fine.

Good fishing….