[Steve K]

I'm just going to toss my two cents in here. I see you're asking lots of questions, and that's good as this is your first trip. Given it's only a two day, I'd stick with bait and skip all the other stuff. I like fishing with simple J hooks for most applications. If you get into some bigger fish, you should have something for them, too, like maybe a handful of Eagle Claw 2006 6/0 circles. But for the most part I think you'll be OK with 2/0 and 4/0 Mustad 94150 and a lively bait. Ask more questions on the trip, check with the crew for help on knots and rigging up. If you don't know how to butt hook a sardine, learn on the way out to the fishing grounds. Get the crew to show you how it's done and practice with a dead bait or two. Very effective method to present your bait with a gentle underhand lob and let it run.

Good luck and stick to the basics. Leave the jigs for a longer trip when you have time to experiment a little. Fishing with bait will let you maximize your time on this trip.