White sea bass have soft flesh and the first run is very fast, so slip tips are best. Sure, if you get a stone shot a single flopper will work, but I think its safe to say that most of us use slip tips. Also because of the soft flesh, a slip tip rigged with Spectra rather than steel cable is preferable so that the entry hole is not cut larger by cable during the fight.
Since you are using a 9/32" shaft, I think the best choice is Mori's new 9/32" tip rigged with Spectra. The tip itself is only 9/32" in diameter, so the 5/16" diameter adapter is the thickest part of the rig. Rigged with Spectra, I think this tip probably offers less resistance to penetration than a flopper.
Mori can be reached at
morifish@aol.com or (310) 628-8082.
In the photo of several tips, its the bottom one. The other tips shown are available with adapters for the 6 mm thread on a 9/32" shaft, but the tips themselves are 5/16" in diameter.
Both float lines and reels have their advantages and disadvantages. I happen to prefer reels. If you do use a float line, it should be at least 100' long. You can't use a big float in the kelp, so I'll show photos of some slim floats that just serve as something to grab when all the line has been pulled through your hand.
