Long Range Fishing Checklist: Preparing for Your First Trip

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Planning a long-range trip this season? In this week's article, we take a detailed dive into the checklist required for long-range fishing. The last thing you want to happen is to be out on the water and realize you are missing gear. Whether it's clothes, footwear, personal gear, tackle, jigs, or anything else, you must prepare for anything while onboard a long-range fishing trip.

Check out this checklist we compiled, so you don't end up forgetting crucial supplies on your long-range trip.
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
 
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jiggermyster

Goin' out...
Dec 12, 2003
1,060
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Clay
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That's a lot of stuff but where is your checklist?

After my first LR trip, I concluded I needed a checklist.
A T-shirt works for drying off after shower but it is not ideal.
  1. Staged. Everything (In your wonderful list of stuff* to take fishing) is stacked somewhere. Paperwork too!
  2. Packed. Everything in those stacks is now in a bag, box, or bundle**.
  3. In the car. Bags, bundles and boxes are in the car.
  4. On the boat. Check off all the bags, bundles and boxes.
(*The piles of stuff can have a checklist too.)
(**Bags, bundles and boxes have names and are itemized on the list.)

I amended my checklist after my tackle box did back to back ten days to include Back In The Car to my check list.
 
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GClev

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Nov 21, 2015
757
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Gary C
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HMS Hotspur
After a lot of trips, too many to count, I want to add some cheap things and ideas to your list. Here comes the WalMart ad.

WalMart.jpg


Rain X - treat your sunglasses or readers with Rain X. They stay clean half a day.
Equate arthritis rub - Walmart's brand of Aspercreme which does wonders for sore hands. $3.
Equate Self-adhering bandages - same as flex wrap, one-third the price.
Equate Clear Lax - Don't wreck your trip or everyone else's with a medical evacuation. I've personally been on two ultra long trips that were wrecked by someone else's constipation. Don't be an asshole or a shitty fishing story. (All puns are deliberate)

Butch Green got it right. His or the Bowen 19" box fits in every boat's tackle rack. They are small. Even filled, they are not heavy. Only the top opens. It keeps gear dry. Big boxes and most of the new boxes with too many drawers and front doors suck for many reasons.

Butch Green.jpg


The rest of your tackle, those $30-50 lures and all the rest can stay high and dry in the spare stateroom bunk. Refill your deck box as needed. Soft sided hard bottom tool bags from Home Depot, Amazon, or WalMart are cheap, hold tons of gear, have strong carry straps, don't spill or break, and keep things dry if it's raining at the dock or some deckhand gets sloppy with the hose when you're unloading after a long trip. Wet cardboard and rusting $800 of lures would not be my first choice.

Lure Boxes.jpg


Boxes are OK below decks but these tool bags are better. Hooks, wire, leaders, swivels, jigs, flat falls, tuna clones, and 20# of sinkers. Several small bags are far better than one big one.

Tackle bags.jpg


If you put all your gear on the deck in one big box, you're inviting a wave to douse and rust everything.

Same deal for reel bags. Nothing fancy. Snap On from Amazon or Home Depot. If you want dividers, use a towel since it has other purposes too.

Reel Bags.jpg


Don't rig all your rods. Rig only the rods you might need tomorrow, a troller, a jig stick, a bait rod. Leave the spare rods bundled in the stateroom until you need them. Your roommate will hate you for a trip, but your rods and reels will love you for life. Everything on deck requires a thorough cleaning. Gear stored below doesn't. Anyone who rigs up all twelve of their rods on the way south is making a big mistake.

And here's a couple of things you don't see listed very often in anyone's list.

This is a cable carrier from Snap On. It's perfect for big coils of mono, fluorocarbon, wire, or wind-on leaders. It organizes all your leader gear.

Leader Bag.jpg


Next to the leader bag is Penn Warfare. If you fish long enough you'll have a trip where all the bait dies. When that shit happens, you will fall in love with this stupid cheap reel, the Penn Warfare push-button level wind. It's just for fishing bait. Fill it or any level wind with depth finder multi-color braid so you know how deep you're fishing when you find bait. It will save you a ton of work.

If you use a duffel for your clothes, use the side zipper variety, not the military style. You won't have to tear everything out to find something at the bottom.

Finally, don't put your dirty clothes in a spare plastic bag. I don't mind doing laundry, just not wet, moldy, stinky laundry. Get a real mesh laundry bag at WALMART.
 

Kevin A

I Post A Lot But I Can't Edit This
  • Sep 10, 2006
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    redondo beach
    Name
    kev
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    25' aqua sport
    Store your gear in an empty stateroom Bunk :eek:, Keep your extra rods that your not fishing with in your stateroom :shake:. Don't worry about tour room matte's feelings, he may hate you but your rods and reels will always love :smoking33:. You must be "That Guy". WOW
     
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    GClev

    Newbie for Life
    Nov 21, 2015
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    Gary C
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    HMS Hotspur
    Store your gear in an empty stateroom Bunk :eek:, Keep your extra rods that your not fishing with in your stateroom :shake:. Don't worry about tour room matte's feelings, he may hate you but your rods and reels will always love :smoking33:. You must be "That Guy". WOW
    It's pretty obvious you've never been on a long range trip, especially a longer trip or one with a light load. If you bitch about a bundle of rods, YOU must be "That Guy!"

    On the 18 day 18 passenger trips almost everyone gets their own state room and 3-9 bunks. Empty bunks are everywhere. On even the cheap 3-day trips on the RP or the RS everyone gets 3 bunks. Standing a bundle of 8 or 10 rods in the corner of your room takes up the corner, nothing more. You'll figure it out quickly. Ralph M was the only guy I met who needed two rooms, one for him and one for his tackle.

    Adding something about your own personal comfort and getting some real rest on a rocking boat, some boats run the AC too cold. Nate really got it right about a sleeping bag if you need to be warm at night. The boat's blankets are typically thin and a tad small. On the other hand, another stateroom may not get enough AC. I've been known to carry a small fan, especially if I'm in a deck level stateroom, in case the room gets hot from being near the galley doors. Both a sleeping bag or a fan can make a real difference if the temperature of the room is wrong. If you're a light sleeper, and I am, and only sleep 3-4 hours every night, bring your own pillow from home. Both the texture and strangely, the smell, of your own familiar pillow will help you rest.

    If you're going on your first long range trip, I hope we meet. It will be a learning experience for sure.
     
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    Kevin A

    I Post A Lot But I Can't Edit This
  • Sep 10, 2006
    4,111
    3,974
    96
    redondo beach
    Name
    kev
    Boat Name
    25' aqua sport
    It's pretty obvious you've never been on a long range trip, especially a longer trip or one with a light load. If you bitch about a bundle of rods, YOU must be "That Guy!"

    On the 18 day 18 passenger trips almost everyone gets their own state room and 3-9 bunks. Empty bunks are everywhere. On even the cheap 3-day trips on the RP or the RS everyone gets 3 bunks. Standing a bundle of 8 or 10 rods in the corner of your room takes up the corner, nothing more. You'll figure it out quickly. Ralph M was the only guy I met who needed two rooms, one for him and one for his tackle.

    Adding something about your own personal comfort and getting some real rest on a rocking boat, some boats run the AC too cold. Nate really got it right about a sleeping bag if you need to be warm at night. The boat's blankets are typically thin and a tad small. On the other hand, another stateroom may not get enough AC. I've been known to carry a small fan, especially if I'm in a deck level stateroom, in case the room gets hot from being near the galley doors. Both a sleeping bag or a fan can make a real difference if the temperature of the room is wrong. If you're a light sleeper, and I am, and only sleep 3-4 hours every night, bring your own pillow from home. Both the texture and strangely, the smell, of your own familiar pillow will help you rest.

    If you're going on your first long range trip, I hope we meet. It will be a learning experience for sure.
    Really, :rofl:
     
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    Feb 7, 2013
    2,490
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    Land , Air , Sea
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    Sigmund
    Boat Name
    "The Sea Monster"
    It's pretty obvious you've never been on a long range trip, especially a longer trip or one with a light load. If you bitch about a bundle of rods, YOU must be "That Guy!"

    On the 18 day 18 passenger trips almost everyone gets their own state room and 3-9 bunks. Empty bunks are everywhere. On even the cheap 3-day trips on the RP or the RS everyone gets 3 bunks. Standing a bundle of 8 or 10 rods in the corner of your room takes up the corner, nothing more. You'll figure it out quickly. Ralph M was the only guy I met who needed two rooms, one for him and one for his tackle.

    Adding something about your own personal comfort and getting some real rest on a rocking boat, some boats run the AC too cold. Nate really got it right about a sleeping bag if you need to be warm at night. The boat's blankets are typically thin and a tad small. On the other hand, another stateroom may not get enough AC. I've been known to carry a small fan, especially if I'm in a deck level stateroom, in case the room gets hot from being near the galley doors. Both a sleeping bag or a fan can make a real difference if the temperature of the room is wrong. If you're a light sleeper, and I am, and only sleep 3-4 hours every night, bring your own pillow from home. Both the texture and strangely, the smell, of your own familiar pillow will help you rest.

    If you're going on your first long range trip, I hope we meet. It will be a learning experience for sure.
    Excellent , smart advice.
     
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    pmurphy

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    Jan 8, 2007
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    Pat
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    If you have a CPAP, or other breathing machine, bring an extension cord, unless you know the stateroom layout will not require one.

    On some boats, deep bottom fishing is done with a specific amount of weight, so that the lines are parallel and less likely to tangle. On the Intrepid, for instance, it's 16 ouncers. I don't bring any intermediate sizes, such as 6, 8, 10, 12 ounce. On a trip last year, the entire boat ran out of 16 ounce sinkers, including all the boat's stock.

    I always bring foam earplugs, in case I need them, or my roommate needs them.

    I have the schematics for each of my reels printed out and in a safe, dry place.

    Broad brim hats should have chin straps for the wind.

    Clear safety glasses for night fishing and bait making, if you don't wear glasses.

    In my opinion, sabikis should have two to four hooks, at most. 6-hook sabikis slow down the process because the extra flies attract other lines, hands, and, God forbid, eyeballs. Get the ones with heavier lines. Mackerel are not line shy.

    On footware, the feet are one of the body parts most abused on a long-range trip. Your off-duty shoes/slipper/sandals should be large and comfy, to put the minimum amount of pressure on your aching feet.
     
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    short-range

    Independence
    Jan 3, 2010
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    2,219
    Thousand Oaks
    Name
    John
    Boat Name
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    Posted on the Royal Star web site looks like Darin Dohi of 310 Rod Works may have had a hand in this one.
    Great info here!
    Rods and Reels

    Rigging #1 Night time Jigging/ Heavy sinker rig
    Line Size: 130#
    Rod Size: Calstar GFGR775xxh, UnitedComposite Viper/ 310Rodworks Deviant
    Reel Size: Penn 20/30/50VISX, Okuma Makaira 20/30/50, Shimano Talica 25/50

    Rigging #2 Night time Jigging/Sinker rig

    Line Size: 100# or 80#
    Rod Size: Calstar GFGR775xh/GFGR 875xxh, UnitedComposite Centaur/Raptor/CP70XH
    Reel Size: Penn 12/16VISX, Penn Torque/Fathom 40/60, Okuma Makaira 16/20, Shimano Talica 20/25

    Rigging #3 Flyline/Casting lure/Day time jigging
    Line Size: 50# or 60#
    Rod Size: Calstar GFGR 875xxh/875xh/700h, UnitedComposite CP70HP/GP80Terminator
    Reel Size: Penn Torque/Fathom 30, Okuma Makaira 15T, Shimano Talica 12/16

    Rigging #4 Yellowtail Yo-Yo
    Line Size: 50#
    Rod Size: Calstar GFGR 875xh/700h, UnitedComposite CP70HP/GP76Predator
    Reel Size: Shimano Trinidad 20/30, Penn US Senator/ Baja Special

    Rigging #4.2 Yellowtail Surface Casting
    Line Size: 40# or 50#
    Rod Size: Calstar 800H/90J/100J, UnitedComposite 900-9E/1000-10E
    Reel Size: Shimano Trinidad 16/20/30, Daiwa Saltiga 35/40

    Rigging #5 Flyline

    Line Size: 40#
    Rod Size: Calstar GFGR875h/700m, UnitedComposite CP70H-F
    Reel Size: Penn Torque/Fathom 25, Shimano Talica 12, Trinidad 20/30

    Rigging #6 Flyline
    Line Size: 25# or 30#
    Rod Size: Calstar GFGR700L/700M, UnitedComposite CE800Monster/GP80Mega
    Reel Size: Penn Torque 15/25, Shimano Talica 10/12, Trinidad 14/16/20

    **Optional**
    With the rising popularity of the “Vertical Jigging” style fishing in our SoCal waters, we compiled a Rod/Reel example list together for those who are interested. A “Jigging” set up is not required to get a bite, though it has been highly effective for any species.

    Heavy Jigging/Big fish/Night time:
    Line Size: 100# or 80# spectra
    Rod Size: 310Rodworks/UnitedComposite Zeus 5(pe8-10)/CXJ6005, Phenix Megalodon(pe6-10), Black Hole Cap Cod 450 Gram
    Reel Size: Penn Torque/Fathom 40/60, Jigging Master PE7/PE8, Shimano Talica 20, Maxel Rage 80/90

    Medium Jigging/Day time and Night time:
    Line Size: 100# or 80# spectra
    Rod Size: 310Rodworks/UnitedComposite Zeus 4(pe6-8), Phenix Megalodon(pe4-8), Black Hole Cape Cod 450 Gram
    Reel Size: Penn Torque/Fathom 40, Jigging Master PE7, Shimano Talica 16/ Ocea Jigger 400PG, Maxel Rage 80

    Light Jigging/ Day time:
    Line Size: 80# or 65# spectra
    Rod Size: 310Rodworks/UnitedComposite Zeus 3(pe4-6)/CXJ6003, Phenix Megalodon(pe3-6), Black Hole Cape Cod 350 Gram
    Reel Size: Penn Torque/Fathom 40, Jigging Master PE5/PE7, Shimano Talica 16/Ocea Jigger 4000PG,

    Terminal Tackle

    Hooks:
    J hooks:
    Size 2-2/0 Mustad 94151, or Owner Flyliner (2-3 packs each)
    Size 3/0-5/0 Mustad 94151, or Owner Gorilla (2 packs each)
    Circle hooks:
    Size 4-4/0 Owner Mutu (2-3 packs of each)

    Line:
    1 Each: 1/2 lb. or 1 lb. Spool of most commonly used: 30#, 40#, 50#, 80#
    (Line is also available onboard, at Tackle Store prices)

    Flourocarbon:
    1 spool of each: 25#, 30#, 40#, 50#, 80#

    Leader Material:
    20 yards of 100#/130#/200# Mono or Flourocarbon to make leaders.
    or
    Wind-On Leaders

    Sinkers:
    Sliding: 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, 3/4 oz, 1 oz (3 to 4 Each)
    Torpedo: 4 oz, 8 oz, 12 oz and 16 oz (2 to 3 Each)
    Rubber Bands: Thick(size 54) for attaching torpedo

    Lures:
    Night time Jigging lures:
    250-300 gram Daiwa SK jig, Nomad Streaker 250-420 gram, Nomad Buffalo 320gram, West Coast Jiggerz KB/HD 250-400 gram (3-4 jigs assorted weight)

    Day time Jigging lures/ Casting lures:
    Daiwa Zakana 60-130 gram, Shimano Coltsniper 60-120 gram, Nomad Ridgeback 80-150 gram, Daiwa SK 140-170 gram, West Coast Jiggerz KB/Speedy 150-200 gram, (3-4 jigs assorted weight)

    Yellowtail Lures:
    JRI 4/6/7/DW1, Tady 45/C/4-0/9, Salas 6X/6Xjr/7X/7Xjr/Jpot

    Poppers:Tackle Warehouse-Feed popper 150/175, Nomad Chug Norris 150/180 (1 or 2 pieces)

    Trolling Lures: Nomad Madmacs 200/240, Nomad DTX, Zuker Tuna Feathers or Seven Strand Tuna Clones (Colors: Mexican Flag, Zucchini, Black & Purple)


    Miscellaneous items:

    Swivels: 200+lb ball bearing (10-15 pieces)
    Crimps: Assorted 100lb to 200lb (15 of each)
    Appropriate crimpers
     

    HobieFishin

    Member
  • Nov 14, 2021
    347
    329
    Northern Sierras, California
    fishbrain.com
    Name
    Aaron
    Boat Name
    14’ Gregor
    What kind of cash should i bring for a 2 day? Whats the general consensus? starting to plan a trip with a group of friends and assuming deckhand tip, gear rental, galley fees, processing, etc.. Not including tackle unless its purchasable on the boat itself. Loose plan is the tomahawk sometime summer/fall of 2024. how much cash do you all bring with you?
     
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