Sturgeon Rod

What does everyone use for a Sturgeon rod?

I fish the rainy river a few days each spring for sturgeon and really enjoy it. I am planning on spending more time doing it and thinking about making a bigger investment on a nicer rod for fishing sturgeon.

The first year I want I bought a heavy cables king cat spinning rod combo. I decided I don’t really care for that. It just isn’t enough rod and the reel doesn’t have a good enough drag for fish over 50 inches.

I have a 9ft Jason Mitchell muskie rod, but I am thinking that it’s kind of a long rod for Sturgeon fishing.

My flathead/sturgeon combos:
St Croix Triumph Surf TSRS100M2 Spinning
Big shimano spinning reel
(Really fun fighting fish with a 10′ rod, flexible tip also helps detect bites on windy days sturgeon fishing)

7’6″ IM7 Cabelas XH with a shakespear tidewater baitcaster.

You wouldn’t believe that a reel i paid $5 for 4 years ago has caught hundreds of sturgeon as well as two 50# flatheads and sturgeon of the same size as well as many smaller fish. I’ve got 2 of these reels (Bought from Berkley outlet store) and they have been absolutely fantastic and compare to my 7000ic3, just not as shiny

St Croix PM76MHF
Abu 7000i C3 baitcaster

Each of those i can cast 8oz + HUGE live baits with ease, they all hold their weight with both drag and rod strength to land the large fish.

The Cabelas IM7 and St Croix PM76MHF, any sturgeon under 40″ gets lifted in the boat

IMO, i wouldn’t go smaller than anyone of those. Any future upgrades i do will be heavier yet.

That rod with a quality reel will be a great setup. I use 8 to 9 foot musky rods and did make a custom 9 foot spinning rod that I put a Penn spinning reel on.

I am looking for a good casting rod with a good back and a light tip for detecting bites. My muskie rod is an XH and is a little heavy in the tip. I have a nice Shimano reel on my muskie rod that I plan on using for sturgeon.

I use a St.Croix PM80MHF and love it. I would consider this a light Muskie rod but has just the right amount of flex to tame Sturgeon. It bends enough to have some fun with a 40incher but I even managed my P.B. 64″ X 30″ in less than 15 min. If I’m using a rod holder and a circle hook I might go to my Ugly Stick Tiger 7′ Med. (BWC 2201-2) this is also a great cat rod.

Seconding the Tiger rod. Nice fast tip for bite detection and plenty of backbone. Mine is paired with a Abu 6500C3 for sturgeon.

For a spinning rod, I really like my 9′ Shakespeare Alpha. Again, fast tip and lots of backbone.

I’d say just about any MH Musky rod, 7 to 7 1/2 foot, with Musky reel and 80# braid to the swivel, then I use 65# Spiderwire to the hook.

Jack

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Seconding the Tiger rod. Nice fast tip for bite detection and plenty of backbone. Mine is paired with a Abu 6500C3 for sturgeon.

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I was looking at the Ugly Stick Tiger rods. I see the 7 ft Med is rated for up to 6oz of weight and up to 50lb test. The 7 ft MH is rated for up to 8 oz of weight and up to 60lb test.

Is there much of a difference in sensitivity between the two? I plan on running 80lb Power Pro line either way.

im a muskie guy and we use our muskie gear….. shimano compre is a good rod……. 8′ heavy, or xheavy, fast action works great and around a 150$ with a hell of a warranty. hard to beat it for the price

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I was looking at the Ugly Stick Tiger rods. I see the 7 ft Med is rated for up to 6oz of weight and up to 50lb test. The 7 ft MH is rated for up to 8 oz of weight and up to 60lb test.

Is there much of a difference in sensitivity between the two? I plan on running 80lb Power Pro line either way.

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Mine is actually rated as ML, but it is a saltwater version. My buddy has a M, and they are pretty indistinguishable from each other.

80lb PP will work fine on either one.

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Seconding the Tiger rod. Nice fast tip for bite detection and plenty of backbone. Mine is paired with a Abu 6500C3 for sturgeon.

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I was looking at the Ugly Stick Tiger rods. I see the 7 ft Med is rated for up to 6oz of weight and up to 50lb test. The 7 ft MH is rated for up to 8 oz of weight and up to 60lb test.

Is there much of a difference in sensitivity between the two? I plan on running 80lb Power Pro line either way.

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I run the Medium Heavy Tiger rod for sturgeon and love it!
Brought this big boy in fine this year. 80 lbs pp also.

I fish quite a bit for Flatheads, Channel Cats and Sturgeon.

Well, actually I don’t. My customers do. For a long while I had two sets of rods, one for Flats and another for channels and sturgeon (circle hook rods). When I was asked to try a Team Catfish I-Cat rod I was also told it could replace both of the rods I was using. I scoffed. There’s no way to make a rod that had the beef for a flathead yet be able to detect the bite of a sturgeon.

I was wrong.

If your interested, you see the specs HERE<

Carbon fiber rods are amazingly different then the other rods on the market. I now use one rod for all three species not as a “I’ll get by” type of rod, but as a rod the will do just as good if not better then any other rod on the market.

I’ll have some at the North West Sports show in March. Everts Resort has a try before you by program and I know that 4 Seasons will have some closer to the warm weather season.

Check them out and you decide what’s right for you.

Once upon a time i thought i needed a soft tip to detect sturgeon bites…I’m sure glad i don’t feel that way anymore.

There are many good choices out there.

I have two that I use: Shakespeare Tiger-Rod (BWC2200) and a St. Croix Triumph (TRC70MHF).

Both have served me well and will recommend both models. I like the Tiger-Rod a little more only because I really enjoy horsing these fish in by having my drag as tight as it will go on my 7000 and keeping constand heavy pressure on them.

The St. Croix is a fine rod that requires a little more finesse when fitting larger fish. The bigger fish in these pictures were caught using this rod.

BK’s Team Catfish rods are intriguing as I have had a couple opportunities to use them.

Good luck.

Here is what the 8′ MH Premier looks like with a load on it.

Dont forget to look at the handles of the rods when you are looking. Longer butts and plenty of handle in front of the reel to. Longer butts for when the but is in your waist the reel is still out in front of you and not to close. You want pleny to handle in front of the reel to for grabbing on up there and torquing the fish in. Not enough handle in front of the reel and you end up grabbing the blank for this. Musky and salt water rods tend to be designed this way. MH bass rods have good blanks and light tips but seem to be really lacking in the handles.

Thanks for the input. I think I am going to go with the Ugly Stick Tiger Rod, unless someone has a good reason not to. I’m just trying to decided between the 7ft Med and the 7ft MH.

FYI Bass Pro has free shipping right now.

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I fish quite a bit for Flatheads, Channel Cats and Sturgeon.

Well, actually I don’t. My customers do. For a long while I had two sets of rods, one for Flats and another for channels and sturgeon (circle hook rods). When I was asked to try a Team Catfish I-Cat rod I was also told it could replace both of the rods I was using. I scoffed. There’s no way to make a rod that had the beef for a flathead yet be able to detect the bite of a sturgeon.

I was wrong.

If your interested, you see the specs HERE<

Carbon fiber rods are amazingly different then the other rods on the market. I now use one rod for all three species not as a “I’ll get by” type of rod, but as a rod the will do just as good if not better then any other rod on the market.

I’ll have some at the North West Sports show in March. Everts Resort has a try before you by program and I know that 4 Seasons will have some closer to the warm weather season.

Check them out and you decide what’s right for you.

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specifically which rods to do use?
http://teamcatfish.com/store/index.php?cPath=35_51

In the post above, click on the blue HERE<. That link will take you directly to the Team Catfish I-Cat/High Carbon page.

Ok, I clicked it before but didn’t notice the page was only for 1 rod. I may have to give one of these rods a try. Looking to add another to the aresonal for when i bring friends along, consider that paged bookmarked for now.

Do you think the backbone of the casting vs spinning is identical?

I can’t help you with that since I’ve only fondled the casting rods.