bunz559

I'm sure the Loomis is going to be nice.

I throw finesse jigs on a Dobyns Extreme 784 and Orochi XX Braillist. Both these rods have nice tips, the 784 being much softer than the Megabass. My typical setup for around my area is 40lb Power Pro with a 12lb - 16lb FC Sniper leader. I don't often throw anything lighter than a 1/2 ounce unfortunately. I also hardly throw anything much heavier as well. Anything heavier and I'd have to step up my jig rods to something a little stouter and faster tip. Anything lighter than 1/2 ounce and I'd probably step down to a Dobyns 3 power rod like a 733 or 743 and pair with similar 40lb braid and either 10-12lb leader.

Japan Lures can be trusted. I have ordered several from them. Also, I've gotten a Megabass 110 with each order thrown in. ? As for the Chronarch and Bantum, I hands down love the Bantum more. The Chronarch is a nice reel, but feel, casting, durability, and longevity, the Bantum is really nice. While my Chronarch still fishes fine, it's not nearly as nice and smooth as it was 3 years ago. My Bantums aren't as old, but I fish them much harder than the Chronarch and they remain as smooth as new.

The spinning is nice. Comparably to what I have, the Medium Expride is a little bit stouter than my Dobyns. I tried throwing lighter rigs on it and couldn't cast very far. But this past weekend, I tied up a dropshot and added a 1/4oz tungsten weight and casting distance is no longer an issue. So my finding is I need to throw at least 1/4oz or slightly heavier. With the tungsten weight, sensitivity was amazing. I would assume that a jerkbait would be great on this rod as well. For the 7'6mh, I've thrown Texas rigs, Keitechs, and finesse jigs on it paired with a Chronarch 51e. Again, it's a little faster tip than I am used to so I feel it shines in the half ounce and slightly heavier and lighter weights. Definitely has to be heavier than 1/4oz. Bottom contact is where I'd use it though. The extra length really helps with deeper reservoir fishing like where I'm from.

I definitely can see that the reel seat takes a little getting used to. But after fishing my 7'6 MH and 7' M spinning, I've grown to like it. As for the Orochi, they're a perfect fit. Sensitivity is a toss for me between the two. I'll have to try out more of the rods to know. Would love a Destroyer but they're a bit out of the price range. I try to keep my rods in the $300 range. There is an exception on my Dobyn's Extreme as some I purchased second hand and some I got a great deal.

It's not frogging season but have been wanting to order a new frog rod. I was previously using a Dobyn's Fury 735 as a frog rod but found it to be a little too tip heavy for me to walk frogs efficiently. I switched it over to my Dobyn's Extreme 745 and walking and working a frog was a breeze. Seems like the Extreme, while the same power, had a little softer tip. Has anyone had any experience with the Expride 7'2 Heavy and 7'3 Extra Heavy rods? How are the tips? I'd like a good backbone but something with a little less tip. I don't fish too much heavy cover while frogging, mostly open water, occasional tullies, and sparse grass. This rod would also serve as a medium flipping, jig, and heavier Texas rig rod. Thanks for your input.

Let's just say I should've ordered a Medium power rather than a Medium-Heavy. So since I want to try a medium power rod, I figure I might as well step it up. Other than that, the SLX is a great budget rod. Thanks for all the input guys. I think I'm going to try out the Expride as I did get to demo a friend's Jerkbait Special this past weekend.

I currently fish a Dobyn's Extreme HP 702sf as a dedicated drop shot rod. I run a CI4 3000 with 20lb Power Pro Spectra Yellow with Sunline FC Sniper 8lb leader. I'm usually casting quite a bite so the longer rod helps with casting distance and setting the hook. But if I were vertical fishing, I'd much prefer a shorter rod. Can it be done? Absolutely. Is it ideal? Probably not. I've tried with a 7ft rod and it's a little uncomfortable having to point your rod tip high in order to drop it right at the bow. I tend to prefer that Medium or medium-light power with a slightly slower action (preference). I feel like the more powerful and faster action tips make it hard to cast dropshots. Occasionally I dropshot with an Expride 7ft Medium Fast action. The tip's much faster than Dobyn's.

While I don't have a dedicated Expride jig rid, I do have the 7'6 MH that I wouldn't hesitate to through finesse jigs on. I feel the Exprides are slightly more tip heavy than my other rods so the MH would be perfect for that application. What I use mine for are 1/4 to 3/8 ounce Texas rigs. I have mine paired with a Chronarch 51e. As for the Chronarch MGL, I have that too. Great reel. I'd give the edge to the K though, but the K isn't as comfortably palm-able in my opinion.

Unfortunately not. Closest Bass Pro is about 2.5 hours north. Tacklewarehouse is about 2 hours South from me. And the local tackle shop, while great on bait selection, hardly carries higher end rods other than Dobyns. I totally agree with you, I have purchased several rods based on Youtube reviews and have ended up selling them or handing them over to family as gifts. I appreciate your insight. I definitely like my EMFT second gen Orochi. I've been using a Shimano SLX rod for jerkbaits this fall and feel it's finally time to get a nicer rod. Prior, I had a Dobyn's 685cb and it was just to much of a noodle.

Been contemplating on the above two rods for jerkbaits. What's everyone's experience? I have a few rods from each line but would like more insight on each rod. Thanks in advance!

Thinking of picking one up for frogging as well.

I bought one about 4 or 5 months ago, added some braid and slapped it on to a punch rod. Unfortunately, never got out to even use it. LOL! The more I think about it, I will just stick to my 201e7 for that application. I'll probably end up getting an Expride frogging/pitching rod and put the Aldebaran on that.

I currently throw weightless flukes on either a medium Expride spinning rod or a 7'2 medium light Expride casting rod. Reels are a 2500 ci4 or a Curado K. The K is a little unpredictable at times. I feel that fine tuning it to not backlash is a little hard when casting light lures. Other than that, as long as you're not looking to bomb the fluke, the K does just fine.

I'm more interested in the XT than the DC. Love my SLX, would like to love the SLX XT as well. But it is nice that they're offering a budget friendly DC now. The tech has been around for a long time, it's about time they start trickling it down to more affordable reels. The Curado K DC doesn't count in my books cause at full retail, they're still almost $300.

50lb Power Pro to 12 or 16lb FC Sniper.

I know people use the Dobyn's CB series for jerkbaits but I feel they're a bit too whippy to cast and work them. I purchased a 685cb for jerkbaits and sold it not too long after because of this. I still have a 705cb that I use as a dedicated square bill rod that I feel would have the same result as the 685cb if I tried throwing jerkbaits on it. For the smaller ploppers, the 705cb may be fine but may feel too whippy on casts as well. I'd suggest the 733c for those 2 applications. The 733c is a medium heavy fast but as most Dobyn's, it feels like a slower tip than the average fast action. It was a perfect all around rod for me as well while shore fishing. Once I got a boat and started growing my arsenal, I purchased dedicated setups but for awhile the 733c remained a jerkbait rod. I hope this helps. Everyone has their own preferences, but I'd stray away from the 7ft cb line for those apps. If you were looking for cranking, they're great. For the reel, at that price point, I'd spend it on an SLX 7 or 8 gear ratio. It lacks the smoothness cause it only has 3 bearings, but I absolutely love the 2 I have. They remind me a lot of the older, and popular, Curado and Chronarch 50/51e series. If not, the next would be the K.

I run 15 and 20lb braid to 6 or 8lb FC Sniper with 3/16 - 1/4oz weights. I fish mainly deep California reservoirs where fish range anywhere from 15 - 50ft of water. I'd love to use heavier weights sometimes but it's really not a problem, just have to wait a few seconds longer. Heavier weights will also depend on rod capacity.

I's recommend the new SLX's. I have 1 rod and 2 reels. For the price, can't beat them. The Dobyn's Fury is a proven budget friendly rod, but I feel the new SLX slightly pulls ahead because of lighter weight.

They'll last. This real is sturdy and reminds me of the old Chronarch and Curado 51e's. A few bearings less, but you can always add bearings after. If you want size, go with the SLX. If you want smooth, then get the Curado K which is the next step up. But as far as longevity, I don't see any issues with the SLX. I have two SLX along with a few K's, Bantums, Metanium MGL's, and an arsenal of Curado and Chronarch 51e's. For the price, you can't beat it.

Resurrecting this thread. So I've had a few outings with the new EMTF and have thrown several different baits. My opinion, the rod really feels more like a medium heavy with a moderate-fast action tip. There's plenty of power in the backbone section with a slower tip helping with detecting deflection on subtle bites or helping keep fish pinned. Some may prefer a whippy rod for cranks and this is definitely not whippy at all. It reminds me a lot of my Irod Crank Launcher, soft tip with an overall stout backbone. I threw top water walking baits and square bills as far as treble hooks go. I would prefer the top water baits over the square bills though. This rod is a bit more stout and stiff than the parabolic bend everyone talks about in crank rods. But that stoutness paired with the slower tip makes a nice Diamonte or Super Spook rod. I tried 5" weightless Senkos and I definitely liked it. I feel like faster tips sometime makes if harder to cast weightless Senkos, so the slower tip on the EMTF was just perfect. Plenty of sensitivity to detect bites. I tried shakey heads with your standard Trick Worm. The slow tip could work wonders in certain situations with those really subtle bites where the angler needs to see deflection in the rod tip. Lastly, I threw 3.8 and 4.3 Keitechs and the rod performed well. I need more time with the rod though. I just tried throwing a little of everything over the last few outings. Honestly, I think I'm going to have a Senko on it most of the time. I really liked the Keitechs on it too, but would like to spend more time with a shakey head tied on.

I throw my 90's and 110's on a Dobyn's 735 with 65lb braid. It's also my frog rod.

Probably really depends on the type of waters you're fishing in. The main lakes I fish are deep reservoirs in California. Some with clearer waters. Braid to leader is how I fish jigs 99.9% of the time. The other .01%, I fish straight braid when I go to the Cal Delta.

The 733 is going to be one of the most versatile rods. For awhile, when bank fishing, I only carried a Sierra 703 spinning and a Champion 733. Is it ideal in all applications? Probably not. But if I had to choose to carry 1 casting, the 733 would be a great choice.

What the above member said. Look on ebay, they usually have the e7 gear sets for sale. While you're at it, might as well order some carbon drag washers. I did all over the above to my Citica 201e awhile back before I gave it away to my nephew. I really miss that reel. I don't think I'll ever buy another Citica unless it's a 201e series. You can also still order parts straight from Shimano. I linked the Chronarch page as they don't have the Curado 200 series listed anymore. The Chronarch 200 series parts should work as well and offers a 5 and 7 gear ratio. I have had great luck ordering from Shimano since they're located here in California. I usually get my parts in 1-2 days. Shimano Chronarch Parts