What is the best line for yellowtail?

Question

im going to so cal and fishing for mainly yellowtail,dorado, and bluefin tuna. i need to know what lb test line to use and what kind. should i use flourocarbon at all?

Answer 1

This really depends on how brave your feeling when it comes to catching them Ive had allot of great fun on 45lb test fished on a light Penn boat rod, however you need to make sure the drag is properly set and you can have allot of fun playing the fish in, i know of anglers who use 80lb test, and simply crank them in, you must ensure the line matches up with the rods rating and your drag is properly set, i never use fluorocarbon as its expensive in the higher breaking strain and i find totally un-necessary for big game fishing. You may want to use about 60-65lb test as i just enjoy the fight using 45lb line.

Answer 2

If you have fishing on cattle boats, you won't have the luxury to work your fish slowly. You want to get your fish into the boat as quickly as possible before your line tangles with someone else's line. Also, those fish tend to bite in a flurry so every second counts. You will actually catch fewer fish and there's a bigger chance that you'll loose your fish if you let you fish swim in the water for too long. You want to use 50lb braid main line and 50lb fluro fluorocarbon leader. The reason for braids is because braid lines don't stretch. You don't have to reel as much before you could get the fish into the boat; less time is required to land your fish too. Braids are also softer so your bait fish could swim much more freely. You want fluorocarbon leader because 50lb braid might be too visible; highly visible lines will reduce chances of strikes. You can also troll with 50lb line. If you use 30lb lines, you might have trouble getting your fish in when trolling.

If you're on a private boat where there won't be many people fishing, you could use lighter mono lines. You could use 17 or 20lb mono when it comes to yellowtails. You may go as low as 12lb if the captain is willing to work with you (when you're about to get spooled). You could use 25-30lb when it comes to dorado and bluefins.

I will bring a good assortments of hooks with me because you'll never know what kind of size bait fish you'll get. I usually bring hooks from as big as 10/0 or 8/0 all the way down to size 2. If you have live mackerels for bait, anything smaller than 4/0 will not work too well. 4/0 will work with live sardines as well. Besides, small hooks don't hook onto those big fish too well. If you are experienced with circle hooks, then I'd suggest that you use circle hooks instead of live bait hooks. Your leader will last longer with circle hooks. You want to bring smaller hooks so you could fish for other species in case tunas aren't around.

You might want to bring some irons jigs or lures with you as well. When the bites are wide open and fish will eat anything you toss at them, jigs or lures will be better than live baits. In situations like this, baiting your hook actually wastes too much of your fishing time. Bring some butterfly jigs with you as well. Vertical jigging will work on tuna plus other species including bottom feeders. It's very versatile.

Answer 3

For offshore fishing out of So Cal (albacore, bluefin, yellowtail, and dorado), you're generally going to want  about 30 pound mono for your main outfit, and about 2/0 hooks for the sardine baits. If the bait is anchovies you'll want smaller (about size 2) hooks, but in general there will be sardines. The fish will range from 10-40 pounds or so, probably averaging around 20.

(I generally go offshore with  at least 5 outfits, with 20,30,40, 50, and 80 pound line, but generally stick with the 30 for most of the fishing, 20 if the fish are smaller or really picky).

If you're fishing inshore (on a daytime trip) you'll be better off with 20 pound mono, and sometimes lighter (like 12-15) will be necessary to get bites.

If you're taking a trip on a charter or open party boat out of one of the major landings (in San Diego or L.A.), they'll have rental gear available if you don't have your own (or if your own isn't heavy enough).