Flywatersmallie

I own both and though I have only owned the kayak for a week or so, I already feel more comfortable in there. Its stable almost to a fault. Similar in initial stability to a jon boat. My canoe is big, heavy and slow. My kayak, while still slow, is light enough that I can load it and unload it myself with ease. I can stand in boat, the canoe however is noticeably tippier. I'll keep both of course, I can fish with a partner, hard to do in the yak.

Or sell it and get another Dobyns.... Its funny.... I used to be a die hard St Croix fan but.... I never owned a rod 7' or longer. They all felt tip heavy to me. Since I made the switch, the bulk of my rods are 7' or longer and I don't get that feeling. Dobyns is doing something right that other companies have yet to pick up on. All my St Croix stuff is gone and I couldn't be happier with their replacements.

Casting: Dobyns Savvy 704/Lews tournament Pro Dobyns Savvy 703/Lews Tournament Pro Dobyns Champion 683/Lews Tournament Pro Dobyns Champion Extreme 703/Lews Tournament Pro Dobyns Champion 735/Revo Premier Dobyns Champion 682/Lews Tournament Pro Spinning: Dobyns Champion 681/Daiwa Exceller 2000 Dobyns Champion Extreme 701/Pflueger Supreme XT 9230 Dobyns Champion Extreme 702/Pflueger Supreme XT 9230 Dobyns Savvy 692/Daiwa Exceller 2000 Dobyns Savvy 693/Daiwa Exceller 2000 Fly: Sage TXL 4 weight/Sage 3200 Sage TCX 8 Weight/Ross Vexsis I've got other stuff too but those are all that ever see the sunlight directly anymore.

Dobyns

Pony up the extra 20 bones and get a Dobyns Savvy 702. Sweet spot in that lineup in my opinion. Never mind the medium light rating, that rod is a medium. I own both the 6'9" and 7' model and I like the 6'9" a little better. Can't explain why but you said you were looking for a 7 footer.

I had one, fished it for an hour and promptly put it up for sale a couple years back. Was so tip heavy I couldn't fish it. If you like the feel of it, cool. Your mileage may vary from mine. I ordered it so I couldn't just exchange it for something I liked better. Had to give it a chance. Was simply not a fan. They may be better balanced now, that early release model was the last Mojo I handled

I just can't get the graphite frame on the Caenen. I played with them a little bit last fall and just felt something was missing. Might want to look at the Lews Speed Spool. Awful lot of reel for $100

That is a great all purpose rod. I have the same model, also the same model in the Champion series. You'll be pleased with the upgrade to be sure!

It seems the people who don't like the split grip style is because they handled one that wasn't designed to be that way. The St Croix Mojo rods come to mind. The Premiers and Triumphs balance much, much better using the same blanks and very similar hardware. But, the Mojos are very tip heavy. Balance is key. Look at the Dobyns line. They are not the lightest rods out there but strap a reel on one and they seem almost weightless in hand, even in the longer lengths. As far as aesthetics, thats a different story, either you like the styling or you don't. Personal preference. Loomis GLX rods are nice, but they sure are boring to look at.

They are indeed different blanks. I own rods in all 3 lines and like them all. In fact I have a 703 in all 3 lines. That said, I have more Savvy rods than anything. Cost really wasnt a factor in that either. For moving baits, its Savvy all across the board for me. For TX rigs, plastics and the like the Champion is fine, though I really like the DX703 for the baits I throw up here. I fish mostly smallies and so, I use spinning rods more than a lot of folks on here. The difference between the Savvy 692 and Champion 682 isn't glaring but it is definitely there. The DX701 and 702 are just sick rods though. So, to answer the original question, are the Extremes worth the extra money? Yup, depending on technique. As far as the expanding Savvy line, I want to see a 691 spinning rod! The 681 is sweet in the Champion line!

Daiwa Sol looks pretty sweet on them. On my Champion Extremes, I have Lews Tourney Pros for casting and they look pretty nice. For the spinning models, on one, I have one of the new Pflueger Supreme XT models. Matches perfectly with the black and gold(guide wraps have gold tipping) and balances very, very nice.

Welcome to the disease!

The Tec Spec rods from Dick's aren't bad. Regular price is around $60 I believe but there are so many coupons floating around that you will have no problem picking one up for under $50

The GL3 rods I have handled have been alright, nothing special though. Then again, I hate the IMX and GLX handles so I don't fish them. The Bronzeback series is nice and the handle might be the best that loomis offers in a spinning rig, this side of the NRX. At the $250 budget, I would either grab a St Croix Legend Tournament, a Dobyns Champion (the 682 is a sweet rod) or look for a used Bronzeback GLX SMR822S.

A lot of folks believe the older model (the one on clearance for $39) is a much better model. I am one of those people. I played with a TSH and was not that impressed with it. The Exceler DA is very nice, though I am not sure if they are sold in the US, a friend of mine got one on ebay. That one has the AirBail and everything. It's also more expensive too, $130 or so if memory serves.

+1! In fact, I just got another Exceler 2000 in the mail today. I don't have any experience with the TD-A first hand other than playing with them at the reel counter but, you should be able to change that handle fairly easily.

Having fished both and being a former St Croix guy, Savvy 704 or 734 depending on your preference. The 734 does not feel any heavier in hand (there is that balance word again) but can be a pain to store. I have the 703, 704 and 735 and of those, I would reach for the 704. IMO one of the true sweet spots in the Savvy line.

They were very expensive and heavy. You are right though, it was Hexagraph. Seems to me the guys that bought them raved about them. Then again, they may have been trying to rationalize spending $800-1000 for a rod. I never touched one first hand.

I don't hate Spiderwire Stealth in the smaller sizes. Its not at the same level as Toray Finesse Braid or Daiwa Samurai but its cheap. Power Pro is ok too, the 832 as well. The light Toray is the best I have used for spinning tackle, but its pretty expensive.

I think he'll be alright, the 3000 and 2500 Shimano reels are the same size, the 3000 just has a deeper spool.

I use it for pitching, flipping, soft swimbaits, frogs, stuff like that. I bought it as a jig rod, I like the 704 better for that though

So I got a Dobyns DX701SF spinning rod a couple weeks ago. It needs a reel. Recommendations? Thanks, would like to keep it under 150 clams or so. I had a Stradic on it and for some reason, it just doesn't feel quite right.

Last year's model Daiwa Exceler. The current model Shimano Sahara is also a good choice.

I have 2 of the Tourney Pro reels and 3 of the Speed Spools and I have played with the Tournament. These reels are great from initial inspection. Its still winter here so I have a total of maybe 2 hours on one of the reels but so far I'm impressed. They seem very well built. I like them

Or..... a 703 or 704 and that will cost a bit less and you will be right at the $350 mark. Those Champion rods are the real deal. Citica is a good choice on a reel, there are getting to be lots of good reels in that $100-150 price range. Look at the new offerings from Lew's too, a lot of bang for your buck. Or a Pflueger Summit, they can be had for $120-150 too.