Headboat questions:

[TunaFish]

I went on my 1st headboat trip up in Cape Cod. CR'ed a Scup and lost a seabass. I used one of their rod, but I didn't like the hook they put on and wanted to use my own was told by the mate it's a no-no. Is this a normal policy?

Also, the mate mentioned braided line is a bad idea. Is this also discouraged.

[Rockstar]

you paid the cash to get aboard... i've never met a captain that discouraged using your own tackle. bring your own tackle, and take care of yourself. most mates will be more than happy to let you do your own thing. braided line is a big pain in the butt when your on a packed party boat though. untangling that stuff sucks, especially at night. in the rare occasion that i do use it on a boat and get tangled, i'll cut my line and re-tie my lure. makes the other guys life alot easier and it takes what... a whole 10 seconds to retie?

[Anthony]

I can honestly say that the worst tangles are from braid. Braid is expensive and no one wants to cut the line if they can avoid it. On a packed party boat it can be a hassle to use the braided lines. With that being said, I would recommend using braided line when bottom fishing, the sensitivity alone makes it worth it. I've seen days when those using mono aren't producing like those who are using braid. It can make a big difference b/w dinner and no dinner. As far as your own tackle, we don't recommend using wire high low rigs or hooks with long leaders. Most partyboats use mono high low rigs consisting of two dropper loops for the hooks. If a paying customer wants to use their own hooks, I would have no problem with that but if they are not hooking up with fish while others around them are, I would most likely tell them to use our hooks. Remember that most party boats want to ensure that you enjoy yourselves and would try to do what they can to get repeat business.

[TunaFish]

for the replies. I got robbed and didn't even know it. They used mono. I think I have enough guts now that I went on my 1st headboat trip in more than 30 yrs to take a trip on the MS; long story. (Thanks to Anthony & Talapia, who got me real interested with their posts)