Reasonable priced sturgeon/salmon/rockfish rod

Hey all,

I have a lot of bass and steelhead equipment but I do not have anything that would be useful for sturgeon or salmon in the Columbia and Willamette that could also double for rockfish. Thus, I am thinking I "need" to buy a rod (and reel) for this purpose but I want to focus on the rod for now - I will just get a reel that matches to whatever rod I buy. I do not want to spend a ton so please hold off on the expensive choices. To give you an idea I looked at the 7' medium action tiger stik and the 8'6" medium light tiger stik(not sure if it is strong enough). I also see comments on other non-kayak groups about Buzz Ramsey back-bouncing rods being a good value.

Specific questions additional questions. What are the minimum and maximum length rods you would consider? What is the maximum amount of weight you use for back-bouncing, sturgeon, rockfish? What line test do you use (I was thinking braided line in the 30lb test range)? Is there anything you would look for different in a kayak rod vs a powerboat rod? Is the info from other groups pertinent or not?

Thanks for any input.

An ugly stick and and a Penn 320 or Sealine 300 will do for most saltwater needs. 30-50 pound braid I like rods in the 7 foot range for bottom fish. Shouldn't need to work much more than 8oz. 

An ugly stick and and a Penn 320 or Sealine 300 will do for most saltwater needs. 30-50 pound braid I like rods in the 7 foot range for bottom fish. Shouldn't need to work much more than 8oz.

Before you go tying straight to 50lb braid, be sure you're comfortable breaking it off from the kayak.  Even 30lb braid can give you a thrill when you're attached to the bottom in a heavy current or any swell.  While Fungunnin may be able to overcome it, he's much bigger and stronger than your average fisherman.

One way to deal with this would be to tie on a topshot of 20 or 30lb mono when bottom fishing. 

Winter sturgeon and running wobblers on the hook may require as much as 12oz. of weight to keep your gear down.  Most times you're runnin 4 to 6oz though.

-Spot-   

A Tiger ugly stick with a penn reel is one good option.

Another option would be Berkeley  "Buzz Ramsey" Air IM7 (or IM8) rod with an Abu Garcia Ambassador reel.  They might be a little bit more expensive on an average day but they are a bit more sensitive and also go on sale quite often. 

Yes .. 50 can be a handful to break off. So can 30# mono b/c of the stretch. Gloves are required or a stick to wrap the line around. 30# braid will cut bare hands!
Be careful ... have fun!

I use a 7'9" Okuma celilo two piece Salmon rod rated at I think 15-25 lb. It doesn't have as sensitive a tip as some of the 8'6" rods but it works well for rockfish, salmon, and I will probably use it for Sturgeon as well. It handles 4-8 oz of lead without any issues and works well for back bouncing.  If you hit up the local bi-marts you can get some pretty killer deals on them from time to time. Each store seems to have a bit different stock though. I got the rod for 22 bucks on clearance but I think they're normall in the 40-50 dollar range. I usually run 30 lb braid to a 30 lb mono leader. I'd stick in the 7'9" to 8'6" range.

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Another option would be Berkeley  "Buzz Ramsey" Air IM7 (or IM8) rod with an Abu Garcia Ambassador reel.  They might be a little bit more expensive on an average day but they are a bit more sensitive and also go on sale quite often. 

Bingo!  Get a 15-50 line rating in the 7'9'' (my favorite for the yak) or 8'6' models, fill a 5500 or 6500 abu with 30 braid and you are good to go for rockfish/lings (up to 4-5oz, run a 25lb topshot) 95% of NW salmon fishing and most keeper sized sturgeon fishing.  They are both on sale all the time and you should be able to pick rod, reel, and line up for somewhere in the 150 buck range if you watch the sales. If you break the rod take it back and most places give you a new one with no hassle.

Thanks for all the input. I was concerned of using too heavy of a line when having to break it. It sounds like 30lb test braid is about the sweet spot for what I am looking for. It also sounds like the 7'9" and 8'6" Buzz Ramsey rods are a good choice. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for sales. One question I did have for sturgeon is that I read that having a sensitive tip is important for detecting the light bites. Are the Buzz Ramsey or lighter tiger stiks better in this regard. My thinking is that I can fish for sturgeon year round but can only fish for salmon some of the time. Thus, I would lean towards a rod that had better sturgeon performance at the cost of not being quite as optimal for salmon.

As for reels, I already have an old Garcia Ambassadeur 6000 and 6500 (they are each about 35 to 40 years old). I need to repair the drags on these reels, but they sound like they would work well.  I will have to drop by Ollie Damon's and see if they have the parts I need. I would imagine that I can get a nice upgrade on the drag washers from the old leather ones they used to use.

Thanks for all of your comments!

My Tiger stik is a back up rod to my 7'9" back bouncer when sturgeon fishing because the back Bouncer is much more sensitive.  It has enough back bone to handle any fish yet has a light enough feel so that you don't feel like your over powering smaller fish.  With the exception of mooching, it is also my primary salmon rod.

A crescent wrench is a good tool, but sooner or later you'll get a nut in a tight spot that will force you to get a set of wrenches.

Watch that 30#, I'm not a little guy, and I had trouble getting that to break in the salt. In a swift river, you might find yourself pulling your rescue knife.

I'm thinking of hand lining sturgeon from my yak this winter.

-Spot-

I'm thinking of hand lining sturgeon from my yak this winter.

-Spot-

I wanna watch!!

A crescent wrench is a good tool, but sooner or later you'll get a nut in a tight spot that will force you to get a set of wrenches.

Watch that 30#, I'm not a little guy, and I had trouble getting that to break in the salt. In a swift river, you might find yourself pulling your rescue knife.

I feel like I already have a full mechanics set of wrenches and I am just trying to add as few more as possible

I was also concerned about having to break off too heavy of a line. Maybe I will just use 20 lb test. Was the 30 lb you tried to break mono or braid?  I used to fish braid on my Carolina rig rod and I found the lack of stretch made it easier to pop when I had to.

you'll have Zero problem breaking 30.  You have a mirage drive which makes popping free of a snag literally a snap.  Tuck you rod (tip pointed out behind your yak) under your arm, thumb the spool hard, and pedal directly away from the snag, making sure to keep the rod tip pointed right at the snag as this will keep your rod from breaking.  Pop... problem solved.  I break 40lb mono leaders all the time like this, still use 30 braid for main line though.

A crescent wrench is a good tool, but sooner or later you'll get a nut in a tight spot that will force you to get a set of wrenches.

Watch that 30#, I'm not a little guy, and I had trouble getting that to break in the salt. In a swift river, you might find yourself pulling your rescue knife.

I feel like I already have a full mechanics set of wrenches and I am just trying to add as few more as possible

I was also concerned about having to break off too heavy of a line. Maybe I will just use 20 lb test. Was the 30 lb you tried to break mono or braid?  I used to fish braid on my Carolina rig rod and I found the lack of stretch made it easier to pop when I had to.

That's true, MD keeps the tension at your stern. I'm relying on drift and swell, and I'm trying to break off midship.

Ok I'll say it, another advantage Hobie. Kiss my rod pod!