Mud hole

[PHIL]

Hey guys, I plan on going on a charter boat to the mud hole often this season. Is 20lb. braid with a fluoro. leader good enough. I have a conventional penn reel. Thanx again for helping me out. And how much about does it cost to go on a charter to the mud hole and how long is the trip. am or pm?

[Luna Sea 5]

first, don't use braid on a party or charter.  Second, the price will vary depending the what your fishing for and how long your fishing.  Approx price, a guess, $50.00 per person. 

[IrishAyes]

Phil, more info is needed to advise you as to the best line, time or anything else about mud hole fishing.  But, these would be generic answers to your questions.

1.  Braid is ok on a charter, party boat mates dread the braid, reason being, it is a mess when you tangle with others on the boat.  That leads to too much down time.  If the bite is on, you don't want to be cutting and rerigging while every one else is catching.  That being said, I am a firm believer in braid.

2.  As far as price, as Luna said, varies by what and how you will be fishing.  But, in general, probably the cheapest price for a charter would be over $100 per man. 

3.  The duration of the trip will also vary as will the am or pm aspect. 

[gottog]

Depends on what you're fishing for.

For blues and tuna, braid isn't all that wise of a choice and most party boats do not allow it.  A charter boat might, but you'll have to check.  Big fast moving fish and a line that can slice through mono, rope, and skin can be dangerous.  A pain to unagle as well with those hard pulling fish.

For bottom fishing, braid is a wise choice.  Some captains and/or mates do not like it but will deal with it as if it makes the customer happy, then they have to roll with the punches.
One should have some basic knowledge of using braid and a long mono/fluro leader is suggested to help in easing out of tangles.

Any mate worth his spit in today's world of improving fishing tackle and toughening regulations should be able to deal with braid quickly and effectively.  Gotta keep the fares happy and coming back on a paying basis ya know
Captains seem to dread it more as it can get tangled in the props/shaft and cause damage.

If you're new to fishing with braid, then you might want to reconsider using it for the first time on a party boat

As mentioned, depending on the size of the charter, intended species being targeted, etc will have an effect on the price of the charter and which line is best. 

[mboy]

For blues and tuna, braid isn't all that wise of a choice and most party boats do not allow it.  A charter boat might, but you'll have to check.  Big fast moving fish and a line that can slice through mono, rope, and skin can be dangerous.  A pain to unagle as well with those hard pulling fish.

There is a whole BIG west coast movement of bigfish fisherman who would argue that one pretty hard.

That being said, it is not for the novice angler by any means and most PB's will only allow braid for jigging tuna.

[gottog]

Talking Mud hole not West Coast though.  More than likely anchored, chumming, not jigging.  Good amount of people on board and East Coasters all liquored up add braid and bluefish...

I use braid for everything and never had any problems or anything from mates on boats.

Only trip I did not use it was for tuna.  used rental rod spooled with mono for that.

[Luna Sea 5]

I also use braid for everything.  You just can't beat the sensitivity of it. One day my reel jammed up that had the braid on it, so I went with my mono reel... I actually had to put the rod down and quit.  Once you get used to the feel of braid, switching over back to mono is nearly impossible.

[gottog]

Luna, I know what you mean.  Tried to help a few guys break off on the bottom while tog'n and their mono was like using a rubberband.  Surprises you how much stretch there's actually in the stuff when you're used to braid.

[mboy]

Personally, I would have no issue using braid for chunking tuna. No problem at all, but would not reco it for a novice by any means and not really on a PB for tuna (altho do doubt I would if I could).

[Duffman]

I'll throw in my .02
 
Braid for chunking tuna is nuts. No need for it whatsoever. Having some of that rubber band type of give mono has, when an 80 - 100 lb YFT is on the other end of the line, is nice to have.
  Guys went to braid when small, high torque reels hit the market. Its a line capacity issue. Even then, I would personally only use it for jigging on a private boat.
  Can you imagine a tuna running across 20 other lines with someone using braid?  You'll make some enemies real quick!!

[mboy]

Tell that to the west coast long range guys who do it. Yes they chunk with it and fling out live bait, iron, etc with it.

Braid allows for heavier line, smaller gear with MUCH higher drags to control the fish.

PB tuna is far and away the least enjoyable method of tuna fishing in existance. Braid, mono or whatever.