Spinning Rod for North Sask River

[StringTheory]

I'm starting to gear up for open water and want to spend time fishing the river in the Edmonton/Ft Sask area. I've picked out a reel, the Okuma Avenger Baitfeeder and its on sale at Cabela's. But now I need to pair it with a rod. I think the Fenwick HMX would be a good one, a 9 foot medium power with moderate action.

I plan on fishing primarily walleye and pike, maybe the odd sturgeon. Is 9' long enough? Should I look at a medium heavy for 3/4 to 1 oz jigs and weights?

Does anyone use cranks to fish the river or just jigs with bait?

What is everyone else using? Any tips for a noob?

Thanks.

[Osky]

I have been using the Okuma Komodo reels the last year for my client rods when fishing big pike and muskies. If the one you have chosen is half what the Komodo's are you have made a good choice. I believe mine are the 364 size.
I'm not too sure on your rod choice as I don't know your fishing area but my one suggestion would be get a 2 piece rod, especially if your going that long.
I used to be sponsored by Fenwick and they are terrific rods but I joined St. Croix's folks specifically because Fenwick was staying primarily with 1 piece rods. For as much as I travel shorter rod tubes are a blessing.

Osky

[Osky]

String..
My previous post was to reassure you the quality I have found in Okuma products. I realize yours is spinning, I have not used their spinning products.
After reading my post it struck me as off, sorry.

Osky

[Etownpaul]

I have a set up for pike & walleye and another heavier set up for sturgeon.

My primary walleye/pike set up is a Penn battle 2 reel on a 7’ medium shimano solara.

For sturgeon I run a cheap Diawa 7’ MH down rigger rod with an Abu Ambassador reel.

I’d prefer a longer rod for shore fishing, but they are pretty tough to find around these parts and even online. The upside of the smaller two piece rods is it’s easier to hike in to any spot you want to get to.

I usually throw spoons, jigs and swimbaits for pike and walleye. I’m too impatient for constant bait fishing. If they are biting you can catch on almost anything, so I save my bait for another day.

I will throw a 3 way rig with 3-4 oz of lead and bait on the sturgeon set up if I’m not catching while casting. I usually catch everything except sturgeon while baitfishing.

I usually start casting with cheap dollar store swim baits or jigs when I get to a spot to see if there is anything submerged that I’m going to snag a more expensive lure on. If you do snag, open your bail and let a bunch of line out into the current, sometimes the current will work your lure free for you.

[Red Bullets]

Call me old fashioned because I still use a medium action 7' ugly stick for river fishing. Lifetime warranty on the rod and so far haven't caught a fish that could break it. I also carry a small ultralight rod with for spinning for goldeye and mooneye.

Spoons can be good in the river. I cut off 1 hook from the treble hook or put on a single hook for less snags. I usually pull a jig through the area to check for snags before going to spoons or rapalas.

A nine foot rod sounds nice but also sounds hard to hike in with. Many places on the river access points can require a little bush whacking. Some shorelines can be tight on the back cast for a long rod too.

[Bushleague]

Call me old fashioned because I still use a medium action 7' ugly stick for river fishing. Lifetime warranty on the rod and so far haven't caught a fish that could break it. I also carry a small ultralight rod with for spinning for goldeye and mooneye.

Spoons can be good in the river. I cut off 1 hook from the treble hook or put on a single hook for less snags. I usually pull a jig through the area to check for snags before going to spoons or rapalas.

A nine foot rod sounds nice but also sounds hard to hike in with. Many places on the river access points can require a little bush whacking. Some shorelines can be tight on the back cast for a long rod too.

This, I don't fish your river, but I fish a lot of other rivers. The new generation of Ugly Sticks have more backbone than the old ones, particularly the 6'6" med action regular one, which is nearly a med heavy in many cases.

That said, for soaking bait I found the soft floppy originals to be almost ideal, allowing the fish to take the bait without feeling the rod.

Sturgeon IMO, are going to require a whole different setup. I have an 8' Ugly Stick "catfish" model that is good for big pike and sturgeon.

Personally I prefer mono on a river rod, when the river runs dirty debris can ball up pretty bad on braid while you are soaking bait. On one occasion it took me nearly 20 minuets to reel my line in, now I stick to mono.

[Fishwhere]

Hey there, if i were you id go to a smaller rod. I had a 9ft at one point and if you are casting artificial stuff and setting hooks on quick bites etc i found the length of the rod a hinderance and slower to respond. I could launch my hooks a mile but overall performance suffered when it came to feeling bites and speed of hookset responsiveness. But if you are just soaking bait all the time and letting it sit then its a good idea perhaps, but even still thats pretty long.

As for speed i almost always stick to fast response, and stiffness - about a medium or mmaayybbee a medium heavy depending on the individual brand. I think you should seperate your set ups and go cheaper and do a pike/walleye rod and extra spool on your reel, and then another spool for your reel with a heavier rod for sturgeon. Unless you are planning on fishing for them all at the same time, then youll have to try balance what you want to do.

Other thing is im all for buying lots of rods, and nice ones at that. But if you are using it only for the river mostly i would downgrade a bit. Hmx are really nice rods but definitley not required for the river. Im not a huge fan of ugly stick and the fiberglass thing but if you are just bait fishing on the bottom then it would be hard to beat the functionality of a 7ft medium stiff ugly stick plus you could put some crazy pressure on it if you did get on a sturgeon. I dont know if i would bet on a medium hmx when hauling back hard past what it should be doing. If you are casting then i would be closer to the hmx side of things and stick to the carbon/graphite.

Good luck man! New rods are always exciting.

[mlee]

I run a 7' med ugly stick for walleye etc with a 4000 series president xt reel....for sturgeon I use a fenwick elite tech 8'6" heavy fast action baitcaster rod (2 piece) with an Abu revoS reel. Same rod I use for casting huge pike lures.

[pinelakeperch]

I use an 8ft MH Ugly Stik Catfish rod with a Penn Battle II 6000 reel. It’s overkill when there’s a small walleye or gold eye on the end, but I’d rather have too much than too little in a situation where a big ‘ol sturg hits it.

[cranky]

I primarily fish the NSR. I dont target sturgeon and i havnt the patience to just sit and soak bait as someone has already said.
I use a 6ft medium ugly stick and a penn pursuit3 3000 reel. The ugly stick is a bit short i guess, but its a nostalgia thing. Its been through lots with me and caught some good size fish. I actually like a short rod not sure why. Its great in some of the tight spots down there and travels good though.
I use mono only and mostly jigs and some spoons with one hook cut off the treble.

[Ennyindabenny]

I think the Fenwick HMX would be a good one, a 9 foot medium power with moderate action.
Thanks.

I just bought that exact rod to fish the same waters you speak of.

[HuyFishin]

I try to fish with a 9 foot on the NSR in some areas it works very well, some tight areas it does get reel annoying. I have separate rig for walleye and pike vs a sturgeon rig. If you get the sturgeon rig with a penn pursuit reel between 3000 or 4000 size you could use it on the coast for lingcod inshore.

[Bushleague]

I try to fish with a 9 foot on the NSR in some areas it works very well, some tight areas it does get reel annoying. I have separate rig for walleye and pike vs a sturgeon rig. If you get the sturgeon rig with a penn pursuit reel between 3000 or 4000 size you could use it on the coast for lingcod inshore.

I agree with the general assessment on 9' rods. By "river fishing" I'm assuming that you mean fishing from the bank, while a long rod might seem like a benefit in lengthening casts, IMO when fishing from the bank nothing trumps staying mobile.

Staying mobile requires keeping your gear minimal, portable, and versatile... and a 9' rod isn't going to do you any favors in these areas. My shore fishing has become far more productive since I minimized my gear and worried more about covering lots of water.

I generally head down the bank with an Ugly stick, a few proven lures, and some terminal tackle for fishing bait. I usually throw only a handful of casts in any one area before moving on if I don't get a bite. Regardless of species and location this almost always catches more fish than showing up to one spot, armed with all kinds of gear, and spending the day fishing one hole.

[Talking moose]

River rods take a beating. Get a cheap setup.
I use one rod on the nsr. It’s a medium/heavy 8ft rod.
I bait fish in areas with a good number of sturgeon.
I’m over gunned for the billions of walleye/suckers/ and gold eye but I’d rather skip those fish in across the surface at 30 mph than be undergunned when a 50lb plus sturgeon starts heading for the main current.......

[HuyFishin]

River rods take a beating. Get a cheap setup.
I use one rod on the nsr. It’s a medium/heavy 8ft rod.
I bait fish in areas with a good number of sturgeon.
I’m over gunned for the billions of walleye/suckers/ and gold eye but I’d rather skip those fish in across the surface at 30 mph than be undergunned when a 50lb plus sturgeon starts heading for the main current.......

I agree with the talking moose. 8 foot medium heavy is a sweet lingcod rod if you're on a west coast vacation. Sorry I keep bring up it up. I love versatile setups.

[StringTheory]

Thanks for all the advice! It looks like the prevailing knowledge says stick to regular 7' medium rods, of which i have many!

I will look for a good catfish rod for sturgeon when I target them this summer but like its been said, soaking bait can get boring, I prefer to stay mobile too.

Looking forward to some open water and being social again.