After going offshore for years with family and friends. I am looking to start doing it with my own boat. (22ft cc.) Looking for some advice on what basic gear would be essential for trolling for whaoo, dolphin, tuna. What type rods, reels, outriggers, and tackle to be specific. Also, what do you look for in the weather? What type wind, wave etc. to ensure a somewhat decent day. Thanks in advance for any help.
This will help to get you started. These are tried and true combos and I’ve caught everything from blackfin to dolphin, sailfish to grouper on these bad boys.
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=129589
As Rap stated. You can’t go wrong with a Shimano TLD
“Good things come to those who bait”
I have 2 TLD 25’s and 1 Penn Senator 113H for trolling. The deal above is really good. I need 1 more TLD for a good set up. I use bally ho rigs for trolling and once someone shows you how you can put them together on your own and save some $$$. I have a 22 ft CC as well and I look for fairly calm conditions because you need to go way out to find 100ft of water and one does not want to be caught in bad weather on a 22ft boat. If I can help let with the bally ho rigs let me know.
Kevin
Sportsman 229
Yamaha 250
Im in the same boat pun intended. But i do have 4a barefoot biat rods with tld 25’s .dont have the rigs yet but i just boat my sportsman 227. Maybe the 3 of us could buddy up. Pm me
fish today work tomorrow
I have a 23’ Edgewater WA and look for near perfect days to go offshore: 1-3ft seas, 5-10 knot winds. May chance it if I’m jonesin hard to get out and its calling for 3-4ft seas. Any bigger than that, forget it. It just all depends on how much discomfort you & your crew can stand heading out & back in. Monitor wunderground.com heavily the week of, and make sure you click the map zone your intending to go. The forecast 60 miles out can be very different than what it is 10 miles out: http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/AM/352.html
We take a compliment of Penn Squall 50’s (5) along with a Senator rig. Penn Battle bottom fishing rigs come as well and a light-weight sabiki rig for bait. Scott at Hadrell’s in W.Ashley is a great guy & can set you up with whatever you need.
Always file a float plan and send to a set of reliable people who will be on shore that day as well as to your boat tow company (mine is Towboat US. Steve w/ Towboat starts calling & radioing even if you’re five minutes late on your arrival time). As much redundancy & safety equip as you fit into your 22-footer (such as a hand-held VHF to backup your boat-powered VHF). Better to have it & not need it, than need it & not have it.
'04 Edgewater 225 Express w/ 225 Yammie
“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.” - Sir Arthur C. Clarke
TLD’s are hands down some of the best bang for your $$, and the newer Penn Squalls are another great choice for your $$ to get you in some quality lever drag reels
I run combo specials on a 30-80 stand-up rod with the TLD 25 regularly for about $200
Thanks for the love LessGovt, I am always glad to help when and where I can for anyone
Scott Hammond
Haddrells Point West Ashley
I have two tld 30 two speeds… They will do it all literally trolling bottom fish etc etc… both in excellent condition $400 for the pair.
I am selling reels only but have some nice star aerial 20/50’s that are a good multi purpose rod that I could include for $50 each
Also have a few fin nor marquesa 30’s that are awesome lightweight 40lb drag reels with a 6 to 1 ratio i use them for bottom fishing anf jigging they list for $325 i will sell them for $200 each… everything is less than a year old
(**(), I was going to say “go with a buddy and learn first hand”, but it doesn’t look like that is going to help… 
TLD 25’s… Back them with a half spool of 60lb braid and topshot with 40lb mono… That will give you some extra line capacity. Get the tackle shop to do it for you. Start out cheap with monofilament leaders and small sea witches. You don’t need all of the big fancy $20 lures. Just learn to rig a balleyhoo. Chances are, if you buy local at one of the tackle shops, they will probably rig a few rigs for you right in front of you and teach you how to do it…
Dolphin bite picks up after you paid the IRS on tax day, with the peak typically in late May to early June. You will likely be humbled if you try to catch them in April.
If you are just starting, I would probably recommend 4 TLD 25’s and maybe 1 TLD 50 (50-60lb test) in case you want to pull a heavy plug, lure, yozuri, etc…
As far as weather, you are just going to have to study the buoy and the reports and find out what conditions work for you. In a boat that size, I would pick forecasts that show 10knts or less for wind and stay home when it’s out of the N or NE. Also understand that when the weather man says it’s nice and won’t get nasty until 4pm, that he is lying… If you try to squeeze in a “time window” ahead of a nasty front, they are going to name a wreck after you, or have you hop on a one way trip to Bermuda…
Join a towing service. It will save you money eventually. Lot’s of people like to jump over crab bank for some reason, so it might be nice to have some help with an ungrounding or a fuel drop or two…
You are going to need a PLB and a SPOT…
One more thing… It’s called the “1/3rd rule”… Never burn more than 1/3rd of your fuel on the way out… Leaves 1/3rd of your fuel for the way back in, a few gallons for trolling, and some extra in case the seas get nasty…
In regard to the 1/3 rule… Don’t stray…especially when you are green…I have been on several trips where the wind kicked up in the afternoon and it literally took half of the fuel capacity to get back in a small boat. Trust me, you NEVER want to be at the mercy of the wind with no power. Unless you have a very good idea of your range, stick with half for a while. No amount of talking can prepair you for a “pucker factor” afternoon on the big blue pond.
Skinny and Knot,
Fantastic information for everyone. Thank you!
Kevin
Sportsman 229
Yamaha 250