SNK

Thanks Mick. I did a little researching and found, on Janns Netcraft a 10”, 1-1/16OD, 5/16”ID, open ended I believe, Full cork handle that should work (the Dobyns cork measures 10” from the reel seat to the buttcap) I’ll have to figure out how to get the buttcap off, and ream out the new handle. They also sell a buttcap that I imagine I will need for the new handle. Not sure how well filling would do. It has to be at least 1-1/2” long, an inch wide and deep enough to see the blank.

Are there any good videos showing how to replace a full cork handle? New pet got a hold of my Dobyns HP and chewed the cork up pretty good near the bottom of the handle to the point I can see a smal portion of the blank.

People worry or talk about nylon type lines and the "stretching" factor of mono, fluoro, co-poly, but how much do they really stretch when you have a 1lb fish, 5 lb, or 9lb fish on the line, is it inches or is calculated in feet? And is it really enough to adversely affect you catching the fish? For instance, does it truly stretch so much that it would affect your hookset on a jig to the point that the hook does not penetrate enough. Personally, I only use mono or co-poly for my moving baits and fluoro and braid for contact baits, but this question about line stretching has intrigued me for awhile now.

I have always been curious as to how far a bullet weight, unpegged, will really travel down the line. Is it a few inches or feet? Any of you ever test this out? Is it a true statement to say a heavier bullet weight will travel further down the line then a lighter weight? As I said, just curious.

Hello fellow Wisconsinite! I used to own the St.Croix Avid 7' MH. I still have my Dobyns Champion 734C, and the EMTF. All great rods and all will handle what you list for the baits you plan to fish. The only bait you list that I think you may struggle with is the hollow bodied Frog. Typically, many, anglers go with a true H rod (as Logan notes above). I used to be pretty much all St. Croix, and the only reason I do not have the Avid anymore is that I went to all over 7' rods, and ended up going with Megabass and Dobyns due to their actions, feel, and looks - for baitcasting anyway, still own a number of Avid spinning rods that I enjoy a lot.

What lb test did you decide to go with?

Oh, I know you did. That's why I bought both.

I'm going to try frog fishing for the first time ever. And in my search for the "Best Frog", Spro and the Pad crasher came up on reviews over and over again as being couple of the best....so I bought 1 of each to try out. We'll see how it goes. I think you are on the wrong forum, this is a fishing forum. Nevertheless, I will have to respectively disagree with your statement even though technically you are correct. We wouldn't have sayings in our society of "Bigger is better" or "Go Big or go home", if bigger wasn't truly better. You never hear anyone saying "Go little or go home", ever. Sorry, off topic, but couldn't resist.

Same here.

I will be trying out Tatsu in 10 and 12lb for the first time in about a week. Looking forward to it. I had issues with manageability in the past on other fluoro's so I stayed away. But after reading all the positive remarks on Tatsu's manageability, I took the plunge. Hoping for great things!

You won't catch more fish with a higher end rod, that comes more from knowledge and experience, however, in my opinion, you may notice a difference. I started out where you were at, and as time went by I was fortunate enough to make little more money and slowly I transitioned into purchasing higher end rods. To me, I noticed a difference each time I made a step up from one price point to the next. I noticed a weight difference in the rod, and I noticed an increase in sensitivity, and typically better components and build. However, let me state, nowadays you can find light weight rods and good components and build quality across the spectrum of price. As far as increased sensitivity, that is more on an individual by individual basis, we are all different, a sensitive rod in my hand may feel dead in your hand, and vice versa, so it's all relative. In the end, as I took the leap into higher end rods, it increased the enjoyment of my experience more than anything. It did not catch me one more fish than if I was fishing with my original rod all those years ago, knowledge and experience has done that. So if you enjoy what your using and the experience it gives you, don't change a thing. If things change over time, take the leap, you may be surprised at what you find.

Robert - out of curiosity, what reel do you have paired with the DX745?

Narrowed it down to the new Dobyns DX 745C HP, or the Megabass Perfect Pitch. I have read good things about both the previous DX 745C and the Perfect Pitch (hoping new DX line will perform the same.) The only thing I did not see a lot of comment on, is how well the Perfect Pitch can cast jigs. Max jig will be 3/8 oz + trailer. Both handle hollow bodied frogs well from what I have read. Right now it is a toss up between the two and thought I would ask any users who may have used either or both of these rods their opinions, just to gather more info from experienced users before I made a decision either way. Thanks

I'm hoping you are right, thanks!

I would recommend braid, 30 or 40lb depending on how heavy the cover is.

I've reorganized my tackle box twice now since fishing ended in the fall...contemplating another change. I also spend money, just received another DX 744C HP last Thursday and placed a TW order yesterday.

With floro, for me, it's all about manageability. Tried Vanish years and years ago, it turned me off for a long time. Then I tried invisx and a couple of others, still no luck. Now I'm on to trying Tatsu for the first time this coming spring. So we'll see.

I've used flukes with good success. Have a bag of sluggo's collecting dust that I will now throw in the tackle bag and give them a whirl on a scrounger and see what happens.

Hank Parker and KVD.

Around 10 or so. Mostly white and white/chartreuse.

As soon as a few of them gain enough confidence in the Ned rig, that will change, but only if the conditions, in their minds, dictate that loading a Ned rig onto their boat warrants it. Granted the Ned rig, or variation of it has been around for a long time, so I do believe most if not all are aware of it. I would assume anything that goes into their boat is something they believe will help them win, anything else will be collecting dust on the side lines until such a situation warrants their use.

I don't know how I did it, but I missed this statement on TW's site: the new Dobyns Champion XP Full Grip Casting Rods feature the same winning blanks as the original Champion Series and now come equipped with premium Fuji guides. I was sort of hoping for a slight upgrade in the blank, like they just did with the DX rods. Regardless, I like the current blanks for moving baits, and I do like the color of the new logo ....so I think I will still pick one up for spring at some point (734c if they offer it).

Nothing yet on the Dobyns site that I saw. I was planning on picking up at least 2 more champions for moving baits yet this winter so I would be ready for spring. Now I'm going to have to wait to see what these rods are all about...which is a good thing.

From what little information I could find out on the net as well as some advice given by BR members when I was researching different rods, they got good reviews by all. I believe member Tywithay even has a couple of customs made by them. For their price point they are said to be light, clean build, and in some opinions, the sensitivity of the rod is on par or better than rods at a slightly higher price point. I think also, that someone said they have more of a "megabass" type of action, I could be getting that statement confused with another brand though. I never pulled the trigger on one, however, as smallies24/7 states above, with a discount and free shipping, I will be looking for an excuse to pick one up to try.

Just noticed that TW is working on their site and will be selling ALX rods. Nice to see ALX allowing other retailers to promote and sell their product, especially one as well known as TW.