Sturgen poles & reels

[jetsled1]

OK I am sure this has been asked before, but, what is a good set up for a pole and reel for sturgen that won't cost a ton, I have four in the family to get geared up for so cost is a factor, but don't want junk.

[King13fisher]

Shakespear makes the Sturdistick that works great, and are inexpensive. Under $20.00. I picked up two at last years sportsman show at $14.00. You will want to invest a little more in the reel. Penn, Shimano and Abu Garcia all make heavier reels that don't cost an arm and leg.

[King13fisher]

GI Joes and or Fishermans marine will help you out. Just go in and tell them what your looking for.

[Fishalot]

The sportsmaen show is coming up in Feb and there are some real good deals there on combos. Bimart has the Okuma combos for a fair price.

Fishalot

Sturdy stick is OK, but go ahead and get the Ugly Sticks, you won't be sorry and you will never break them. They will pay for themselves over time. Penn 310 or 320 when on sale is a economic deal as well.

Don't buy junk, cheap or not. They do get used if you start fishing alot for Sturgeon and your gear needs to hold up.

Salmon gear is OK, but it won't take much weight if you need it and you will wear it out over time. Personal choice.



[ 12-27-2002, 05:15 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[brshooter]

It might depend a bit on what you are targeting (keepers or oversize) and where you plan on fishing. When I fish the estuary and even the Kelley Point area, I use salmon gear. You might even have some of that already. A rod rated 12-25 and a Ambassadeur loaded with 50 pound tuff line. If I am fishing the gorge where I might tangle with a big boy, I have Ugly Stik Customs and Ugly Stik Tigers rated at 20-50. I run Diawa 50H and Penn 320/321 GTI's loaded with 80 pound tuff line.

[Livin the Dream]

King13fisher is right, those sturdy sticks are the least expensive way to go. I use them for my kids/visitors. We landed a 51" on one last weekend no problem. Add a cheap level winder (penn 209) and your set.

I have a couple of the ugly stick tiger rods, med action with Penn 320 (LH for me) reels spooled with tuf-line. I think these are good affordable setups that will last a while.

Good luck out there, email me if you would like to chat more 'bout it.

AL

[Livin the Dream]

Heres a pic of the Penn 320
I have had real good luck with the ones I have

[Robert]

Avoid the penn 209. The drags stink and have a slow retreive. The 309 is a little more and is a lot better.

[Jettin' Fool]

Watch for ads at Fishermans Marine on the Penn combo. I got one (Penn rod with a Penn 321) for around $80. Regular price is $140. Ive seen it a few times a year and finally got one at the after Thanks Giving sale. They are having a big sale now but I havent been by yet to see what they have.

BTW: The Penn 321 reel alone will cost you $79 so the rod is basically free.

Fool

[ 12-27-2002, 06:14 PM: Message edited by: Jett'in Fool ]

Robert,
The Penn 209 and 309 both have small gearing and drags. If you can find a good 210 it would be better. They don't make them any more and parts are hard to find. One of the newer composit Penn reels would be a better choice.

[Blue Water 23]

J. Fool is right. YOu can''t beat that set-up for that price. That is the least expensive gear I would buy, especially if I was going to ever target lunkers. If you want a set-up that will last forever it is a Daiwa 50H with an Ugly Stick. Those Daiwas are getting cheaper to. They have an equivalent model now that is about $75 or $80 bucks. No matter what kind of set-up you get make sure you have either tuff line or at least dacron. It is the only way to go when fishing in deep water. If you buy the dacron change it after 2 years. I personally hate mono for sturgeon. YOu can't feel the bight as well and that is important on some days.

[dahsboard_fisherman]

i use a ugly stick and an abu garcia 6501c3. sweet little deal. i recomend picking one up if you have about 150 to spend.

[Robert]

Yes, the drags are not great on either the 209 or 309. Someone wrote about a 209. The 309 is better of the two. The drags of 209 dont last long. The 309 have drags that last longer. I use 2-3 weights for steelhead. Fishing a lot means new drags atleast every other year. The 309 last at least twice that long. I would pay the money for a daiwa.

Dont go cheap. If you fish much you will be sorry. I wish I would have skipped the 309 phase and gone to the 50H stage. They are well worth it. They have great drags.
There are several really good 50H out their. They are by far worth the money. The only thing is they have no level wind. If you can get over that they are awesome. I really like the SG50H. I have not tried the new 50H. You can get them over the net for 90 each. That is a great deal.

How good are the tiger sticks?

[Biteme]

read this
sturgeon rods and reels

[Lured In]

Another vote for the Penn 320/321 reels. I have four of them and love them. All of them are spooled with 250+ yards of 80# Tuff line.

As far as rods go, I have a few, but have 3 Penn PowerSticks. These are soft tipped with good action and plenty of backbone. You can see the light shaker bites and still have enough 'butt' (punn intended) to fight the big boys. I would not say this is ideal oversize gear, but it will work without fail.

The combo that has been mentioned is a great deal and should last you more years than most. The rod is very similar to the PowerSticks I have and should work great.

Good luck.

[esfshnhnt]

i also like the shakespear customs,wtth the diwa 50 h or penn 320&321's. the wife bought me a berkley custom light series (buzz ramsey).the rod has a super light tip that will let u see the smallest shakers bite away at your bait.but yet enoufgh back bone to fight thoes 10 + footer's but the rod's arnt real cheep anyware from $79 for the berkley to $89 + for the shakespear customs.bolth of theese rod's have worked with out fail for years.

[Pitch Pocket]

Ugly sticks are like fishing with a broom stick. Good for oversized with a strap-on (fighting belt), but overkill for most keeper fishing. I use salmon rods with the 6501 and even heavier steelhead rods with the 5501 for keepers.

The multiple shakers you have to weed through are the rule rather than the exception. Why not enjoy them too rather than yarding them up with a winch? Of course, you have to match your equipment to the conditions, but I've caught many keeper sturgeon on light gear.

[WaterDog]

What pitch pocket said! An ABU 6500 with 30 to 65 lb power pro and a good salmon rod is all you need. Lately I’ve been using a rainshadow 1026 and it seems to be just about right. I also use a Lami Willamette Special which will handle 8 to 10 oz of lead easily but it’s only 7’6”. The Berkley IM-7’s work good to. My Ugly Sticks/Penn 320’s are nice garage ornaments.

[crabbait]

I picked up some Pescaro rods from England Marine at the Sportsman's Show last year. They are 8' rods that they had tied off to 30lb drift boat anchors and were challenging people to break. None broke that I know of. These rods make great keeper rods and work well for trolling salmon as well. $30 apiece won't break the bank either.

I also vote for the ABU 6500. Wait for February and the show if you can. You will get the best prices of the year on rods, reels and Tuf line.

[Sea Nymph]

I picked up a new ugly stick @ GI Joes in Hillsboro for $47 and a Penn 320 for $65 total $112.00. I would get the medium action rod because you can feel the bite better than on the heavier one. The Ugly Stick has a good warranty too.

I've been using a 320 on an 'el cheap-o' rod that worked ok but wouldn't hold up with an oversized.

SN

Originally posted by Pitch Pocket:
Ugly sticks are like fishing with a broom stick. Good for oversized with a strap-on (fighting belt), but overkill for most keeper fishing. I use salmon rods with the 6501 and even heavier steelhead rods with the 5501 for keepers sturgeon on light gear.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv"> Not the 20-50 tiger stik. Salmon gear is "underkill" most of the time, unless you are in two to six ounce water, perhaps.

[ 12-31-2002, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[WaterDog]

Most keepers are 20 to 40 pounds with some bigger fish in the Astoria area(50-60lbs). Aren’t most salmon in this range as well? :smile:

Waterdog,

Guess I like to fish in good current for them, where even with tuff, you need a little more weight (again, sometimes) than your Salmon rods "like" and even with tuff, some of the Salmon reels don't hold enough line to suit my kind of "overall" Sturgeon fishing. If you ain't on the bottom, you ain't Sturgeon fishing.

My time tells me quite a few broken Salmon rods and "tore up" Salmon reels, if you fish often for them in other than frog water conditions, and catch them. Of course, yes, I like to go real light on them when you can too.

Personal choice, not "fact." 400 others will say nay and that's cool too.

Heck one of my best friends first oversize was on a spinning reel, light weight "yeller' rod" and 50 Maxima. No, he never saw it, but his butt had been whooped thoroughly. (Tried to tell him :tongue: )

Rick

[ 12-31-2002, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[Biteme]

Its not that a salmon rod wont handle keepers fine its that they arent designed to cast heavy leads. Also if your not an experienced sturgeon fisherman you wont feel the bite as good on a light rod with a big lead on it. they also tend to flop around in the wind or waves making it hard to see the bite. I have found that beginners have a much better hook up ratio with a 7ft eglass rod with a fast tip I dont like too light of tips for the same reason people cant feel the bite. Salmon rods are ok when you dont have to sling 12 or more ounces of lead. The same is true with the abu reels. they are only good in light lead situations. again inexperienced fisherman will toast the drags on those abu's because they dont have the gear ratio to winch any amount of weight up you have to pump an reel, pump and reel, you would be suprised how many people dont get that concept and they just crank crank crank. for keepers penn 310 for bigger fish penn 320 or 330 for the simple reason that they are a lower gear ratio and have more drag surface than the abu's. I love abu garcias and they are one of my sponsors, they just arent made for sturgeon fishing.

to some it up seasoned sturgeon anglers go with the light gear and have some fun

beginners get a setup that you will be able to have good odds of catching some sturgeon and after you get good at it then change to the light stuff.

sturgeon rods and reels page

to Biteme. Thank you. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

You were not supposed to tell them about the feeling or detecting a bite though, dang you. [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

[ 12-31-2002, 03:47 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[Pitch Pocket]

As I noted, you have to match your equipment to the conditions. If you are fishing 8 knot current and 130' deep and need 16 oz of lead, then get out the yard arm. I fish sturgeon in 25-50' of water and fill my freezer every year with what we can eat using light gear. 200+ sturgeon per year with most being shakers does not warrant the "broom stick". I avoid the oversize (thrilling, yet somewhat anti-climatic and back breaking) and concentrate on the keepers.

I don't know about you, but a 20-50 rod is no sensitive stick. I have no problem seeing my salmon or steelhead rod pumping and the reel screaming. I normally fish between 6 and 10 oz on my salmon rods and I cast them. It's perfectly fine to use a heavier rod, but a salmon rod "underkill"? Please..............

I've never broken a rod or been spooled on a keeper sturgeon. The sliding weight set up (you are using a sliding weight aren't you?) allows you to see the slightest nibble. My two Ugly Sticks with Penn 320's are "garage ornaments" too.

[Salmonator]

Gotta have both to cover it all and do it correctly. If you can only buy one rod, make it the heavy set-up. At least you can fish all conditions, it just won't be much fun fishing with 3 to 6oz. lead in weak current. Then again if you have to ask what gear you need to sturgeon fish then you might not have the experience to anchor in the areas where you will need the heavy gear anyways. Be careful out there... Joe

Good for you Pitch Pocket. Have a great 2003.

[Dipnet]

We just got our 6500C3 reels back from having them cleaned. The first thing the guy that cleaned them said was that we must have been using them for sturgeon. He could tell by the wear on the gears. He said these reels weren't designed for casting and setting hooks with heavy weights. Especially with braided lines that have no give. Just a tip from someone who makes his living working on reels.

Dipnet :grin:

[Pitch Pocket]

Thanks ******, happy new year to you too.


I guess the point is... if you already have salmon gear and want to target keepers during the smelt run, there is no need to spend money on a new outfit. If you are heading for the fishery and want to bring the leviathans to the surface, by all means get the heavier gear. That's why I have mine.

[Jim]

I believe I have four Shimano rods that I don't use anymore, they were used for three seasons and then retired. If you are interested regardless of how many I have you can have them for the cost of gas of driving to Chehalis.

Jim

[CohoKen]

Jim,

I will take those rods, am short on all equipment since I just got back into fishing in this area. Been gone to college for 5 yrs and sold everything I had before I left.

When can I come get them?

[Seefood Man]

What do you folks think of the Xtream rods at FMS. They have a nice 6'6' one, seems to have a lot of backbone, but I don't think it will handle 16-20oz of lead. Their price is $74

[ 01-01-2003, 10:17 AM: Message edited by: Seefood Man ]

[CohoKen]

Jim,

Are those rods still available? Check your email. :grin:

[CohoKen]

TTT