David P

Dobyns rod over the IMX for me any day. I had a GLX that I got rid of for another Dobyns rod. The front cork I cannot stand, and for the price they just didn't do it for me. The IMX rods just don't do it for me, at that price range. I don't have much experience with the St Croix, but I do have two friends that had them. One of which sold all of his St Croix Legends and replaced them with Dobyns. Then another one who is in the process of doing so.

1) Flipping - Dobyns 805 (8ft, 5 power) / Revo STX w/80lb braid Dobyns 765 (7ft6in 5 power) / Revo STX w/65lb braid / 20lb leader another Dobyns 765 (7ft6in 5 power) Same ^^^ Dobyns 784 (7ft8in 4 power) / Daiwa Zillion HS 50lb braid / 15lb leader 2) Carolina rig Dobyns 734 (7ft3in 4 power) Daiwa Zillion 50lb braid/ 15lb leader 3) Spinnerbait Dobyns 706 (7ft 6power CB rod) Daiwa Advantage HSTA 50lb Braid 4) Frogging Dobyns 736 (7ft3in 6 power) Revo STX / 65lb braid 5) Drop shotting Dobyns 702s or 702c I use both (7ft 2 power) Daiwa Tierra / Daiwa Fuego 10lb braid / 7lb leader 6) Shaky head Dobyns 733 (7ft3in 3power) Daiwa Zillion HS 30lb braid / 12lb leader 7) Swimbait Dobyns 806 (8ft 6power) Daiwa Luna 30lb Pline CXX Dobyns 795 (7ft9in 5 power) Revo TORO 65lb braid / 25lb leader 8) Crankbait Dobyns 705CB Glass (7ft 5power) Daiwa SOL 12lb Berkeley Maxx 9) Weightless plasics another Dobyns 733 (7ft 3inch 3power) another Daiwa Fuego / 30lb braid 12lb leader 10) Jig fishing Dobyns 784 and 765 from above 11) Texas rig Dobyns 734 from above

Lighter, better guides, more sensitive, more models, and VERY well balanced. Powells balance incredibly poor causing them to feel much heavier. So I wouldn't say SAME benefits, but some guys don't want to pay the extra $$$.

They're GREAT hooks, but Reaction Innovations stopped selling anything that wasn't their plastic baits. Think it had something to do with not being able to produce the amount they needed to. I hear they should start re-selling stuff in around 6 months.

Dobyns 734 or 704 if you like shorter rods - Great for senkos, spinnerbaits, buzzbait, t-rig plastics Dobyns 765 - great jig / flipping rod can also be used for frogs and some smaller swimbaits under 2oz Dobyns 705cb glass - great for jerkbaits, crankbaits. Little over $190, but you could get 3 instead of 4.

I don't throw DD22's, nor do I own the 805CB Dobyns Rod, but I have 14 Dobyns Rods as of right now, and absolutely love them. I have 2 friends both who use the 805CB for all their deep cranking and swear by them. I have no experience with the Cara, sorry.

20lb braid for a flipping/big bass combo? 50-65 might be a better choice. Just a thought.

Old news loser! Jk, but they are great, I've had one for a few months now and love it.

Wouldn't go that far, at all. There are a few rods out there at this price point, WITH fuji guides. Finally people are realizing they aren't as "GREAT" as everyone once thought. Glad I'm not the only crazy one here.

Best by far.

I use 10lb Suffix Braid / 7lb fluoro leader. Not just visibility, but if you're drop shotting around rocks you can cut the line quite easy.

I sold mine, and glad I did. The rod is a VERY NICE , light sensitive rod, no doubt about it. But for jigs, it's a bit short, and a bit weak. Or at least for my liking. It was a much better senko rod than anything else. I even used it to drop shot. You said you don't fish heavy cover though, so you should be just fine with the rod.

I would definitely wait a little while. Revo S's pop up for under $80.

You don't ALWAYS want to wait a second when throwing a frog. It takes time to learn what type of strikes you should set right away, and which you should wait a second. I hate those frogs, dislike the bend in the hook, and the feel of them. Also, are you throwing it with braid, and a beefy enough rod? all of these could play a part in not landing the fish.

To each his own, lots of guys use light line and enjoy fighting the fish and taking their time. The entire discussion about that not being good for the fish is a topic on it's own, but that's not how I like to fish anyway. I fish 50-65lb Braid with 15-30lb CXX leader , I don't care for allowing a fish to take out any drag. I back my drag off after each fishing outing, and have had no problems with any of my STXs or Daiwas.

Braid. 50lb P-Line Spectrex or Power Pro. Easier to get out backlashes, less damaged to your line when you do backlash, and very manageable. Not to mention you're wanting to fish frogs and jigs.

Revo STX + 50lb-65lb braid = Tighten that sucker down as much as you can. BUT do not use anything other than your hand. Just be sure to back the drag off after each time you fish. Don't leave it tightened down.

Non floating worms can be AWESOME shaky head worms too.

I saw a few of the college guys out there on the 28th, where'd you guys launch from?

I'm glad you liked it, everyone has different preferences with their rods when it comes to length, which is one major reason I love these rods.

Dobyns 705 Dobyns 734 Dobyns 765 Really depends what weight jigs you're throwing, and where you're throwing them. Also depends on what length rod you like. Phenomenal rods, the new models are SICK. Check ***.

Looks like a toad to me, almost exact same measurements as my big fish, but sure looks bigger !

Although I tend to agree there is no in between, I still like to think of myself as being in between ;D It makes me feel better. I guess I'm as big a tackle junky as I can be, given my income.

The Powell 705C is the rod i am selling now(mentioned in the original post)! I love the rod but it is too flimsy at the tip. Way over rated IMO!! Not sure about Powell, but the Dobyns 705c has one hell of a tip. Great worm rod, if you're looking for something tough. I use 733 and 734 for all my worming needs, I leave the 5 powers for jigs. Just a thought, hope you don't take this as an insult, but when I heard flimsy, I thought maybe you had the 705cb? Cause the Dobyns 705 is nothing flimsy at all. Good luck.

Muddy, A $80 Fish Eagle II rod only seems cheap among the expensive tastes of this forum. I do not consider a $80 rod to be cheap!! A good many people can't justify spending even $50 for a fishing rod. Lots of folks here would probably not consider a $100 rod to be expensive, but to me it is. I have several rods that I've spent over $200 on, paired with reels that cost $150 or more and it's nice but at the same time seems a bit insane to be holding a $400 investment to pull fish out of a lake. What cracks me up about the braid thing is some guys will adamantly swear it makes no difference to the fish, yet tie on a flouro leader so they can't see it. I am one who does believe it makes a difference in clear water, so I stick with XT clear since I only fish clear water lakes. However, it doesn't seem to matter to shallow, clear water dinks where the competition factor abounds. It's too true, reading the first paragraph, you reminded me of how I thought 2 years ago. I spent $40 on a just a rod, and thought HOLY #$(% , now $250 rods and $250 reels just seems average and normal. Crazy how things change. Fish can see braid, whether or not it matters, probably less then 10% of the time, more on some bodies of water. I use a leader anyway for abrasion resistance and a little bit of give. Line diameter can play a bigger role then line visibility.