Black and weak fishing

Question
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Followup To Hi Rich so far so good with my 6 ft medium rod and 17 lb test line and a Penn 310GTI reel for fluke fishing. I'd appreciate your suggestions regarding gear for blacks, weaks and ling as we near the fall season, Thanks again for your time and very helpful information, Tommy.
Question -
Hi Richard, I'd like your advice on purchasing fluke fishing gear I can use on NJ and NY party boats. Would appreciate comments on rods, reels,line, rigs and lures,hope to hear from you soon, thanks, Tommy
Answer -
Hi Tommy
 Right down my alley.  I fish out of Jones inlet and have been fluke fishing for over 40 years.  In fact, I did not see this question until today because I was ouf fishing yesterday.
 
 Any conventional outfit rated for 20 to 30 pound test line and stiff enough to handle heavy sinkers up to 10 and 12 ounces is what I suggest.  Without a doubt, this is heavier than anything you would need to land even the largest fluke.  If you were fishing off a private boat, you could scale this down.  But on a party boat, you have to consider the fact that you will be fishing with other people and there is very little opportunity to play a fish without having to take into account the lines of the other fishermen around you.

 Spinning gear is inappropriate for fluke fishing from a party boat though you will see people using it.  With conventional gear you have the ability to fish with a reel in free spool working it along the bottom by using thumb pressure.  At the first hint of a pickup, expecially if you are using large baits in anticipation of big fish, you can drop back the bait in free spool for a few second by simply taking the pressure off the spool.  You cannot do this with spinning gear.

 Any brand or model that is not absolute junk would work well.  You need not spend big bucks.  A rod of 6, 6 1/2, or 7 feet would be fine.  Match that with any reel along the size of a large bait caster or typical downrigger reel.  Load it with 20 to 30 pound test line, and you are all set.  I like some of the newer "superlines" such as spider wire, powerpro, or fireline in the 20 to 30 pound range.  Fill the reel with mono leaving enough room to add 125 to 150 yards of the superline.  These are more expensive and generally come in these lenghts.  Considering you are fishing up and down in water that should never exceed depths of 80 or 90 feet, these basic spools of superline are giving you 375 to 450 feet of line, more than enough, even taking into account the added line needed to compensate for a fast drift on a windy day.
 
 Find an outfit that feels comfortable.  Remember, you will be holding it throughout the time you are fishing.  Something heavy enough to handle the sinkers and enable you to control a good fish among other fishermen, yet light enough not to be a burden throught the day.
 
 Do not get a reel with a very high gear ratio.  Something from 4 to 1 to 5 to 1 should be ideal.  Too low and you will be forever reeling up everytime you have a fluke or some other fish such as a skate, searobin, dogfish, or just to replace a lost bait and loosing fishing time.  Too high, and you will have difficulty with heavier sinkers and larger fish.  The high gear ratio reels seem like they would give you more fishing time since they should bring in the line faster.  True, but at the expense of greater effort at turning the reels handle.  Like riding a multispeed bike.  High gear is great for maximum speed while already moving at a good clip, but nearly impossible when starting from a dead stop.  The same thing seems to happen with a high speed reel when bottom fishing.  You are using the reel to bring in the fish when fluke fishing from a party boat.  Unlike some other types of fishing where the rod is pumped to bring the fish closer and the reel primarily is used to gather line on the downstroke.
 
 If you go shopping and find something you like, please send me a follow up question telling me what you selected.  I will gladly share any personal experience with that outfit if it is something I own, have fished with, or seen used by any of my friends.

 By the way, I did have a few nice fluke on my basic fluke outfit, a 6 1/2 foot ugly stick rated for 12 to 20 pound test line with a Penn 940 reel holding 20 pound test fireline.  This was from a private boat where I could go a bit lighter than I would on a party baot.  This outfit works well for me, but you look for what is good for you. I mention this as an example of what type of gear I described.  Good luck, and leave me a few fish.
-Rich

Answer
Tommy
 You could easily start a collection of dedicated gear for every different species and every known method of fishing possible for each of them.  And even then you would probably find that none are quite perfect on a particular fishing trip.
 The gear you have seems fine.  For blackfish you might want something a bit heavier, and for weakfish something a bit lighter.  But by no means is it necessary.  About the only thing I would do with your gear is to replace the 17 lb test line with 30 lb test for blackfish.  Not that the fish are any larger than the fluke you have been fishing for, but you will be fishing over structure for blackfish.  Getting a good sized black out of the rocks and rubble often requires a heavy hand during the first few seconds.
 As for weakfish, using your gear with a light drag setting should work out well.  The only thing weak about a weakfish is the tissue around its mouth.  Too heavy a hand will often result in lost fish since the hook will tear through the mouth.  If you fish your outfit as if it were spooled with 6 or 8 lb test line, you should have no problems with weakfish.
 Ling present no special needs.  The gear you have is fine just the way you use it for fluke.
 Even striped bass and bluefish should not present a problem with the outfit you have.  
 Is it perfect?  No! But there is no such thing as a perfect fishing outfit for every type of fishing.  What you have seems quite suitable for most every type of fishing done aboard a party boat.  It may not give you quite the sensativity of a lighter outfit when fishing for porgies and seabass, nor quite the heft and power for larger species like blackfish, bass or blues, but it should handle any of those situations quite satisfactorily.
-Rich