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Sturgeon Excursion 2008


wall_eye_assasin

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I know I know its to early to post but had to tell all the great guys on here thank you for the help. Ended up getting a 25# richter anchor at Fleet farm for 61.00 which wasn't a bad deal at all. I found a huge very nice frabil net there also. Only thing left is a rod. I saw someone have a Quantam Big Cat Rod last year but can't find them anywhere. I am a Quantam man at heart but looks like Cabelas 8 foot King Cat rod will work out just great but really had my mind set on the Quantam Big Cat rod. Only about 165 days til the Excursion. I can't wait to see the expressions on my buddys faces when they feel the power of those huge Sturgeon. Again thanks to Chris Hanson and everyone else who give you the information, from the line, weights, snell lengths, hooks, bait, places to fish, even what type of anchor and what ever is necessary. To anyone that hasn't been before all the information you need is in last years thread but I am sure the great guys on here will help with any other questons you have. Thanks again and it won't be long now.

STURGEON: FISH OF A THOUSAND WORMS

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Try Moore's Bait in South Minneapolis. He will either have a Quantum Big Cat or get one in for you. You could also order from Catfish Connection (google it) if you want to ship it.

Get the Medium Heavy version. The Heavy version is too stiff. I have the Medium Heavy and it's been a fine rod for me.

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Ralph, Once again all you have to do is ask and your situation is taken care of. I looked it up and will order it today. It is unreal how great and helpful people are on this site. TYVM Ralph once again for your time and help. Now look out Harvey, dtro, papa grump, hanson and tyler holm Coming with some other gear and a couple of rookies. Hope we have half the fun as we did last year. smile.gif

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I really think there are better rods out there than a Quantum Big Cat for Sturgeon Fishing although it will work for you. I've got a Big Cat in MH and I never use it. There are 6 or 7 other cat rods in the garage that I'll grab before I bring the Big Cat with.

If you don't mind spending another $20, check out the Jim Moyer Boss rod #3. Moore's Bait & Tackle in Minneapolis has them. Catfish Connection has them.

Just my opinion.

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Hanson hates the Big Cat. I personally like it. It's all up to personal prefernce. Find what works for you. The nice thing about cat/sturgeon rods is that they're cheap compared to bass, walleye, or musky rods!

The Boss rods are very nice, but twice the price. If you want to invest the $60-$70 that they cost, they are great!

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Chris, Is the medium the one I need or the Heavy. Will the heavy have the tip so I can detect the mighty Sturgeon. Thanks again guys for all your advice.

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You may wanna take a look at Salmon and Steelhead rods? Alot of makers have a vast variety of rod actions and some would be about perfect for them Sturgeonfish where a guy needs backbone and tip action.

Regards.....fiskyknut

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I purchased a Moyer Boss #3 rod as Chris suggested this year. Very good rod and very sensitive tip for those sturgeon. A little more money but I am very satisfied with its performance.

I put a 7000 Abu on it and its a real workhorse.

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Quote:

You may wanna take a look at Salmon and Steelhead rods? Alot of makers have a vast variety of rod actions and some would be about perfect for them Sturgeonfish where a guy needs backbone and tip action.

Regards.....fiskyknut


Ditto to that and also what Hanson said.

I've heard of a handful of QBC's breaking when they shouldn't.

Salmon/Steelhead is a great recommendation, and the amount you want to spend is also a factor.

I recently had a custom glass/graphite rod made at Midwest R&R that worked real well for the St Croix fish, time will tell for the big girls up there.

It wasn't cheap, and I probably would've never spent that much on a rod, but it was a gift from the wife, so no complaining here grin.gif

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Quote:

I've heard of a handful of QBC's breaking when they shouldn't.


I've heard that, but haven't had the unfortunate experience yet. Maybe there was a bad batch, or maybe I've been lucky.

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Quote:

Quote:

I've heard of a handful of QBC's breaking when they shouldn't.


I've heard that, but haven't had the unfortunate experience yet. Maybe there was a bad batch, or maybe I've been lucky. I know of quite a few St. Croix Avids that have broken when they shouldn't, and I still fish with them crazy.gif


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I checked catfish Con. for the Jim Moyer Boss #3 and they only have the 1, 2, 4.

Anybody else sell these?

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Quote:

I checked catfish Con. for the Jim Moyer Boss #3 and they only have the 1, 2, 4.

Anybody else sell these?


I've heard that they are next to impossible to find now. You might have to wait till spring.

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I build my goto Sturgeon rod last winter and really gave it a workout at the SE this year and a few times on the St. Croix.

I bought a SCIII 8'6" Salmon/Steelhead rod. I put a light weight wooden handle on it that had a little extra length for leverage and fighting power. This rod has an extremely soft and sensitive tip yet it has good backbone and decent lifting power. Detecting bites is the name of the game and that's exactly what this rod excels in. Sure, it could use a hair more in the backbone, but I guess it's kind of a trade off.

I personally like to physically fight the fish. Sometimes the fish has the upper hand in the fight, but that's OK with me. This rod still has the power to get the fish in the boat well before the fish reaches exhaustion.

Yeah, its been called a "Wienne Rod" before, but it's certainly not. The blank is designed for Steelhead and Salmon which also get huge and are ridiculous fighters in the current.

Those days where I reeled up to a bare hook (without noticing a bite) are virtually gone. The bluegill like bites of the sturgeon and suckers are now my best friend when before, they were my nemesis.

4000 Shimano Symetre FI coupled with 50lb PP and you've got a light weight setup. Weight was a huge factor as I hold my rod for 10+ hours a day. Every ounce makes a HUGE difference.

I don't want to take anything away form rods mentioned above, rather just add my perspective. There's a lot to be considered here and there's no immediate rush.

I did a ton of research prior to buying and building this rod. I looked at about a dozen rod blank companies and carefully considered the pros and cons. To be completely honest, there is no "perfect" sturgeon blank out there. I talked with representatives on the phone and heard the pharse "We just don't make a perfect sturgeon blank" from all of them.

Good Luck with your decision.

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BTW, have we drilled down the dates yet for SE '08 (sorry to derail this topic). I'm fine with April 19-20.

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Hi All,

I have been watching for a date. The last weekend of

April or the first weekend in May (May 1st day is best)

gives you the best chanced for Katie Bar the Door action.

Looking forward to it already

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I believe its April 19th at least thats my understanding. I already have vacation in for that so hope I was right. Not long now.

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You know... "lights out action", "windmillin' big Sturgeon"

"they wont know if they are afoot or horsback", "puttin

the hurt on em". In other words, we might catch some.

(That creative writing class I took at Community College

really has paid off)

April 19th is pretty early. Lets hope for the best.

See you all there

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Ralph and Chris I took both your advice and I am going to get one of each. I have the Quantam coming already and the Jim Moyer Boss #3 will be in January. I will order it than. I hope to get a 50" plus on each rod so I will let you know how the rods hold up. Not to bring up another subject but last year I used 20lb cajun red and liked it very much. Do you think using mono gets more bites or using a braided gives you some power and bring the Sturgeon in a little quicker. I know you can't horse them in no matter what line but I just don't want to fight them to long and harm one. No problems at all last year but of course looking for your opinions again. Thanks in advance.

STURGEON: FISH OF A THOUSAND WORMS

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I use both. A lot of folks are Power Pro fanatics and will use nothing else, but I have had great luck with 20 and 25 pound test Trilene Big Game. It works great with circle hooks and is plenty strong. In fact, we were out fishing for channel cats last week and landed a 58" sturgeon on 20lb Big Game blush.gif

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I mixed the expensive with the cheap for my SE setup. I used an Ugly Stick Catfish rod with one of those newer Shimano BC's (can't remember the model off hand) with 40 lb. Maxima Chameleon. Landed a 57" fish the last day, one helluva fight. Can't wait till next year! See you guys there!

Edit: Another suggestion is to get a musky cradle. The fish are easy to land and handle once in the boat with them. I am confident we didn't kill any fish up there, while we saw some anglers struggling with nets and keeping the fish out of the water for several minutes. We cradle ours, pick them up for pictures, and they are back in the water in a minute in a half tops.

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Quote:

Not to bring up another subject but last year I used 20lb cajun red and liked it very much. Do you think using mono gets more bites or using a braided gives you some power and bring the Sturgeon in a little quicker. I know you can't horse them in no matter what line but I just don't want to fight them to long and harm one.


Whatever you prefer really. The areas we catch these sturgeon in both on the Rainy/LOW & St Croix Rivers are clean and deep with no snags, logjams or anything that I would encounter on my catfishing rivers.

The guys jigging eyes on the Rainy in the spring accidentally catch them on their walleye jigging rods with light mono and superlines. They have to chase the fish around for awhile but they land them most of the time, it just takes some patience.

I use PowerPro 80lb because that is what is spooled on my cattin' rods. It has worked fine and I never thought I was getting less bites because of it. I also like it for the sensitivity in detecting bites. When fishing PP, just make sure your drag is lightened up a tad because you can snap 80lb superline, or snap a rod.

One of the biggest reasons to probably not "horse" a fish in is the hook pulling out or straightening out. Some guys like the lighter wire circle hooks- 2/0 to 3/0 which look dangerously capable of straightening out under a lot of pressure.

The awesome part about sturgeon is they make for a great catch & release fishery that everyone can enjoy. With careful and swift handling, they can be successfully released to be caught again, which is proven by the DNR tagging studies. That 58" Ralph Wiggum is referring to has been recaptured 3 times since the initial tagging 3-4 years ago.

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Tyler Holm, Wouldn't that make a great tattoo? Hmmm a Sturgeon tattoo. grin.gif

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