David P

There are cheaper beaver knock offs, yes. There are more durable beaver knock offs, yes. But after trying almost all of them, I still go back to the Reaction Innovations ones. The colors are unmatched, and I can't find anything even remotely similar to match the colors I use.

I have braid on 14 of my 16 setups. BUT, I tie a leader on most because of rocks. Invisx is like a rubber band compared to other fluoros that I have used, that is why I hated it so much.

Red Label doesn't have 25lb. I may just stick with 100% for the 25lb need.

Sure, you CAN throw it on mono, but it's not going to give you your very best chance at hooking and landing the fish. Braid will also give you the option to throw it in weedy areas, if you decide to.

Snag Proof Bobby's Perfect frog. Greatest frog out. Soft enough body for a great hook up ratio, hard enough to cast into anything and not get hung up, and great colors and hardware. Although I don't have a fish over 10 on one yet, I've had a single frog last through several 6-7lbers without any issues.

Just did a search, only found one little thing. Just wanted to get a review from anyone that's used it. My big complaint with Invisx was the amount of stretch it had. From someone who has used both, can you tell a difference? Curious to hear any reviews, but very interested in 20lb and 25lb test users. Thanks.

If he's your best friend, and you're that close, just tell him upfront. If you're not THAT close and really don't feel comfortable, next time you feel the boat is too close to the target just try saying. Hey, I think we're going to scare the fish, can we back off the area just a bit and make a little longer casts. Or, Hey today I read online about spooking fish by getting to close, can we try to stay back a bit, I want to see if it makes a difference.

Fish could go 7, but it'd be close, I'd say a safe estimate is 6 1/2.

25lb braid is pretty weak. I wouldn't go under 50lb braid if there's a good amount of weeds. It's still only the diameter of 12lb test.

Leader! I fish braid on I believe 14 of my 16 setups. All but 3 of those I have leaders tied on ranging from 6lb - 25lb pline cxx . Braid is great, I'm not sure what you mean about beat down, but I have the same braid on for a few months at a time without any problems, I just change the leaders.

I've had a few instances where a guy will post A or B rods, and say he thinks he has it narrowed down. I've made a C suggestion, and in the end the poster has been very thankful and gone with C. If the rod is in the same price range, there's nothing wrong with a suggestion. Dobyns rods aren't as big in some states, and maybe the person has never heard of them. I for one took a lot of advice from guys on here suggesting rods that were much too short, and too under powered for the fishing I needed to be doing. I spent a few thousand dollars on gear that was suggested to me, but very wrong for where I was fishing. I was new and didn't realize what I needed at the time. Now that I found out what has truly helped me, I love to try to help people in the same boat. As for pro staffer motivation, MOST guys, and I say this because it's not always the case but definitely should be. MOST guys are on a staff because they truly believe in the product they are promoting. I understand where guys come from, by not wanting to fully trust a pro staffers advice, but in general they're trying to help.

Yes...I've made this comment once before on another Dobyns thread. I'm pretty consistent. I'm just keeping it real, aka asking the tough questions. 'Tons of Pro-Staffers' is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Dobyns, whether I say it or not. I have no idea what Dobyns sales numbers are....but I do know a thread about Dobyns rods will have about 1 guy that has paid retail for a Generation 2 Dobyns....and then at least 5 or 6 staffers. There's 5 members in this thread alone that have purchased rods that are not on the staff (Not sure how RW got his rod or if he paid full price, so if he did that would make 6). There have been 2 staffers that have posted... Clearly your statement is false. Not to mention there's not even 5 staffers that post on BR. I'm by no means trying to start an argument, but there's no need to post any type of numbers up when they couldn't be further from the truth.

I have both, and like them both. If I could do it again, I would have gotten another Fuego and ditched the SOL. ONLY reason for that is because I can't stand slow retrieve reels. Most of mine are 7.1:1, so the Fuego is about as slow as I care for.

The G1 Dobyns rods and the Powell rods were similar. The new G2 Dobyns rods though feel nothing like the Powells, and are leaps and bounds ahead of them. Next time you get a Powell in your hand with a Dobyns G2, put the same reel on each rod, and balance the rod above the reel seat on your finger tip. You'll see a MAJOR difference in balance alone. Also the Dobyns rods have a thinner blank and smaller guides.

I'm glad you like the rod, now you see why I talk about them so much. My frog rod is a 736 and I have absolutely no complaints. Quite a few fish just shy of 8lbs and one that went 8 1/2 with the rod. Not a single problem. It really is up to you. Depending on where you throw your frogs, heavy cover or only slight cover and in open water, that should be your determining factor. If you want to shoot me a PM with more information on your fishing, I can try to help you figure it out more.

I don't live in Texas so I can't comment on that, but I can say the rods sell VERY well out here in California. Each store I go into, has very few left if any. Several of my buddies have 3-10 of the G2 rods, and they paid retail for every one of them. I have purchased many of my rods at full retail price. You may see quite a few guys promoting the rods, but that doesn't always mean they're on the staff, plain and simple a lot of guys love the rods. I know 3 guys in particular who are in no way affiliated with Dobyns and I see them posting about the rods all over the place. uicdent11 - I got the stick jackets originally for my rod locker, but man have they saved my guides on several occasions pulling rods in and out of my car. They are awesome. The trick for the car, if you want to call it that, is just lean the front seat back a little bit and slide one in at a time. They should go in with ease, and no they weren't on the dash board. The jacket really does help a lot though. I'll take a picture of how they sit today if you're truly interested in seeing how easy it is. Just PM me your email.

I have a Scion tC , not much bigger then a Civic, and I get them in with ease. My girlfriend (Had until last week, stolen) a 94 Civic Coupe. I got 3 8ft rods in, 2 7'6 and 4 7'3 rods all in at once with ease. Just get a stick jacket to cover them .

Should take a look at the 734. You have the option between full cork or split grip. Most versatile rod in the entire lineup. To anyone who reads this, if you have any specific questions on rods, and I don't post back on here, please feel free to send me a PM. I'm glad to answer any questions or help with rod suggestions.

Muskie, I don't fish 6ft rods, I also only have 2 or 3 7fters and 12+ rods over 7'3. My 7'3 rods are lighter then most 7ft rods on the market, so I can't imagine you having any trouble with a 7fter. I can't imagine you'd feel any difference in a 6'8 vs 7ft with these rods, as they all balance extremely well. I feel there's a huge advantage with longer rods, and if it were me, I'd grab the 734. I have 2 733's and a 734 and they are the greatest all around rods out there. I throw Senkos, T-Rig brush hogs or other plastics, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, chatterbaits, smaller jigs, ratltraps, all on a 734.

Not sure if you're big into Shimano only, but I'd highly recommend taking a looking at the Revo STXs, especially given that they are on sale and can be had for under $120. The drag is stronger, and they're built like tanks. Perfect for frog fishing. Also, you definitely should go with a high speed reel, there is no doubt about it. Huge advantage when frog fishing.

I sure don't crank a lot, but have noticed this sure helps for me as well. I set a little less hard then I do with a jig, but I still give it a good real hook set.

If you're fishing weeds, I would really recommend a 4 power rod, it's just a little on the safe side. IF you enjoy a fight on lighter line and lighter rods, then by all means the 3 power is fine. But if you don't want to play the fish, and you just want to get her in, go with the 4 power rods.

Dobyns 702s , awesome all around spinning rod. I use it for Drop Shotting, Shaky Head, Flick Shake, Tubes, anything. Awesome stick.

I caught a 12lb6oz 2 months before that fish. I got quotes and talked to guys, but the photos sucked and I decided not to get the replica made. Now that I got a teen fish and good photos, I've wanted to get a replica made, but they're expensive. Hopefully one of these days!

I have 2 of these setups, to cover two different colors, or sometimes two baits I like to punch. Dobyns 805 Punch Rod Revo STX 80lb Daiwa Braid 1 1/2oz Tru-Tungsten flippin weight Youvella Pro Flip hook or Paycheck baits hook Paycheck Punch skirt any d**n plastic you want, I like craw style baits with a relatively thick body so the hook stays in there real good. Do a search, you'll see a few other threads up on here about it.