Craiger12

RW - Which A-rig are you throwing? I'm looking for a lighter one that I can throw on my Dobyns 765C.

No way I could do it with only 2...

I also throw spinnerbaits up to 1/2 oz on a Dobyns Champion 733C. It is the perfect spinnerbait rod as far as I'm concerned.

Toray Superhard Upgrade is excellent for bottom contact baits. It's what I currently use on my jig setup, and if you are not partial to braid then I highly recommend it. I'm currently using 16# and I picked up some #14 for another contact bait setup this season. I wouldn't recommend it for moving baits though because of the stiffness, but that is the trade off for excellent sensitivity and abrasion resistance.

Regarding the cranking rods - I would recommend the 705 in either graphite or glass (fast action). I have been fishing the graphite verion for two seasons now and it is an excellent rod for what you want to do with it. I owned the 704 graphite for a short period and it felt too slow and underpowered for my taste, so I sold it. I have never fished the 705CB Glass, but I am going to pick one up soon to fish this spring. I have heard it is a great rod for what you want to do as well, and if all goes well it will take over lipless and shallow/medium diver duty and the 705CB Graphite will be used primarily for jerkbaits.

Yep. I love it. I use it for all my moving baits save paddletails in cover. Amazing strength and abrasion resistance and I don't find the stiffness to be unmanagable on casting gear, though many will complain about this. KVD L&L helps. Not sure if I would use it on spinning gear though, certainly nothing higher than 6# if I did.

I just placed my first order about a month ago and the jigs look great. I want to place another order and I haven't even gotten to fish them yet. I can't wait to get these things wet!

Thanks for the help guys. I guess I will be sticking with 8# or 10# CXX.

What do you guys think of using InvizX for jerkbait fishing? Other suggestions are welcome, but I'm mainly interested in hearing your experiences with InvizX for jerkbaits.

I haven't tried the Premium Plus, but I used Toray Superhard Upgrade in 16# on my jig setup all season and it seems to have pretty low stretch. It performed very well for me when throwing jigs. Probably can't go wrong with either one.

I will agree that the rod is more important than the reel for jig fishing. However, I have a Zillion 50th on my main jig setup and will always vote for the Zillion platform. They just feel amazing in my hand, despite the weight. All the Zillion variants are solid reels that feel smooth and connected on the retrieve, and some are better than others.

I can tell you from experience that the 705CB is an excellent lipless crank rod.

If this is the case, then I'm very happy I went with the DX784 instead of the DX745.

I have personally thrown 3/4oz jigs with a pork trailer around rocky cover with the DX744 and do not feel that the rod felt taxed at all. However, in heavy cover more power would be appreciated. I just picked up a DX784, but unfortunately I will not be able to fish it until the spring (I have already started counting the days...) so I cannot give much insight here. I can tell you that I agree with what has been stated, that the DX784 is slightly more powerful and has a stiffer tip than the DX744, so it will fish more like an ex-fast rod vs. a fast rod. However, when loaded I find the mid-section of the DX784 to be slightly more moderate in action and bend further down the blank than the DX744. It's a bit strange, but again I have not fished the DX784 so I cannot verify this when truly under load. All I have to go by is the old trusted press the rod into the carpet test... I have not fished or held the Dx745 yet. However, if you will be fishing in the slop or other heavy cover more often than not, I would probably lean that way since it has more power than both the DX744 and DX784.

The 733C is an EXCELLENT 1/4 - 1/2oz spinnerbait rod and I know many love it for senkos and lighter plastics as well, though I prefer the Champion Extreme models for contact baits. With regards to the DX703 vs. DX704, I recommend going up in length to the DX743 or DX744. You will appreciate the few extra inches when slamming the hook home, especially when fishing jigs. I personally use my DX743 for throwing 1/8oz and 1/4oz shakey heads and lighter plastics (like baby brush hogs) behind an 1/8oz weight and think this rod excels here, not to mention 5" senkos. I do believe that the rod can handle 3/8oz jigs in lighter cover as long as you are not using an oversized trailer, but I would step it up to the DX744 if you plan to throw 3/8oz jigs more than the other baits. One last suggestion - maybe you should pick up the 733C first and see how you like the length. As has been stated, the power ratings between Dobyns rods, even between different linups, is very similar. The main difference is that the action of the Extreme linup is slightly faster than the Champion linup, and they will be a bit more sensitive as well. Since this is the case, you can try the baits listed in your original post on the 733C and see how it fits you. If the 733C has the power then go for the DX743/703 and if it feels a little underpowered for your taste, then go with the DX744/704. Hope this helps you come to a decision.

I just picked up some Northstar jigs and I can't wait to try them out in the spring. I have only heard good things and they look great.

That is a woefully broad and general statement that many will disagree with.

Not many models, but awesome deal if they have the one you want.

Same here. Each time I catch a fish on 50# Fireline Braid it digs into itself. It really isn't much of an issue though. Just make sure your next cast is long enough to clear it or pull the line off by hand and it will be fine. Never really gives me a problem.

They are also 2x the price of the RES though. At the rate I lose them, I think I'll stick with the RES.

What hardbait companies do find use quality hooks? I know Strike King is notorious for using bad hooks, but they make some good baits otherwise. I have gotten into the habit of changing out the trebles on all SK baits and on others as well if they don't pass the eye test.

Many pros continue to endorse the "low stretch" properties of fluorocarbon as well... I'm not looking for an argument, I'm just saying. I agree with your premise and I get the physics of the situation - I just think you are vastly overstating the reality of the situation. A bass is not a tree stump rooted to the ground and a rod bends. I have not been fishing nearly as long as you (I'm not even that old) but I do have a lot of experience with 50# braid over the past few years and have never experienced anything remotely close to what you are describing, even when using 30# braid. However, I have sawed off braid quite easily several times trying to free my bait when snagged on a rocky bottom. The bottom line is that I don't feel braid (especially 50#) should be avoided because of the fear that the line will fail when a fish is close to the boat or even on a solid hookset.

I will be EXTREMELY dissapointed if the Zillion is being discontinued...

I doubt you will have abrasion issues with 15# or 17# P-line CXX. No more than you would with flouro anyway.

I don't have a ton of experience with different types of flouro, but it seems like you really get what you pay for in this case. Personally, I use and recommend Toray Superhard Upgrade for baitcasters. It is very stiff (which gives it excellent sensitivity and abrasion resistance) so I imagine it wouldn't be manageable on spinning gear. Some of the common recommendations for affordable flouro I have seen are BPS, Trilene 100%, and Invisix.