the fish didn't seem line-shy and the 30# setup worked fine for me. i'd recommend 25 or 30#. anything heavier was unnecessary and anything lighter, with 30 other people on the boat, you'll probably lose most of your fish. seemed to me that the chovies got hit better than the dines. the deckhands were sayin the farther south the better the fishing got. by the time you go on your 1.5 day trip it should definitely be WFO albie time.