White Sturgeon, Rods And Reels

[Dale S]

I'm buying a rod and reel for Fraser river sturgeon. I've been reading all weekend on the equipment needed.
For the most part I understand you need 100 to 130lbs. test line. What I'm having a hard time with is the reels you need to use with that lbs. of fishing line. The lbs. of drag you need to run that line to the max. is high. It gets a little pricey. What are the average Fraser river fisherman using for rods and reels, fishing out of a boat.

[RavYak]

From what I understand speaking to guides the 130 lb line(as found in BC's sturgeon handling guidelines) was chosen for 2 reasons. Increased abrasion resistance and to reduce cuts to fish if/when they get rolled up in the line.

You do not need to put anywhere near 100 lbs of drag on a sturgeon(nor are you likely physically capable of doing so). Most people and guides are only fishing around 20 lbs of drag. That said you don't want to be running a reel at max drag rating(especially with fish capable of still taking long runs at that drag) so something around the 40 lb rated range is preferred.

The cheap options would be something like a Shimano TLD 20 or Penn Squall 50. I have heard the TLD 20's don't stand up to heavy use and I assume the Squall would be the same(asking too much out of their drag systems).

Shimano Talica's in size 16 or larger are a common reel out there. Penn International VISX(I believe size 12 or 16) is another good reel. There are obviously other options available too(Avets etc) but these are a couple examples of what you will see guides using out there. I use a Talica 16 myself and it is a nice reel, jumping up to 20 size wouldn't hurt though.

As for rods there are a number of white sturgeon rods available. The Shimano Technium is a good reasonably priced choice and a number of guides use them because of this.

If you haven't fished for white sturgeon before(which it sounds like you haven't) I HIGHLY suggest doing at least one day if not your first trip with a guide. You will get a feel for what they use for gear, how the drag is set, where to fish, bait to use, how to chase big fish, how to handle them etc. Many guys end up just going with guides each year instead of buying gear because good gear is not cheap(nor is hauling a boat out there) and a good guide will put you onto more and bigger fish.

[Dale S]

You can buy a good rod and reel for the price of a one day guided trip. The guided trips are $800 for 8 hours. Plus a tip. Now your over $1000 a day. It's a 2 day round trip from home I would like to fish for at least 3 days. Total $3000.

[MooseRiverTrapper]

A technium and the TLD that I have for sale are the most common rigs out there.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by Dale S

You can buy a good rod and reel for the price of a one day guided trip. The guided trips are $800 for 8 hours. Plus a tip. Now your over $1000 a day. It's a 2 day round trip from home I would like to fish for at least 3 days. Total $3000.

I know, I have done it...

Take some buddies to split the cost with and it becomes very reasonable considering you will have the chance at catching the fish of a lifetime.

A good rod and reel combo is 1k each. Add in costs of towing a boat out there and operating said boat isn't cheap either. Bait is expensive too and you won't have bait the quality of what the guides use.

Do you have a big enough anchor for on the Fraser? Do you have a windlass anchor system or buoy system so you can come off anchor and chase big fish? VHF radio? Know how to operate a boat around tug boats and natives netting? Do you know where the fish will be at the different times of the year? What they will be feeding on at those times?

I know a number of hardcore sturgeon anglers that do the trip every year and they have determined it to be cheaper for them to go with a guide then to buy their own gear and take out their own boats. They also know that they will catch far more fish and bigger fish doing so. My main fishing buddy already owns all the gear and still does guided trips because you are that much more successful. The only reason I have my own gear is because I took up the challenge of targeting them from a kayak.

Like I said I would at least go out for a single day with a guide. It is money well spent to figure out the fishery. Then annoy your guide by fishing his spots the next 2 days if you prefer lol...

[guru fisher]

TLD 20 and a technium hands down.

[honker_clonker]

Check out the Penn Fathom 40N 2 speed reels. They are like $350 right now on amazon. All aluminum construction, up to 40 lb drag, lots of great reviews on this reel out there too. . I was looking at reels a while back and for what you are paying for one of these Fathoms you are getting a lot of value. I think I would want a low gear to pull one of these beasties up off the bottom. Capacities are about right too from what I could tell, get like 400 ish yards of 130lb on one.