There are a few people looking for a good and affordable sturgeon rod/reel set up for the Excursion.
They will likely use it once a year and would like to keep the costs down.
My St Croix Triumphs run $70. and the Garcia 6500’s are around $70. Is there anything on the market that will handle sturgeon for less than $100.?
TONS of rods and reels cheaper than that that’ll handle sturgeon – especially if you’re talking about using them one week/year. I use my flathead rigs a heckuva lot more than that and they come in under $100 even spooled with 80# PowerPro.
I’m using spinning rigs, and that takes the cost down considerably – Okuma reels, South Bend rods. But peruse catfishconnection.com and you’ll find some affordable baitcasters as well. I’d look them up on that site, then look them up somewhere that has customer ratings/reviews to check them out further. Or come back here and ask if anyone has experience with them.
Just consider yourselves lucky in MN that you don’t have to buy three of them. 
Ugly Stick 1100 model combined with any number of low end casting reels will do the job. Shimano 4500 Baitrunner (spinning reel) costs around $65 or less on eBay. Many available and they work great for sturgeon.
Can’t get much better than that Francis! 
That cabela’s combo will work great. I know of two guys here in Anoka I fish with running that because the where out of the salt strikers when they where there and bought those.
So what makes a good Sturgeon set-up (as compared to channels and flats) more flexibile rod?
I’d go 8′ with the Cabela’s rod, very long handle on those…
Shawn
Good back bone and sensitive tip.
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Are Muskie rods too fast?
Yes and No.
Now a days there isn’t one type of action on ski rods.
What city do you live in?
When I think of slower action, I think of something like a crankbait rod. Maybe e glass rod with a lot of flex throughout and very soft tip (these work great with circle hooks).
What a lot of us catguys like (probably goes for sturgeon too) is something with a pretty soft tip section, but more backbone. Tiger rods, King Kat, Big Cats, even the heavier Ugly Stick Catfish and Striper rods. Typically most of the flex is in the top 1/3 of the rod.
But, I’ve seen guys use crankbait rods for flatheads, so they can work.
Shawn
I live in Walker. I’m kind of a newbee to Sturgeon fishing.
I was thinking of using a couple of bucktail rods or flippin’ sticks with 6500s with the clickers on, kind of stiff rods but maybe the clickers would save me?
Most of the guys don’t use a clicker when fishing for sturgeon, they hold their rods and feel for the little tap, tap, tap of a feeding sturgeon.
While the musky rods are problably not the best for that, they will certainly work in a pinch.
There are a lot of cheaper rods already mentioned that will work great, and set you back about $30.
Brian,
What model Triumph do you use?
Thanks,
Folke
I find my ugly stick was better at detecting bites then my muskie rods (flat head rods).
I do have a new eglass rod i built on that seems to have a fast tip I will try for sturgeon with. But as far as cost. Ugly stick should suffice for a 30 dollar rod and 70 dollars to find a reel with.
I used the St Croix TRC70MHF rods.
I haven’t put them up for sale yet, but already sold two of the 4 I have.
Although they are listed as a Muskie rod they have a very nice tip for strike detection and enough backbone to bring in a 65″ sturgeon.
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They will likely use it once a year and would like to keep the costs down.
I have 2 maybe 3 nice channel cat set-ups I would be willing rent out,they are the same rod as BK mentioned(St Croix TRC70MHF) with 6500’s on them.
If someone is looking for a once a year use you can’t get any cheaper than that ! 
PM me for details if interested.
Jeff
Any musky rod
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