PatrickKnight

Mono, coply, or fluro not really sure which to try. I fish a fairly shallow fast moving river. What do you guys prefer (no matter the line I already have the KVD line and lure to use)? I will be putting the line on a Stradic FK 3000 and would like to keep the cost at or close to 20 bucks for the spool.

4 inch green pumpkin curly tail grub.

Yep! Send it out to DVT let him tear it down and get a good look at it. He will be able to tell you if anything needs replaced. Those reels were bulletproof and if it were me I would leave it as such.

Wow just wow

Do you think they are charging 70 dollars more for an Avid for no reason? You can build with the same materials but to different standards and come out with a very different product.

This is why I normally go for a 3000.

I tend to spend more on reels than rods. Stradic FK and a 7 foot medium power fast action rod of your choosing.

I am a huge fan of the original line of Avid rods (don't care for the X due to not liking micro guides) and having owned an Avid for a while (7 foot medium power fast action) I will say the Dobyns is slightly more sensitive in my hands. However the Avid balances a 3000 Stradic FK ever so slightly better as the Dobyns is just a tad tip heavy, likely due to no for grip on the rod ( I would not put a reel that weighs less than 8.5-9 ozs on the Dobyns as the balance would be way off at that point). I don't think you could go wrong either way but for me I would spend 170 on the Dobyns and get some other goodies with the extra 30 bucks. One other thing that played a role for me was the fact Dobyns is less expensive on the replacement cost and since I can do stupid things from time to time this is a nice thing. And just because pics make every thread better here is me testing the 703 out on the river the first day I got it (pic sucks I know).

10-15 lb in freshwater or 15-20 lb when inshore fishing.

Wow I was thinking it was going to be one of the lower tier rods. I am really surprised with that.

Which model did you get?

MHX blanks are really nice for the price you pay for them.

I bet just about everything caught on that little spinning set up is a blast.

Do yourself a favor and give a Sierra a shot. My 703 came in today and wow its impressive. One of the best balanced rods I have ever fished and the most sensitive in the $200 range.

Just a quick shot on the side of the river testing out my new rod Dobyns Sierra 703. This rod is easily one of the best balanced rods I have fished and the most sensitive that I have fished in the $200 price point. So very glad I took a chance on this rod.

They have a replacement policy just like Dobyns and Phenix. They will replace it for a certain fee based on the model no matter if its your fault or not.

Exactly! Just because they are both made out of SCIII doesn't mean they are the same rod not even close.

Even though the blank is the same base material comparing the two side by side there is no comparison of the new Mojo to the Avid. That being said the 30 extra is worth it when it comparing the Bass X to the Mojo. IMO St. Croix got their amazing rep with customer service and the Avid line.

I would find a 7 foot medium power fast action rod. I don't really care for XF tips. The St. Croix Mojo Bass 7'1" medium fast would be a good rod its right at $130.

They do offer a 7 foot 2 power as well.

I honestly think this depends more on where he is fishing and the size fish he is going after. Judging by the bruiser in your avatar pic id say you guys are targeting different size bass. I fish a lot of light wire hooks on one of my river set ups because I would rather straighten a hook than continue to pile trash in my local river. I also do not think there are many if any smallmouth bass in southwest Ohio that can not be handled on 10 lb braided line. Also he stated he is shore bound which means if he is snagged and cant straighten the hook to pull the snag to him odds are a lot of line will be left in the body of water.

You can get a Dobyns Champion in your range. I don't fish casting gear very often but the DC 703C I handled at my local store while messing around with some Champion spinning rods was a very impressive rod. I really haven't seen anybody say anything bad about the Champion line up either.

I personally have never seen a jig head make enough of a difference to warrant using anything other than plain ball head jigs. If I was pro fishing for a living maybe but since I'm not Gama round ball head in the proper weight.

I do the exact same thing

Aetos 7' MF rated 1/16-3/4 oz. and 6-14# This is really the only one you need.