So I’m looking into a mid priced rod to throw large treble hook baits on.  Specifically large whopper ploppers, jackall pompadour, 6th sense trace swimbaits and similar.  I’ll start by saying I’m primarily a St. Croix, Dobyns and Daiwa fan and that’s why I’ve been looking hard at the Sierra 705c mag-heavy rod.  It’s rated up to 1-1/2 oz which should cover my idea baits and the reason I am considering the Sierra is because I’ve read (never fished one) that they have a more parabolic/moderate action compared to others in the Dobyns family.  I know a lot of people like glass, composite and mod/fast graphite rods for these techniques and the Sierra is technically a fast action but would you guys who have experience enlighten me as to if the Sierra is forgiving enough to handle these baits and increase the odds of putting fish in the yak (I fish from a kayak, that’s why i like shorter rods.) A concern of mine is that it may be too powerful of a rod and be counterproductive by pulling the hooks out, so that thought is in the back of my head.  I have a MH legend glass rod that I thought would work, but a lot of these baits are right at the lure rating threshold so idk if it would work or be best to use it, and also I have a heavy lews kvd composite bladed jig rod but I like the idea of having a rod that could also play a future large jig rod and be used for other applications.  Thoughts, advice and info would be much appreciated.  God Bless.

I have a few Dobyns crankbait rods and a couple in the Sierra series. I wouldn't personally recommend that rod for those techniques...also shame to see their prices are higher for these rods. The closest match I have would be a medium heavy rod and while I like the action on it a lot but I wouldn't use it for treble lures. If it were me and I wanted something for heavier lures like the trace around that price point one option I'd be looking at is the Daiwa DXB Glass Reaction rod on TW. The previous gen has some really good feedback from this site and while I haven't used it based on what you are describing that would be one of the ones I'd be looking at...or maybe one of the crankbait rods in the champion xp series but that might be a bit more than you were looking to spend.

41 minutes ago, Brian11719 said:

I have a few Dobyns crankbait rods and a couple in the Sierra series. I wouldn't personally recommend that rod for those techniques...also shame to see their prices are higher for these rods. The closest match I have would be a medium heavy rod and while I like the action on it a lot but I wouldn't use it for treble lures. If it were me and I wanted something for heavier lures like the trace around that price point one option I'd be looking at is the Daiwa DXB Glass Reaction rod on TW. The previous gen has some really good feedback from this site and while I haven't used it based on what you are describing that would be one of the ones I'd be looking at...or maybe one of the crankbait rods in the champion xp series but that might be a bit more than you were looking to spend.

Thanks a lot for the feedback.  These types of decisions are always hard 😂 I’ve looked at the DXB rods before thanks for the recommendation.  One thing is the length on those, 7’5 is outside of my comfort zone on a kayak and I was hoping to get a rod that I know has been heavily tested and well loved by the community.

Im a big Dobyns fan, i love their rods. The Sierra IMO is the best moving bait (not crankbaits) rod in their lineup aside from the much more expensive Champion CB's. Its practially the same rod as the Kaden just with a soft tip. It really, really shines for swim jigs and Chatterbaits, but will do other treble hooked baits good too. However because of the current state of Dobyns (outsourcing customer service to overseas people who dont even know what brand you are calling about, plus their price raises across all lines 3 days ago, and qc issues left and right. I would either do what @Brian11719 said and get the DXB Glass the next time TW does a sale, or wait a year for the new equity firm that bought out the last equity firm that bought out Dobyns to get everything straightened out and then buy a Sierra or a Champion for alot more money than the DXB.

6 hours ago, TNcreekfishing said:

One thing is the length on those, 7’5 is outside of my comfort zone on a kayak and I was hoping to get a rod that I know has been heavily tested and well loved by the community

I take 7'4", 7'9" and 8' rods with me on the kayak alot, unless you #1 are fishing a jerkbait, #2 fish near/under brush and low hanging trees, or #3 have limited space in the truck/car there wont be an issue with a 7'5" rod.

 

If the length really is an issue the Tatula XT Glass is a good option too.

17 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

Im a big Dobyns fan, i love their rods. The Sierra IMO is the best moving bait (not crankbaits) rod in their lineup aside from the much more expensive Champion CB's. Its practially the same rod as the Kaden just with a soft tip. It really, really shines for swim jigs and Chatterbaits, but will do other treble hooked baits good too. However because of the current state of Dobyns (outsourcing customer service to overseas people who dont even know what brand you are calling about, plus their price raises across all lines 3 days ago, and qc issues left and right. I would either do what @Brian11719 said and get the DXB Glass the next time TW does a sale, or wait a year for the new equity firm that bought out the last equity firm that bought out Dobyns to get everything straitened out and then buy a Sierra or a Champion for alot more money than the DXB.

I take 7'4", 7'9" and 8' rods with me on the kayak alot, unless you #1 are fishing a jerkbait, #2 fish near/under brush and low hanging trees, or #3 have limited space in the truck/car there wont be an issue with a 7'5" rod.

 

If the length really is an issue the Tatula XT Glass is a good option too.

Man, I knew Gary had sold but I didn’t know it went to crap like you describe.  I haven’t had to deal with customer service but that’s a shame for a company that is so beloved.  I appreciate the info, from what you guys are saying, you would basically recommend a glass or composite rod exclusively for these baits?  Do you think my MH legend glass would be too underpowered for these?

3 hours ago, TNcreekfishing said:

Do you think my MH legend glass would be too underpowered for these?

The Legend Glass isnt a cheap rod, overloading it will either snap it like a twig after repetitive use or it will be perfectly fine, i personally wouldnt risk it.

2 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said:

or wait a year for the new equity firm that bought out the last equity firm that bought out Dobyns to get everything straitened out

footage of what that will most likely look like:

 

I love the action on dobyns crankbait rods in the kaden and champ xp series but at the moment you would have a very hard time trying to convince me not to go with that Daiwa DXB. Also agree that the closest option from St Croix (for me anyway) would be the LTB (composite model) and honestly that one is ok but in terms of bang for the buck it wouldn't be my first choice. If you read through some of the older posts on this site there are a lot of people that swear by that last gen Daiwa and for the price I'm not sure anything looks better right now...

 

On another note...glad I bought all my rods for the year a couple of months ago from the looks of it...

Sierra 734 would absolutely work for the baits you mentioned. Very versatile rod. 

I'll throw large treble hook baits on a jig hook moving bait rod.  Large moving baits usually have large trebles made from large diameter wire with big barbs.  Similar enough for me.  

I love my Sierra 734 and use it for everything from 1/4 - 3/8 spinnerbaits and swim jigs to 90 & 110 Whopper Ploppers.

 

I don't know what is going on with Dobyns recently, but I have a few Sierra models, including a 682 I use for small topwater poppers like a chug bug or Popr, to a 733c and 734c and all of them are a bit slower than the Kaden and Champion. 

 

In my opinion, they work fine for treble hooked baits as long as you don't swing for the fences on the hook set and try to  horse them in like your fishing a frog

9 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

Sierra 734 would absolutely work for the baits you mentioned. Very versatile rod. 

Thanks for the confirmation.  It’s always a situation where you have differing opinions and it just leaves me unsure.  One person says yes and the other says no I guess it’s all about what works for you but I just want the best option for landing fish.  I like the idea of a graphite rod so I can use it for different things but it seems most people like glass/composite rods for these applications.  That being said, the 734 is a heavy but has lure ratings of a mh going up to 1oz, do you not think some of these baits would be pushing that?  And also what about 704 or 684 if my ratings would work, and I ask because I like shorter rods.

14 minutes ago, TNcreekfishing said:

Thanks for the confirmation.  It’s always a situation where you have differing opinions and it just leaves me unsure.  One person says yes and the other says no I guess it’s all about what works for you but I just want the best option for landing fish.  I like the idea of a graphite rod so I can use it for different things but it seems most people like glass/composite rods for these applications.  That being said, the 734 is a heavy but has lure ratings of a mh going up to 1oz, do you not think some of these baits would be pushing that?  And also what about 704 or 684 if my ratings would work, and I ask because I like shorter rods.

Are you throwing the 5" or 6" Trace? I've thrown the 5" on mine with no issues at all. As well as the 110 and 130 Plopper.

 

As far as the 684 and 704, I don't have any experience with those. But a lot of times when you go shorter on a rod with the same rating/power, you lose some of the softness/tip. The 734 loads up real nice on the cast for these bigger baits. The 734 also makes a great bladed jig rod, as well as frogging in sparse cover/open water. 

 

Like I said, it's super versatile. One of Dobyns' most popular rods. 

I’d look into the champion xp 706cb, it’s a sleeper in the dobyns lineup. Great for trebled baits under 2oz, with enough power for jighook lures too like chatter/spinner baits and swimjigs.

1 hour ago, NorthernBasser said:

Are you throwing the 5" or 6" Trace? I've thrown the 5" on mine with no issues at all. As well as the 110 and 130 Plopper.

 

As far as the 684 and 704, I don't have any experience with those. But a lot of times when you go shorter on a rod with the same rating/power, you lose some of the softness/tip. The 734 loads up real nice on the cast for these bigger baits. The 734 also makes a great bladed jig rod, as well as frogging in sparse cover/open water. 

 

Like I said, it's super versatile. One of Dobyns' most popular rods. 

First off, sorry for the delay in my responses.  I’m currently at work and only have my breaks to respond, but I have some 6” traces already could get some 5” though if necessary.  I appreciate you telling me precisely what you through so I have a better understanding and also for what else it is good at.  Was wondering about chatters so glad to see it made the list.  The Sierra is what I was looking at and I’m glad you back it up, but if you were trying to be as effective as possible would you prefer glass?  Or even a true moderate/fast graphite rod? Idk something like a 7’3 heavy st croix in moderate/fast.. saw they have this in the new black bass series.  Sorry to drill you with the questions.

30 minutes ago, Bass Rutten said:

I’d look into the champion xp 706cb, it’s a sleeper in the dobyns lineup. Great for trebled baits under 2oz, with enough power for jighook lures too like chatter/spinner baits and swimjigs.

I love the idea of this, just don’t know if I’d want to go xp price on a moving bait rod atm.  Its so tempting though 😂 I really do appreciate the recommendation though because when I do go for a more expensive (yes, xp is expensive to me) rod I will 100% remember this.

18 minutes ago, TNcreekfishing said:

I love the idea of this, just don’t know if I’d want to go xp price on a moving bait rod atm.  Its so tempting though 😂 I really do appreciate the recommendation though because when I do go for a more expensive (yes, xp is expensive to me) rod I will 100% remember this.

I totally get it, I'm in a low budget fishing trend at the moment too. Brian11719 mentioned the glass daiwa reaction rod, it's in the same vein as the 706cb with a little more power and half the price, I had a first gen and wish I would've kept mine, it didn't feel nearly as dead and heavy as other glass rods.

ALF has a DC735C-SB used, perfect for the application referenced.

Tom

I’m going to focus on your question.  Large treble hook baits.  If you are talking about 1 oz 2X strong hooks, and you want to stay in the Dobyns line, a 5 power with the most moderate action would be my preference. That would be the Sierra 735C.  In Dobyns speak, 4 is medium heavy, 5 is heavy and 6 is a mag heavy.    Be aware Dobyns CB powers don’t equate to the regular blanks.  Good luck.

10 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

I’m going to focus on your question.  Large treble hook baits.  If you are talking about 1 oz 2X strong hooks, and you want to stay in the Dobyns line, a 5 power with the most moderate action would be my preference. That would be the Sierra 735C.  In Dobyns speak, 4 is medium heavy, 5 is heavy and 6 is a mag heavy.    Be aware Dobyns CB powers don’t equate to the regular blanks.  Good luck.

Appreciate the info!

18 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

Be aware Dobyns CB powers don’t equate to the regular blanks.

^ this is actually very true and why I didn't suggest a kaden 735cb. I'd still suggest a dobyns cb rod for what OP described over a sierra though...and as much as I like the two sierras I own I personally wouldn't use that line for this type of application, but it could certainly be done and that's the thing is action preference varies depending on the individual. In my case I've found dobyns rods seem to be really good at exactly what they recommend them for (more so than other manufacturers) so if a dobyns rod says 'crankbait' on it, the ones I've used have lined up with what I seem to like for a treble hook lure...another thing I like about their rods is the fact that their actions are mostly consistent across different lines...and the balance on them is also notable.  

My suggestion: Check out the Daiwa Elite TTEL741MHRB (Randy Howell collection). Same general price range as a Dobyns Sierra rod.

 

I love it for bigger topwater baits like the Whopper Plopper, Pompadour, Nomad Dartwing, Zara Spook, Sammy 115, Gunfish 117, or other baits like a 5/0 Flashy Swimmer with a 4.8" Keitech Swing Impact or a 6" Magdraft. Combined with a Curado 200K and 15 lbs mono, it's almost always on my deck ready for duty.

On 4/3/2025 at 8:50 PM, MediumMouthBass said:

The Legend Glass isnt a cheap rod, overloading it will either snap it like a twig after repetitive use or it will be perfectly fine, i personally wouldnt risk it.

If you already have the Legend glass you have a great squarebill , and mid diving crankbait bait rod. I'm sure it would fish the mini max or a 3/8 bladed jig fine.

They are no more prone to breakage than any other rod. 

On 4/3/2025 at 9:30 PM, NorthernBasser said:

Sierra 734 would absolutely work for the baits you mentioned. Very versatile rod. 

this is the rod i use for this.  my reel is a very old Curado 200k, that refuses to be anything but smooth and buttery.