David P

Dobyns 806 / Luna 30lb Fluoro / Swimbaits Dobyns 805 / STX 80lb Braid / Punching Dobyns 795 / Revo Inshore 65lb Braid / Swimbaits Dobyns 784 / Zillion 16lb Fluoro / Deep jigs and C-Rig Dobyns 765 / STX 65lb Braid 25lb Leader / Jigs Dobyns 765 / STX 65lb Braid / Senkos Dobyns 736 / STX 65lb Braid / Frog Fishing Dobyns 734 / STX 50lb Braid 15lb leader / T-Rig baits Dobyns 733 / Premier 15lb fluoro / Senkos Dobyns 705CB / Revo Premier / Crankin and ripbaits Dobyns 702/701 Spinning Rods - Tierra Reels - Finesse stuff. Depending on where I'm fishing, my stuff changes. I have a few more rods that I don't use as much or that are duplicates for the same stuff.

Very glad to see you're all liking the rods. Those Savvy series are some awesome rods for the price, I've held a few but still yet to fish them.

50lb breaks, TRUST ME. 65lb braid has broken on me before too, it happens, but it's much stronger. I use 65lb braid for all of my frog fishing and would never go below that. I'm switching to 70lb Daiwa when I can. When you're throwing top water baits on slop, the line isn't an issue at all. Mono and fluoro stretch way too much to throw a hollow body frog.

Use a leader in clear water, or if you're fishing a lot of rocks. I use 50, 65, and 80lb braid. The 50/65 I use a leader with both of them on rocks or clear water. The 80 is for punching which I never use a leader for. 15lb/20lb braid digs into itself when snagged or fighting a fish. For a spinning reel, 15lb is great. But if you're using a leader and/or fishing in heavier cover, 50 and 65lb braid is the way to go. Braid is VERY limp, it's a big reason why guys like it so much. Even 65lb braid is limper then 8lb fluorocarbon. Gives you a lot of power, yet still very manageable. 50lb braid I use anywhere from a 10-15lb leader if I'm using one. 65lb braid I use a 20-30lb leader.

Good Swimbait rod and under 7ft don't go together. That's like a skinny fat girl. I have a pretty small car, Scion tC and I manage to fit 10-15 rods all 7'6-8ft in there. Curious to know what kind of car you have that can't fit a 7'6-8ft. I'd invest in a Rod Glove or stick jacket that way it's ok if you hit things inside your car with it. Your guides won't catch and rip off.

7'3-7'6 is pretty sufficient. 6'6 and 7fters are where I really feel as though I lose the advantage of a longer rod.

I would highly recommend the Dobyns 766 flipping stick. It's right below your max price range. It's 7'6 and has one hell of a backbone for the heaviest cover. I've never felt another 7'6 rod that felt so light, it balances much better then most 7'6 rods I have felt. It also doubles as a GREAT frog rod. So you won't have any trouble there.

Keep in mind depending on what bait you are throwing, that can add a decent amount of weight. A Full size brush hog plus a 1/4oz weight should put you around a 1/2oz. For t-rigs as light as 1/8oz and lighter plastics maybe a baby brush hog, I would tend to lean toward the 743. BUT, given the fact you want to throw jigs as well, The 744 will do the trick. I have thrown 1/4oz Trig 7" worms with the 734 with no problem at all.

The new Phat frog is pretty sweet, doesn't take on water , and it walks super easy. I have a TON of Perfect frogs and they will probably always be my favorite, but the Phat frog definitely has its place.

Long rod. 7'3 + , I don't like a real broom stick, but I do like a rod with a TON of backbone. I use a Dobyns 736, 7'3 6power, and I also have used a 766 7'6 6power for some frogs.

For jigs in the Delta I use 65lb Braid / 25lb P-Line CXX Leader. For jigs in lakes I use 15-17lb Fluorocarbon, or 50lb braid with a 15-17lb fluoro leader. I definitely think 12lb is too little for any type of jig fish.

I've owned rods from Loomis, St Croix, Daiwa, Shimano, GBlanks, Bass Pro, and a few other rods here and there. After finding Dobyns Rods, I haven't looked back.

I've fished with one on several occasions, and own the 784 Extreme. Both are SICK rods. I'm happy with the Champion series, but every time I pick up that Extreme I say WOW. It's incredibly light and well balanced. The 7'3 and 7'4 , 3 and 4 power rods are the most versatile rods out there. 7'3 being the Champion and 7'4 being the Extremes. I list both powers because depending on where you fish and the cover you fish, some like the 3 power better, and others the 4.

You obviously haven't tried a Dobyns 765 The Powells are much too tip heavy causing them to feel WAY heavier then they are, especially with that Chronarch on there, it will be very poorly balanced. The Loomis GLX isn't a bad rod , I had the 844C GLX and was pretty satisfied. I'm not a fan of the 7footer rod, and don't think it works as well as a longer rod ESPECIALLY for flipping and pitching. Longer rods in the 7'6-8ft range really have helped me. I personally use a few rods to flip and pitch depending on the cover. I use a Dobyns 765 (7'6) for most of my medium flipping and pitching, jigs and beavers. I use a Dobyns 805 for the heavy duty stuff (8ft rod). I sold my MBR844C GLX to replace it with a Dobyns. Although I am on the staff now, I did this WELL before I ever had contact with anyone that worked with Dobyns. I was happy then, and am happy now. Best of luck on your decision.

Nick, I'm very glad that you are happy with the rod. There's many guys on here that are slowly starting to try the rods, and have all been quite pleased. Congrats on getting the rod.

Dobyns 805 Crankin rod. The ultimate deep crankin rod. It's an 8ft cranking rod for launching that bait a mile.

Every Dobyns Extreme rod. Matched with Steez reels and Revo STXs depending on techniques.

Definitely get the high speed.

I'm a FIRM believer in high speed reels. I use them for Jigs, Frogs, Top water, Rip baits, CRANKBAITS, and everything else. You can always slow down, but you can only go so fast. Fish run at the boat a LOT once they're hooked, the faster I can keep up, the better the chance of me landing the fish. I have 7 or 8 STXs, all but 2 are High Speed.

Save some money! I do a lot of flipping and pitching and I use a few different rods for it. My favorite is a Dobyns 765 Flippin Stick. Amazing rod, and incredibly light. It's 7'6" and a 5 Power Rod. They have a 766 if you want an even heavier duty rod, but for what most guys do, a 765 does the trick. For a reel, Revo STX is an easy pick. The drag is the real selling point, given that when you're pitching heavy cover, you don't want your drag slipping when you're pulling a big fish out of an additional 10lbs of weeds. You can get the rod and reel for all of $400 and use the $300 for another combo. I use the 765 probably more then any other rod I have, the fish in my photo was caught on it. Good luck.

13lb3oz Hand tied jig 12:30 in the afternoon July 13th 2008

Check out Dirty Jigs Tackle, this past year I started tossing swim jigs and these were the best I found. I didn't manage any fish over 5lbs, but had a few 3's and 4's. Definitely a fun bait to throw!

I use 50lb, 65lb, and 80lb braid. 50lb braid I typically use a 10-15lb leader if needed, and 65lb I usually use a 20 or 25lb leader if needed. I never use a leader with my 80lb braid. Different techniques call for different line types and size.

Thank you guys very much. Gonna try to figure a way to order a few from the same guy to cut down on shipping hopefully. Thanks!

I can't find much online about these. I have one that was given to me for free a year back, and tried to purchase some more. It looks just like a Pointer 78 but has an even shorter bill. The bottom says Pointer SP Shallow Runner. I googled it but came up with no place that sells them. Any info would be appreciated.