Of the models you have listed I would go with the XCF 906. It will hadle the amount of lead you will be casting just fine. It will have enough power and still have enough length for castability. I hope this helps you to make your decision have a great day.

This one's for the guru's. I just purchased a XCF 906 and I'm getting ready to outfit it with a reel, I would like to know how many lbs of drag it will handle. I've been told that's what usually breaks a rod.

Hello

I would say 18-20# at the most. Hope this helps, have a great day.

That seems kinda light for a sturgeon rod rated for 50# line? I've heard from some of the guides that you can land oversize sturgeon, tuna, sailfish and even small marlin with it, true/false? Thanks for all your help with this, I plan on taking this outfit to Baja as well as sturgeon fishing and I don't want to be under-gunned with too little of a reel but I also don't want to break it on it's first trip out. Any suggestions?

You always set your drag at about 1/3 the lines breaking strength. A rod is designed to break the line before the rod in the position of greatest advantage which puts all the load on the butt of the rod. This is usually a lower angle than most people hold their rod while fighting a fish, or pumping a fish so the drag rating most be lower than the rod rating because as more of the tip is used the real power rating of any rod goes down quite a bit.
Lamiglas or anyone could build you a rod to take most any abuse you'd give one, you just wouldn't want to fish it, every rod is a compromise, but they work very hard to give you the best compromise they can.
The sturgeon of the Delta are mostly Green sturgeon and don't grow near as much as the whites do so you don't need near as much rod to catch them. I've caught lots of them on shrimp with rods in the power range of a decent flipping stick in the bay and delta from my boat.

Having fished sturgeon in the San Pablo Bay and lower Sac/San Jac. deltafor over 30 years, if I could have one rod day in and day out it would be the I870 e-glass. It has nice light tip and plenty of backbone. You can use this rod in Mexico for medium live bait, slow trolling plugs,and light jigs. GOOD LUCK IS MADE

Having fished sturgeon in the San Pablo Bay and lower Sac/San Jac. deltafor over 30 years, if I could have one rod day in and day out it would be the I870 e-glass. It has nice light tip and plenty of backbone. You can use this rod in Mexico for medium live bait, slow trolling plugs,and light jigs. GOOD LUCK IS MADE

That rod would be OK Panga fishing for Dorado, Roosterfish, and other stuff that size. You can't pick which size sailfish or marlin you get sometimes so I'd carry a bigger rod for that.

No one goes to Mexico with one rod. I was just giving ideas of what it could be used for. I personaly have brought to tag several stripped marlin in 150 lb. class and a wahoo to gaff over 70 lb. with that rod. There is alot to be said for the ability of the person skippering the boat.

No one goes to Mexico with one rod. I was just giving ideas of what it could be used for. I personaly have brought to tag several stripped marlin in 150 lb. class and a wahoo to gaff over 70 lb. with that rod. There is alot to be said for the ability of the person skippering the boat.