lunkerboss923

Fair enough

I feel like I'm creating a mortal sin, going with a St Croix, but where do I look for these rods at these prices?

You can't find them. I've searched.

I'm sold on the Shimano Miravel. The specs on this thing are amazing. It's ideal for fishing these lures. So my question is since the standard for action is 6'10" Medium Light Extra Fast what would be the closest sub $200 rod from Dobyns. Megabass has the Whipsnake in this action (6'10"), St Croix has their dropshot rods in this action, G Loomis and Shimano do as well. I'm a diehard Dobyns fan boy. Why doesn't Dobyns have their lure specific finesse rods in Extra Fast? Based on what I know about Dobyns the Sierra is a little slower in action, and none are 6'10". The shortest rods in spinning are 6'9" Medium Light Fast. I also realize that Dobyns under powers their rods. If I rarely fish from a boat, so is it better to go with a 7' over the 6'9" for dropshots and finesse shaky heads? I would like to hear some of your theories of why Dobyns goes against some of these standards. Is an extra fast action hard to produce? I can certainly understand why companies make them. It can't be too hard to produce them since St Croix has this action for it's intro line the Bass X. Am I overthinking this?

I can't imagine finding anything better than a Vanford.

Dobyns Sierra 734C with a Shimano SLX DC 150...chatterbaits Dobyns Fury 735C with a Shimano Chronarch 150 XG...Lipless Crankbaits finesse hooks, 65lb braid, rippin grass. Dobyns Fury 703SF with a Shimano SEDONA 2500 ...Snappin' Tubes, Finesse Shaky Head Runner Up Dobyns Champion XP 744C with a Shimano Scorpion DC 150XG...Swim Jigs and Texas Rigs Pictured below was the fish of the year caught on a 703SF snappin a tube!

Maybe, but the same said Pro with a couple of rod, a small tackle box with limited assortment of lures, and no modern technology kind of evens the playing field. A pro golfer is going to beat the Club Pro because he has put in the work and can draw/fade a shot. Give him a set of clubs, no GPS, and 100% relying on instincts will definitely give him a difficult time. The club pro can make it interesting for him. I don't think he walks away 10 strokes better. Bowling, I don't feel there is any home field advantage. You can either roll or you can't. If you are going against Jacob Wheeler, Justin Lucas, or Ott DeFoe heads up 3 rods on your home pond that you've fished 100 times, straight up no technology, I think the pro still has the advantage, but not by much. You can't convince me that all they have to do is show up. Average Joe's have skill too. Dumbing down the pro to bare bones evens the playing field.

Looking around the bank I found a red and blue crawfish shell. I went and grabbed a red and blue lipless crankbait and on the first cast, pulled this out. I have repeatedly been shutout during the fall transition. Conditions were low 60s, blue bird sky, no wind and bass busting shad on a 5 acre pond near my house. I tried the same technique the next few days and the conditions weren't the same and no fish were caught. Yesterday they were the same as they were when I caught this fish, I didn't have my phone, but I did catch 'em. I am figuring out a pattern. Lipless on blue bird chilly days work. Now if I could only figure out what works on cloudy windy days. Contrary to popular belief, red does work during fall and winter transitions.

It's a matter of junk fishing until you find what they like when fishing from the bank. That's why I carry 5 rods. I have a bottom contact jig/worm rod, moving bait rod, cranking rod, fairy wand, and jerkbait/topwater. More times than not I won't catch anything, but what I will do is try a technique that I'm uncomfortable with, like a jig. I am a terrible jig fisherman, but I like it. Sometimes I will search the bank for potential forage that they are eating. The other day I found a crawfish shell that was red and blue. I pulled out a lipless crankbait that was red and blue and on the first cast I caught a nice fish yo yoing back to the bank. I caught 3 other fish doing that. We don't have live target, in fact, the closest thing we have to it is that iBobber that we cast out on a heavy rod and Bluetooth it to our phone. It does work, but it's a heck of a lot of effort. Is it worth it? Probably not, bank fishing is the purest form of fishing, in my opinion. It allows you to think. It makes you think. Sure a nice Phoenix boat, with a high powered outboard, forward facing sonar and live scope is nice and it would make for an exciting experience, who wouldn't want to see a bass inhale your lure underwater? I just think the old timers pros are much better fishermen because they use their brains. Technology is nice, but it has ruined fishing for the younger generations. It's ok to not have a 25lb sack at the end of the day, that's why they call it fishing.

I think relatively speaking the pro would be as good or maybe better. I think the technology angle, assuming the amateur doesn't have a boat or forward facing sonar it might even the field some. If it's a bank fishing deal. It's a complete junk fishing game and if they use the same equipment, then it's really in favor of whomever is catching fish. Are we fishing against Rick Clunn or Jordan Lee? Rick was kicking ass back in the 80s and 90s without technology, Lee was in college 4 years ago and grew up with technology gear. Clunn would be heavily favored against the amateur. Lee would be a favored, but not by much. Assuming the amateur knows the body of water. Most of us bank fisherman have to rely on our senses to make heads or tails of the water. I get a bottom lure (Jig, Texas Rig) and get a feel for the terrain. Throw a squarebill to see if there is grass. Then I pan the activity. Are fish busting Shad. What's the wind doing? I think you'd spend an hour just doing that. I feel like the pro would better than most, but again...I took a friend out fishing for his first time. He caught more fish. I've been fishing 20 years and I think I could give the pro a run for the money.

Here are my Dobyns rods: All Around Finesse 713SF KD Finesse squarebills/Jerkbait 685CB XP Treble Hooks 705CB CL All Around 734C SA Moving Baits 736CB GLASS XP Jigs Worm 744C XP Frogs 735C FR The I do a lot of things differently. I have simplified my system. This works for me. It may not work for you. I spend the money more on bottom techniques. I want the most sensitivity I can get. I don't need a high dollar squarebill rod, the Colt is awesome for the money and it just works. I don't think you need a high dollar frog rod either. The Colt 734c is said to have high end components similar to a high modulus rods like the Champion. I wouldn't spend much on a 734 all purpose rod. Nothing higher than a Sierra. Spend money on your worm/jig rod and maybe your finesse rod. I like a short jerkbait rod so I spent a little here too.

Chronarch is a great reel. I use it as an all purpose reel on an all purpose rod (734c). I just got a Bantam to go on my 736CB Glass. It's my chatterbait, spinnerbait, DT6, 2.5 squarebill, trap rod. It's built for this type of fishing, it's heavier, and more heavy duty. I think Bantams are more duty specific, where as a Chronarch can do a little more. A Chronarch because it's lighter, is going to allow you to fish bottom contact better, feel the bite. The Bantams are built like a tank not much feel but raw power. You need that with all moving baits.

Hair jigs are for sissy boys in Minnesota, catching smallies and walleye eyh?!!

Personally I'm not all that impressed with Ned Rigs. I used to catch them on that rig, but the bite has just stopped. For finesse, the dropshot is killing it! The Yamamoto looks like it is made of the same soft plastic that the senko is made of and really what's stopping us from using a 5 to 6" senko and brake it off?

Soft Plastics ZOOM Trick Worm ZOOM Finesse Worm ZOOM Mag Finesse Worm ZOOM Super Fluke 6th Sense Glitch 3.8 YUM Dingers Secret Lures TUBES Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swimon 2.5 Big bite Baits Fighting Frog Googan Bandito Bug Hard Baits Megabass Vision 110 Megabass Popmax Lucky Craft Squarebill 1.5 6th Sense Crush Mini 25 6th Sense Finesse Squarebill 6th Sense Munch 40 6th Sense $natch 70x 6th Sense Quake Yozuri Pencil River 2 Sea Whopper Plopper

They ain't biting

Prop bait being like a Devil's Horse. Two different things.

They don't sell prop baits anywhere close to me.

I used to think the same way until I wasn't getting any bites with T Rigs or floating worms, I generally hate finesse fishing, but I have a new found appreciation for it. Especially when you get shut out for most of the day and a dropshot is the last thing in your box. When you hammer them for 30 minutes straight...your mind changes quickly. I used to love wacky rigging, but I can't buy a bite. Same with T Rigs. The reliable lures for me are vibrating jigs, traps, squarebills, spinnerbaits, buzztoads and my trusty dropshot! I'm primarily a bank fisherman, I don't have a boat and cannot tell where deep points, breaks, shallow edges etc are, but I have fished it long enough to know where the deep stuff is and where the grass is, especially if I fish cranks or worms

I'm hurting so bad!!! Last cast of the day, I was fishing near a fountain and found a nice little pocket, very narrow and the perfect cast had to be executed or you'd be in the grass and possibly hung up, so I nailed the cast reeled in the slack and the strike dang near took the rod out of my hand (I was throwing a Jackhammer)...the fish hit with something fierce, we battled back and forth i was trying so hard to be delicate but stern in my fight, but she slipped away over to the fountain, and wrapped herself around the dang thing. My line broke off and I knew it was a big fish, it never jumped to where I could see her, but you know what a big fish is when you fight, she did make some heavy splashes and make tons of drama to know I something special. Oh well, it just wasn't meant to be, but it was enough to make my day. You win some and you lose some. It could be a special summer!

It's hard to get a good feel of what works. I've tried everything under the sun this week and I'm only catch them on dropshots. I don't fish super deep, the deepest is maybe 8ft. ***Disclaimer...no hairjigs Here is my standard approach... Morning/daybreak: Start off with a topwater...Buzztoad, whopper plopper, Spook...if they bite I'll fish those until it slows down. Then I'll try traps, vibrating jigs, spinnerbaits, squarebills. Moving baits. After this I'm lost and I'll go with dropshots. I'd like to see how you guys do it .

Got some for 3 bux at Academy...pretty legit!

The new Glitch 3.8 from 6th Sense is by far the best Dropshot lure I've used! I'm fishing dirty water, so I've got a bag of methiolate and it's a winner! I didn't have any luck with my Jackhammer, buzztoad, walking bait, or squarebill, but they hit the dropshot. I'm a firm believer in the dropshot, I used to be a power fisherman, but in a pinch I will pick up a spinning rod. Nothing beats a topwater bite on a frog, walking the dog with a topwater is a blast, a jig bite is fun because it's so unexpected, but there is something special about a simple dropshot or finesse lure. I'm almost ashamed to say I'm leaning towards the dropshot as a go to technique when they aren't biting. Today was slow, but I managed to hook these two.

I'm not sure what the deal is, but I'm absolutely killing bass on them. They don't want wacky rigs, Ned Rigs or Texas rigs. They seem to get fired up, when I throw the dropshot. I fish dirty water mostly, I've tried numerous colors methiolate, red bug, baby bass, Bama Bug, morning dawn. I throw baby flukes, dropshot specific soft plastics, and finesse worms. It doesn't matter the make or the type of lure, the bass are hitting the dropshot. It doesn't make sense to me, I used to kill them on wacky rigs, now I can't buy a bite. What is your take on it?

3/8oz with an ultra vibe speed craw. I prefer black buzzbaits with a clacker and crimp the rivet...you'll thank me later.