Currently both casting setups are Mojo Bass.  

7’ MHMF cranking that I use for cranking, top water, spinnerbaits/Chatterbaits and jerk baits.

 

7’4” HF swimbait

 

Looking to possibly upgrade, weighing the pros and cons. People seem to love Dobyns for casting, I’m just concerned about them being noticeably heavier.  Also

I’ve heard their power ratings are off (under 1) so why is the Fury swimbait rod only a Medium Heavy? Isn’t that the equivalent of a medium in other brands, and don’t you want at least a heavy for swimbaits?  I’m mostly going to be throwing 1-2 oz 6” baits.

 

Would the Champion XP be a solid upgrade in your opinion?

Yes!

Tom

2 minutes ago, WRB said:

Yes!

Tom

How about in regards to my power rating question?

705 CB Crank baits, General use crank baits. 

795 SB Swimbaits to 3 oz,

Tom

8 hours ago, WRB said:

705 CB Crank baits, General use crank baits. 

795 SB Swimbaits to 3 oz,

Tom

Agreed. Why would we worry about a Dobyns being heavier. I really doubt it and guarantee it's better balanced. 

11 hours ago, WRB said:

705 CB Crank baits, General use crank baits. 

795 SB Swimbaits to 3 oz,

Tom

No experience with the 795 SB, but the 705 CB is a great rod for crankbaits. 

20 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

No experience with the 795 SB, but the 705 CB is a great rod for crankbaits. 

I liked it for spinnerbaits also. 

Dobyns rods are definitely on the heavier side (weight-wise), but they do balance nicely. 

There’s lots of good interviews/pod casts where Gary himself talks about his 1-6 power rating. Once it makes sense, I find his rods to be really consistently labeled. They might be heavier but their improved balance usually makes them feel lighter in real world applications. 
 

I like St Croix, but didn’t love the mojo series. I think champions are a worthy upgrade. 

 

scott

 

youtube hellabass dobyns. Should find a lengthy stream. 

13 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Looking to possibly upgrade, weighing the pros and cons. People seem to love Dobyns for casting, I’m just concerned about them being noticeably heavier.  

I would argue the heaviest rod brand I have used over the years is by far any MH or Heavy St. Croix rod (Mojo, LTB, AvidX, etc). Wore me out and sold them all.  Dobyns are not light rods either, but balance better, just feel right for all day fishing motion/activity and are not nearly as tip-heavy the St. Croixs I had all those years. 

Dobyns ratings were a little confusing to me too, because a 5 power CB rod is not equal to a 5 power jig rod, which is not equal to a 5 power swimbait rod.

 

Think of the power ratings being focused within their area of purpose. A 5 or 6 power CB rod will have more power than a 3 or 4 power CB rod. In the utility purpose, jigs, TR, spinnerbaits,... A 5 power will be higher power than a 2 or 3 power, but cant really be compared to the flipping or swimbait ranges 5 power because that genre of rods is supposed to be heavier, therefore are on a higher scale.

Dobyns started his business using Lamiglas rods and their rod power ratings.

1, light

2, Medium Light 

3, Medium

4, Medium Heavy

5, Heavy

6, X Heavy

ALX uses the same power rating and added 1/2 or Plus ratings as rods became finer=tuned.

Swimbait rod are application specific and generally more consistent between mfr’s.

4, Medium 1-3 oz lures

5, Medium Heavy 1-6 oz lures

6, Heavy 2-8 oz lures

8, X Heavy 3-10 oz lures

To me St Croix is different.

Tom

Champion is fine at $150 but it’s not a $230 rod. 

Dobyns has differentiated their Champion line up into three categories.  Traditional, crankbait and swimbait.  Each category has it’s own assigned power within the category. A traditional 5 power is not the same as a crankbait 5 power which is not a swimbait 5 power. You have to look at the category, the bait weight range and how that range determines the assigned power for the category.  
 

It was an attempt to simplify rating powers but when you overlap the categories it muddles the intent. When I called Dobyns and spoke to Gary himself years ago, he alerted me or cautioned me not to confuse the standard bass model powers with crankbait powers or swimbait powers.

 

Frankly, it would be a benefit to explain this concept in Dobyns catalogue.  I don’t compare what Dobyns ratings are to other rods if I’ve had no experience with the model used to make a comparison.  On the positive side, what I have learned is the graduations in the powers of each model are consistent regardless of the series.  And for the OP,  is a Champion an upgrade over a Mojo? I think so but that will be debated I’m sure.  Just a quick addendum: the flip and punch  models are also a separate category.

I have a few Mojos and a few Dobyns XP.  I just went into the garage and grabbed one of each from my boat with the thought to weigh them just for conversation, however, just holding them in hand, it wasn't worth pursuing as the Dobyn's, whether heavier or not than the Mojo? is so well balanced that it feels like a feather compared to the Mojo.  All of the weight is in your hand with the Dobyns, not in the rod like the Mojo.

 

Speaking from experience, once you use one, you'll buy another and then probably another and those Mojos you have will see less and less action.