Cat and Sturgeon Rods

I have been getting a lot of calls lately asking my opinion on sturgeon rods. One of the best out there was the #3 boss(17-30 line rating) which had a very nice tip, a ton of backbone, and relatively light in weight.. great rods, only one problem.. they have suddenly become unavailable, and I dont know what their future holds. They may dissapear like the E-cat rods did?

Right now, the #4 boss(20-40 line) is still available. Although its a heavier rod than the 3, it still has a little tip action to it, a bit heavy for sturgeon bite detection, but it still works if your paying close attention. The 4 is not a good circle hook rod, its too stiff, its also not the best rod in the world for tightlining channel cats.. its more of a flathead rod(excellent), but can double as a sturgeon rod if you can tolerate paying close attention.

The Tiger rods out there come in 3 actions. The lightest is my personal favorite for sturgeon.. very light tip, and a ton of backbone. This is also a good channel cat rod, good for circles, and a fair flathead rod. The tip is a little light for casting very heavy catfish rigs with large live baits.. but it will work. The middle weight Tiger rod is very comparable to the boss #4 overall with tip action(maybe a hair lighter), and is a very good all around rod, but still heavy for circle hooks. The heavy action Tiger rod is strictly a combat rod.. everything is heavy about it, and its overkill for anything except large flatheads in cover… its not a practical sturgeon rod.. you could probably reel in a tug boat with it(what it will take for tip to bend).

If one is looking for a dedicated sturgeon rod, its hard to beat the light tiger rods hands down for whats available right now, or any time. If someone is looking for a good all around cat rod that will handle sturgeon fishing, and flathead fishing at the same time.. The #4 bossis a tough rod to beat. If channel cat(not red river size average) is more of a primary target along with a sturgeon rod capability.. the light and middle weight Tiger rods might be the way to go.

There are other decent rods out there that Moores carries, Night Sticks, Glow Sticks, Quantum Big Cats, etc… all are capable rods.. but I highly recommend checking them out 1st hand to try to fit the bill of what your looking for, every rod is different along with peoples personal preferences and needs.

I am going to try to get some higher quality rods on the market for early next spring to help fill the void in the market for good quality rods.

Good info Dave.

I came across a Penn Power Stick at Cabelas this morning. Seems like a very nice pole. Similar action and feel of a Tiger with a nice butt design for rod holders.
I was impressed.

New toy to come

Thanks for you opinion on rods. After using your boss #3 and Tetonka combo. I have been serching high and low to get myself one. If I can’t find one mybe I will have you build me one.

Dtro–
Which model did you like of the penn? Med downrigger or was it casting or spinning model? I see they are on sale to boot.

It was the boat casting rods. 7′ one piece, med or med/heavy action. They have a pretty beefy butt, yet a flexible tip.

David,

I e-mailed the supplier of the Boss #3 to see when they would be available. I was told their supplier received a shipment of bad Boss #3 rods and was waiting on the replacement shipment. He thought the replacements would be available in about 6-8 weeks. So, it sounds like they’ll be available but just not in time for this sturgeoon season. He also recommended the Shakespeare Tiger rods as a good substitute for the Boss rod.

Boone

Good Sturgeon rods????

Lots of options out there!

Ugly Stick Catfish
Ugly Stick Tiger
Berkley Cherrywood
“Old” Berkley Reflex
Cabelas King Kat & “Old” King Kat Pro
Moyer’s Boss (These are nice!)
Surge
Night Stick

These will all do the job very, very well. They all have different characteristics as well that you may or may not prefer. Foam grips vs Cork grips. Fat grips vs Normal grips. White rod blanks vs Black or other colored blanks. # of guides and spacing. Casting vs Spinning.

he one “popular” rod of the bunch that I don’t like is the Quantum Big Cat. Big is correct, and this rod is overkill for darn near everything swimming in MN. Its heavy, not that sensitive, and has one of the worst failure rates (snapped blanks) of any cat rod I know.

I say pick one, learn how it feels, learn how it fishes, and keep using it. There isn’t a “magic” rod that will make you a better sturgeon fisherman. Having and developing confidence in what you own will make you a better fisherman.

I’ll second the Hanson’s Quantum review. I bought one early in the year but never found myself in a situation where I needed it or where it could even out perform the glowstick. It might also just be that I like the glowstick more. I got the Quantum because I have always preferred 1 piece rods. If I find myself fishing tight to a snag during the day, that will probably be when I use it.

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Cabelas King Kat

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Personal preference I’m sure.

Boone…I have a Boss rod you can use until Bob receives his order.

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Personal preference I’m sure.

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No… not personal preference, its just a decent cat/sturgeon rod at a very competitive price.

The King Kat/Saltstriker Combo is a great price on a rod/reel combo that is very effective at putting fish in the boat.

Are there better? Yes.

Are there worse? Yes.

Is everyone made of money? No.

Is everyone concerned about using the “best of the best”? No.

Can everyone hang a $60 rod w/ a $100 plus baitcaster over the side of the boat? No…

Not when it costs $5 for Shad. $5 for Crawlers. $20 to launch. $20 round trip for gas, another $5 for the boat. $10 for pops and snacks. We’re talking over $50 for a trip to the river.

I would put this in the “bang for the buck” category.

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No… not personal preference, its just a decent cat/sturgeon rod at a very competitive price.

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I agree with everything you said…except I would say it’s a decent channel cat rod…and leave it go at that…

On the other hand, mine hasn’t broke…then again I haven’t used it since I’ve started using the Boss and St Croix rods.

…guess it’s back to “my personal preferance” again.

I have had no beef with my Quantum Big Cat. Its done well on some very nice Flats….. I was crushed when I tweaked and broke it trying to get my line unsnagged.
Rushing put a new tip on it for me and I’m very much looking forward to having that rod back. It will be fairly shortened and super stout.
Its not designed for Sturgeon…. Hence the name “Quantum Big CAT”

I probably should actually put the reel on the Quantum before passing judgment. It was meant for my old reel which is a Okuma. I never ended up spooling new line on it and using it.

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I probably should actually put the reel on the Quantum before passing judgment. It was meant for my old reel which is a Okuma. I never ended up spooling new line on it and using it.

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Do you have the H or MH Big Cat? I have the MH and like it a lot. I have seen the H and it is quite stout, but the MH fits the bill quite nicely.

Personal preference, I guess, but I have had absolutely no complaints about mine.

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Not when it costs $5 for Shad. $5 for Crawlers. $20 to launch. $20 round trip for gas, another $5 for the boat. $10 for pops and snacks. We’re talking over $50 for a trip to the river.

I would put this in the “bang for the buck” category.

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Having a rough day Hanson?

Your right, it does add up.. but its not too bad when you have passengers to share the expenses.

I believe there are 2 different King Cat rods.. king cat, and king cat pro. I belive BK has the king cat pro(blue rod blank).. they are very whippy rods, I think they would be good for sturgeon to those who dont mind takinga while to land a fish(within reason). The king cat rods are pretty light at the 7′ rods, the 8′ rods are very stiff, ll the way to the tip and they will really wear a person out on a big fish.

As for spending money on equipment.. no, we dont have to own the most expensive rods, a less expensive od in some cases might suit our needs better if your lucky enough to run into the right rod. To me, spending half as much on a rod that ends up sitting in a rack at my house is a waste of money. I will buy the rod I want 1st… and a good reel is a must for regularly pursuing big fish. It doesnt have to be a Tekota or 7000c3i, but I wouldnt go with less than a 6500c3 and expect it to ast a while sturgeon or cat fishing($90 reel).

The argument is valid it cost money to go fising.. but that doesnt mean I am going to pay $20 for a zebco 202 combo to go crappie fishing, or $30 for a zebco 33 combo to troll walleyes on Millacs. It cost money to fish.. but its irrelevant(sp?) what equipment cost vs fishing trip cost. I think better equipment that will last a long time is a bargain in the long run.

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Boone…I have a Boss rod you can use until Bob receives his order.

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Thanks Brian. That’s very nice of you but I think I’ll just get another Glowstik until Bob gets the Boss #3s. I like the Boss #3 better than my Glowstik but I’m not sure it makes a big difference, at least at my skill level. Last night the Glowstik out-fished the Boss 4:1. I think the difference was just random probability (a.k.a. LUCK).

Thanks Again,

Boone

In the rod world even higher end cat rods really aren’t that expensive compared to other types of fishing rods.

The first couple of cat rods I ever bought were King Kat Pros with the cork handles I have an 8ft and 9ft spinning model and they are good circle hook rods and on the low end of the price range they are hard to beat. I have landed many big flats on them. Although they work they are cheap for a reason quality of them varies a lot and they don’t have the quality components. Cheap rods can catch fish just like the expensive ones and when getting into a sport like catfishing or sturgeon fishing buy what you can afford and once you’re hooked spend the money on quality. If you don’t really take care for your gear go with the cheap stuff but in the long run you’ll end up spending more having to replace cheap equipment.

When it comes to reels save your money and buy a good one. You can put a good reel on any rod you get.

Very well said Rob(rushing)

I agree 100%

All I can add is.. when it comes time to buy that good rod.. make sure its the rod you want!

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Do you have the H or MH Big Cat? I have the MH and like it a lot. I have seen the H and it is quite stout, but the MH fits the bill quite nicely.

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Ok, it took me a while to figure out what the H and MH were, it is Monday after all. Anyway, I am pretty sure I have the H or Heavy action. It’s also shorter than my glowstick, so since I shore fish a lot, it makes sense to go with the longer rod.

I do have a third rod with a broken tip. I spent a little more on that one I believe, but it is a MH, one piece graphite.I should bring that one up to Thorne and see if they can salvage it. That thing had real nice action and a great taper on it. I don’t remember what it is though.

Some of you know how it broke, but one bit of advice. Do not leave the rod in a car that is sitting in the hot summer sun with a heavy no-roll attached.

You mean you didnt break it fighting a fish?

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You mean you didnt break it fighting a fish?

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5lb flatheads aren’t known to wear tackle out. You are on fire today. You must have hung out with BK recently.

Well put Rush! I started with a GlowStick From Bob and a Salt Striker from Cabela’s and it fit my budget to start to make sure I was good and interested in Cats. Then Dave got me out with him more in his boat, which I love and don’t mind helping with the bill being I know boats arent cheap(parents have a ski boat). I also got out with Dave to bag my first sturgeon ever this year and am really darn hooked now. So I finally am dropping the coin on a Tekota and a boss 3 when they come in or maybe the tiger to tide me over through sturgeon season:D. This will be my first really expensive rod and reel as I see it. But I’ll use it, do I really need it and could I make due with just the one rod reel? YES! But it is nice to have two incase something happens and there is always having the extra to pass on the sport to someone else new just like Dave has been doing with me. Thanks for everything guys!!! I’m having one hell of a year so far fishing with and meeting everyone!!!

OH YEAH, Hanson I haven’t met you yet but if you ever have an open seat or need help with the gas and food and launching and such, I’m always good to go. Ask Dave, I’ll break a date to go fish

The only thing worse than a King Kat Pro (thanks dave) is a GlowStick!!

Boone, have I steered you wrong in the past??

Talk to me…dude!

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The only thing worse than a King Kat Pro (thanks dave) is a GlowStick!!

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Hey I like my Glowsticks!

I rarely turn them on but in my opinion the are sensitive and have the backbone needed. That is all my father and I used on the sturgeon excursion. I now have 4 of them.

The problem with opinions……..everyone has one!

See you guys out there….once it is dark I know you will see me!!!!

Aaron Bye

Back at ya buddy!

I even still use the handy down rod you gave me. Thanks for the help.

I was wondering who would be the first person that read my post that owned a “brighter than white” rod.

I’m just kidding with the glowsticks and King Kat rods…

They are AWESOME starter rods.

I got the Salt Striker (Baitcaster) / Glowstick combo too and it suits me just fine. Maybe when I make as much as Brian’s wife some day I will be able to afford higher end rod and reel combos.

Hi Brian.

ps,. Brian gets to write his off on his taxes.