My sister-in-law has lived on Coronado for most of the 25 years my wife and I have been married, so I've done a lot of the 1/2, 3/4, and full day trips. I've generally found the full day the most fun and productive, but you can monitor the reports for a while before you go and see how they're doing. Sometimes it seems that the half day trips come back with as much as the full.
The only thing I would add to what has already been said is that I observed early on that a lot of the locals use tackle that allows them to cast an anchovy or sardine with no weight. They call it "fly-lining", which was a new term to me. It is often more effective than bottom fishing or "mooching" (although I've never heard that term used there), which is what the rental tackle is suited for. A cast to the edge of floating vegetation will draw a lot of bites. And there's the additional advantage that your position on the boat isn't so critical, relative to the current.
After that first experience, I went to Target and got an inexpensive spinning outfit, which worked out fine. It lives in my sister-in-law's garage now, along with my boogie board. If you do use the rental tackle, you might try to get there early and jockey for position at the stern. People tie their rods to the rail with a towel or rag to "reserve" the spot. If you're at the stern, you have the option of using less weight and letting the current move the bait with your thumb on the free spool for control. That can have some exciting results!
Have fun! I'm not getting down there this year. They're coming this direction and we're scheduled to do a couple of days out of La Push in late July.
