# Going Deep Sea Wreck Fishing, Any Advice?



## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

I'm going on my first 12 Hour Deep Sea Wreck Fishing Trip. I'll be taking the Ocean Princess out of Ocean City. 

My first big question is should I bring my own rod? 

I have a couple Power Plus 5'6" rated for 30-60lb. They aren't very sensitive but they are very sturdy. I have several Daiwa Reels, Satlist, Emblem Pro, Emcast Sport, Emcast Plus. I hope these are decent tools for black seabass, weakfish, tog, maybe some croaker too....

My next big question is rigs, lures?

Bottom Fishing with your standard bottom rigs. What size hooks? I'm thinking 5/0, but would love to hear suggestions. They will provide bait, but me being me, I'll probably pick up at least a dozen blood worms to mix it up. I have some spot from earlier PLO trips that I could bring as bait, sound like a good idea or should I pass?

Can anyone recommend lures I should use?


I'm ALL IN!

Thanks in advance for any advice you can lend.


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## greasemonkey54 (May 12, 2010)

I always use whatever they provide or can be rented. Its just easier, but some stuff can be crap. lol I have never tried spot or bw from a headboat but have used crab, squid, flounder belly and clam and cant say any bait has caught more fish for me or the guys around me.


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## transamsam98 (Sep 21, 2009)

true deep drop trip chasing tile and see bass ? if so bring along as many spot as possible and bluefish carcasses as possible. Using whole small spot proved to be a great bait for large black sea bass and tile fish as did strips of bluefish. Squid chucks . strips with the color taken off did just fine as well.


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

Thanks guys! Your info is greatly appreciated!


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

I will bring a rod and reel that I'm comfortable using. I will bring some spot for bait. I have them, I might as well spend them. I'm still wondering about lures. I'm still wondering if I have any deep sinking lures. I think I have a couple on hand. I'll stop by Fred Sporting Goods and talk to Fred, he's always a good source of info. Dramamine? Check. LOL! I will not spend my trip turning green from sea sickness. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I've been told, once you do a 12 Hour Deep Sea trip I'll be hooked! I can't wait to find out!

Anything else?


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## earl of DC (Jul 7, 2007)

me personally i would rent from them to get a good idea of what equipment to use on future trips.as for spinning tackle leave it at home.
u can also purchase some good cbass rigs from Peace Token Tackle http://www.peacetoken.com/rigs.html.


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## turboandy (May 30, 2000)

Ditch the dramamine and get bonine. We keep it on our charter boat for our customers when needed. It has no side effects and will not make you drowsey. This stuff works great.


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## whitechin (May 17, 2012)

Captain Victor and his mates will have all the hooks and rigs you will need. A very simple two hook bottom rig with 3/0 Khale hooks tied to short dropper loops is the norm. Use the KISS principle when ocean wreck fishing. Sometimes trimming the hooks with twister tails or squid skirts as an attractant will make a big difference. The seabass will let you know what they want. Bait of choice will be squid or clams and I'm sure the boat will have both on board. As far as lures go, you just can't beat a hammered diamond jig for seabass. The Shimano Lucanus Jigs are deadly as well but very expensive to lose. I'll be fishing on the Morning Star with Captain Monty tomorrow and will be taking an arsenal of these in 4,6 and 8 oz sizes: http://www.canalbaitandtackle.com/hammered-diamond-jig-4oz/ and these for fishing with my lighter spinning gear: http://www.terminaltackleco.com/prod_detail_list/192 The 2 3/4 size is great for the lighter tackle and yes, they will get to the bottom. I hope you have a good trip. Victor is a very good captain and will work very hard to put you on the fish. I would expect you will be seeing quite a few flounder coming over the rail as the flattie bite has been very good in the ocean.


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## whitechin (May 17, 2012)

By the way, don't waste your money on bloodworms. You won't need them.


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## whitechin (May 17, 2012)

turboandy said:


> Ditch the dramamine and get bonine. We keep it on our charter boat for our customers when needed. It has no side effects and will not make you drowsey. This stuff works great.


 I second that. I used to be a mate on the Ocean Princess and kept it on board as well.


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

i've never heard of bonine before. Can I pick it up at CVS?


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

earl of DC said:


> me personally i would rent from them to get a good idea of what equipment to use on future trips.as for spinning tackle leave it at home.
> u can also purchase some good cbass rigs from Peace Token Tackle http://www.peacetoken.com/rigs.html.


Thanks Earl!


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

whitechin said:


> Captain Victor and his mates will have all the hooks and rigs you will need. A very simple two hook bottom rig with 3/0 Khale hooks tied to short dropper loops is the norm. Use the KISS principle when ocean wreck fishing. Sometimes trimming the hooks with twister tails or squid skirts as an attractant will make a big difference. The seabass will let you know what they want. Bait of choice will be squid or clams and I'm sure the boat will have both on board. As far as lures go, you just can't beat a hammered diamond jig for seabass. The Shimano Lucanus Jigs are deadly as well but very expensive to lose. I'll be fishing on the Morning Star with Captain Monty tomorrow and will be taking an arsenal of these in 4,6 and 8 oz sizes: http://www.canalbaitandtackle.com/hammered-diamond-jig-4oz/ and these for fishing with my lighter spinning gear: http://www.terminaltackleco.com/prod_detail_list/192 The 2 3/4 size is great for the lighter tackle and yes, they will get to the bottom. I hope you have a good trip. Victor is a very good captain and will work very hard to put you on the fish. I would expect you will be seeing quite a few flounder coming over the rail as the flattie bite has been very good in the ocean.


Thanks Whitechin. I think I have a couple of the lures you speak of, but the color is different. I'd just like to experiment a little while I'm out there. 
Flounder bite? I'm really looking forward to that. Thanks for the info OHHH and especially the part about not needing BW's! I'll keep that $9 in my pocket sir!


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

Picked up Bonine from CVS. Thanks guys!


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## whitechin (May 17, 2012)

Long strip baits from either flounder belly or bluefish will help you score on the flat ones. It wouldn't hurt to have some live minnows either.


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## dena (Jun 20, 2010)

If you have some 40# leader, 3/0 hooks, and can tie a dropper loop knot, you can tie up all the rigs you need in an hour or so. Placed in a baggie, the rig will be ready and tangle free when you need it.


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## nicefishman (Jun 26, 2007)

went out with them this Spring in the 12 hours trip. Got 45 - 50 keepers cbass among three of us, They fish between 100 feet to 150 feet. I was using shimano tld 15 with 30# braid. Use rod longer than 6' will make your life easier in case the fish/line get under the boat. Use 8 ounce sinker 3/0 to 5/0 khale hook. Please post a report when u r back from the trip. Thinking going out with them next week. 

Good luck !!!


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

We went out on the 12 hour, 6-6, tour. The weather was fantastic, but the fish weren't very cooperative. We managed to haul in 20 keeper Sea Bass between the two of us. Many people did not do as good. A few anglers only had a couple Strawberry Bass and a single keeper Black Bass. I did get two flounder, but only one made it in the boat. I tried my hand with cut Spot. The cut Soot produced 3 Rays. The Rays seemed like the only thing I caught consistently lol. I am glad to catch a nice flounder and sine nice Bass, as you might expect, I would've preferred more. 

The winner of the fish pool was a Very nice, 7lb Cod! Now, that was one pretty fish. I've never seen one caught. The term Grab the Net was used a number of times. A few Anglers caught their limit of flounder. All in all I had a good time and it was a learning experience. I can't say I'm addicted yet, but still very interested. Next time I will bring various fresh baits. The boat gave clam snouts, but some anglers had fresh mullet and shrimp. I was surprised there was no squid on the house. Once again next time I will be better prepared.

The mates were helpful and we tipped them to reflect that. The captain took us all over the ocean to put us on the fish. The captain repeatedly said the wrecks were full of fish, but unfortunately, stop after stop, the bite was slow. I guess he had no choice, Damned f you go to spot after spot, damned if you don't. Unless everyone has a full cooler people will be shaking their heads LOL

Oh, yes, to anyone wanting to board the Princess anytime soon, the Captains advised NOT going back out until a weather pattern break up occurs. I'm thinking a change in temps or a good storm. I trust he knows the waters and the fishing habits. Due to his honesty, I will be back. Not a terrible day, not a good day, but a special day I'm glad to have spent on the ocean.


Thank you all for the suggestions and tips.


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

whitechin said:


> Long strip baits from either flounder belly or bluefish will help you score on the flat ones. It wouldn't hurt to have some live minnows either.


Exactly. A guy next to my friend caught a few more Bass on the bluefish strips. 2 of his 3 flounder came on snouts though.


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## twcrawford (Aug 27, 2009)

nicefishman said:


> went out with them this Spring in the 12 hours trip. Got 45 - 50 keepers cbass among three of us, They fish between 100 feet to 150 feet. I was using shimano tld 15 with 30# braid. Use rod longer than 6' will make your life easier in case the fish/line get under the boat. Use 8 ounce sinker 3/0 to 5/0 khale hook. Please post a report when u r back from the trip. Thinking going out with them next week.
> 
> Good luck !!!


We fished in several depths, 75, 90, 100 and up to 130ft


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## whitechin (May 17, 2012)

twcrawford said:


> We went out on the 12 hour, 6-6, tour. The weather was fantastic, but the fish weren't very cooperative. We managed to haul in 20 keeper Sea Bass between the two of us. Many people did not do as good. A few anglers only had a couple Strawberry Bass and a single keeper Black Bass. I did get two flounder, but only one made it in the boat. I tried my hand with cut Spot. The cut Soot produced 3 Rays. The Rays seemed like the only thing I caught consistently lol. I am glad to catch a nice flounder and sine nice Bass, as you might expect, I would've preferred more.
> 
> The winner of the fish pool was a Very nice, 7lb Cod! Now, that was one pretty fish. I've never seen one caught. The term Grab the Net was used a number of times. A few Anglers caught their limit of flounder. All in all I had a good time and it was a learning experience. I can't say I'm addicted yet, but still very interested. Next time I will bring various fresh baits. The boat gave clam snouts, but some anglers had fresh mullet and shrimp. I was surprised there was no squid on the house. Once again next time I will be better prepared.
> 
> ...


 Sounds like you had the same kind of day we had yesterday. I came home with 10 keeper bass and 2 ling. The pool winner was a nice flounder. Only bass and flounder were eligible for the pool or this guy would have won with this nice cod:


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