How heavy of leader for Sturgeon?

[SKSniper]

I went down to the NSR today with a few friends, it was an average day until I hooked an absolute monster sturgeon, she came up to the surface and jumped three times before my leader snapped a few inches from the swivel :angry3: . She was a tank, the power she had was unbelievable. I hadn't even began to reel yet, I was just letting her take line and do her thing and she still broke it like nothing. I was using 30 lb braided line for a leader and I am using 50 lb braid for my main line. Is there a better line to use for a leader? Should I have heavier than 50lb for my main line?

I don't want to lose another beast like I did today so any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

[sturgeonhound]

Sk,
Use a rig like this one. A mono leader of 30 lbs will do you. Berkley big game is the best stuff i've found after trying out quite a few brands.

The Dacron sturgeon leader that TFH sells is good to, but the goldeye and walleye chew it up really quickly.

Using braid for a leader isn't a great idea. It has no give for absorbing the head shakes on a jump. And it cuts the fish up a bit when they roll in it.

http://i1328.photobucket.com/albums/w536/sturgeonhound/Fishing%20Stuff/terminaltacklemed_zps653ab1de.jpg

[buckmasterjr]

30lb is good for the leader.. So is 50lb for the mainline.

[EZM]

I would suggest a fluorocarbon leader - specifically leader material. I use a 50lb mainline and a 40lb fluorocarbon leader.

A couple things I like to do with sturgeon;

- Large 4/0 or larger, super sharp circle hook,

- Setting your drag slightly on the loose side - a round baitcaster is my favorite like a Abu Garcia C3 or C4 as they have a super smooth drag that does not skip or jerk

- A long rod, Heavy Power, with a parabolic or slow action spine but a fast action tip (Shimano Technium Sturgeon Rod or St.Croix Wild River, or even, heaven forbid, an Ugly Stick Tiger are good examples for this application).

And

- A chat with resident AO expert Wayne Christie ....

[SKSniper]

Thanks guys, I have been doing everything you guys suggested except the mono leader. I have a heavy rod/reel and the drag was actually quite loose. I am using a rig just like the diagram sturgeonhound posted. It just snapped when the big gal jumped like stated above :(. I will definitely be switching to a mono leader next time I go out.

Much appreciated guys! Hopefully next time I will be posting pics and not asking what went wrong haha.

[cube]

I went down to the NSR today with a few friends, it was an average day until I hooked an absolute monster sturgeon, she came up to the surface and jumped three times before my leader snapped a few inches from the swivel :angry3: . She was a tank, the power she had was unbelievable. I hadn't even began to reel yet, I was just letting her take line and do her thing and she still broke it like nothing. I was using 30 lb braided line for a leader and I am using 50 lb braid for my main line. Is there a better line to use for a leader? Should I have heavier than 50lb for my main line?

I don't want to lose another beast like I did today so any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

On television the other day they had sturgeon fishing. The guide there said he never uses flouro, steel or mono because he believes the sturgeon can feel the leader. He said he gets much better results with heavy braid, and if I recall he recommended 80 pound to 120 pound braid.

I don't fish for sturgeon so I would not know for sure though. Still coming to terms with the ethics of fishing for a species at risk. This is a personal thing though.


Good luck and have a great season

[gnugen]

The best advice! photo speaks a thousand words.

[Mike_W]

Not a sturgeon fisherman myself .... Yet..... but I never understand why people use a lighter leader than mainline? Maybe not the case with sturgeon as they don't have teeth but the purpose of a leader is typically to help with teeth or abrasion.

What poundage? Well that all depends on your set up? What reel and rod do you have? What's your max drag on your reel? I don't think guys are fishing or catching sturgeon over 100lbs in Alberta.
Myself without the advice of a seasoned sturgeon fisherman but with lots of big ocean fishing experience I would run a 50lb mainline braid and at 50lb fluorocarbon leader.

In my understanding Sturgeon have next to no sight and feed with the use of smell so visually I would imagine you could get away with a mono leader material and save on buying fluro. In that case I would suggest maxima ultra green or berkley big game!!

[The Fisherman Guy]

Mono leaders for Sturgeon results in short bites. Sturgeon are not predators, they scavenge for food, using their mouth to feel their food. If they feel a heavy mono leader, they tend to drop the bait in short order.

Using heavy, but supple braid will allow the fish to pick up your bait, without feeling the heavy wire-like mono attached to it. You'll have more time to set the hook effectively.

Your line likely broke due to line twist, and resultant line on line abrasion. Run a swivel on your weight, or use heavier braid to push through the line twist.

[RavYak]

Not a sturgeon fisherman myself .... Yet..... but I never understand why people use a lighter leader than mainline? Maybe not the case with sturgeon as they don't have teeth but the purpose of a leader is typically to help with teeth or abrasion.

What poundage? Well that all depends on your set up? What reel and rod do you have? What's your max drag on your reel? I don't think guys are fishing or catching sturgeon over 100lbs in Alberta.
Myself without the advice of a seasoned sturgeon fisherman but with lots of big ocean fishing experience I would run a 50lb mainline braid and at 50lb fluorocarbon leader.

In my understanding Sturgeon have next to no sight and feed with the use of smell so visually I would imagine you could get away with a mono leader material and save on buying fluro. In that case I would suggest maxima ultra green or berkley big game!!

The main advantage of using a lighter leader in any type of fishing is so that the leader breaks and usually at the hook leaving little line for the fish to drag around. The reason I believe people use such heavy braid mainline for sturgeon isn't necessarily because you need it that strong but so that it will withstand abrasion from the river bottom.

I just put 50 lb power pro on a reel I plan on using to try for sturgeon. I will probably use some 40 lb fluoro leader since I have that kicking around but I do remember reading something Wayne said before about sturgeon can feel and will spit out tough line like fluoro. I am guessing he prefers the nylon leader material.

[WayneChristie]

Actually I use a completely different rig designed to lose my weight not my hook and fish. no leaders

[RavYak]

Actually I use a completely different rig designed to lose my weight not my hook and fish. no leaders

I take it you use braid and a 3 way swivel setup then?

Slip sinker setup would mean loosing everything if the weight gets stuck but it must help with feeling strikes and the fish not knowing he is hooked doesn't it?

[Mike_W]

The main advantage of using a lighter leader in any type of fishing is so that the leader breaks and usually at the hook leaving little line for the fish to drag around. The reason I believe people use such heavy braid mainline for sturgeon isn't necessarily because you need it that strong but so that it will withstand abrasion from the river bottom.



I prefer not to have my line break period!

Why would I want a weak point between me and a fish? And even so why would I want that weak point to be what the fish is directly hooked to and seeing the most abrasion?

[Rennich98]

Something like this??? I'm running a 30lb spiderwire braid to a barrel swivel to a 14" 22lb mono litre...still using the 3 way rig setup...only thing I need to do is buy some octopus hooks cuz the standard p-rig hook is too weak...I'm using a medium/heavy action 8ft zebco trophy rod...PM me if anyone knows any good spots to try between genesee and hermitage http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p514/Rennich98/B71EE718-0E69-460D-A996-4F56CEC2AF59_zpsx4dovnga.jpg (http://s1153.photobucket.com/user/Rennich98/media/B71EE718-0E69-460D-A996-4F56CEC2AF59_zpsx4dovnga.jpg.html)

[Bushleague]

Something like this??? I'm running a 30lb spiderwire braid to a barrel swivel to a 14" 22lb mono litre...still using the 3 way rig setup...only thing I need to do is buy some octopus hooks cuz the standard p-rig hook is too weak...I'm using a medium/heavy action 8ft zebco trophy rod...PM me if anyone knows any good spots to try between genesee and hermitage http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p514/Rennich98/B71EE718-0E69-460D-A996-4F56CEC2AF59_zpsx4dovnga.jpg (http://s1153.photobucket.com/user/Rennich98/media/B71EE718-0E69-460D-A996-4F56CEC2AF59_zpsx4dovnga.jpg.html)

The problem with a rig like that is if your line breaks in the wrong place the fish is stuck dragging around the sinkers until the line rots, if your using braid this isn't happening any time soon, and if your using heavy line I think it can pose a real danger to the fish. I'm not a sturgeon fisherman but I've quit using any sort of pickerel/ dropper rig after finding the remains of a large pike entangeled in a lost pickerel rig. The slip sinker rig in the first picture completely eliminates this risk, as would using a slip sinker on a dropper rather than the 3 way swivel. Use lighter line for the dropper and you only lose the sinker if it gets snagged.

[ineptflux]

All I have to say is please don't use pickeral rigs; I can't believe how many I pull out of the river each week. The slide method is effective, especially if you're using a western filament style braid for your leader - the fish can't even feel that line and hits your bait so much harder. Plus it's a softer material on their skin for when they roll on your line (which they will)

[WayneChristie]

I take it you use braid and a 3 way swivel setup then?

Slip sinker setup would mean loosing everything if the weight gets stuck but it must help with feeling strikes and the fish not knowing he is hooked doesn't it?

nope

[WayneChristie]

I would suggest a fluorocarbon leader - specifically leader material. I use a 50lb mainline and a 40lb fluorocarbon leader.

A couple things I like to do with sturgeon;

- Large 4/0 or larger, super sharp circle hook,

- Setting your drag slightly on the loose side - a round baitcaster is my favorite like a Abu Garcia C3 or C4 as they have a super smooth drag that does not skip or jerk

- A long rod, Heavy Power, with a parabolic or slow action spine but a fast action tip (Shimano Technium Sturgeon Rod or St.Croix Wild River, or even, heaven forbid, an Ugly Stick Tiger are good examples for this application).

And

- A chat with resident AO expert Wayne Christie ....
:sHa_sarcasticlol: I appreciate the vote of confidence but Id never even seen a wild sturgeon til 4 years ago. Sturgeonhound and mr dead lake safety D have a multitude more experience than I. I just put in an obsessive amount of hours to get my numbers, and thats whats needed to catch big numbers, big hours. and a well placed horseshoe can help:scared0018: