Dobyns Champion 734C Vs. 735C Full Cork Review

[DTack]

I want to hear reviews:

 

Dobyns Champion 734C vs. 735C  Full Cork..... 

These two rods are great for different applications to me.  The 734 is overall a slower rod as far as the action goes...  I know you are educated on rods, the tip itself is still somewhat fast but I feel under load it bends further into the blank.  It's by no means a crankbait rod it's not going to bend down to the reelseat but it does have a smooth action and loads fully through the blank.  I feel the rod's overall load before it shuts down (and still has a great deal of power once it does) makes it a great rod in my arsenal.  My favorite baits for this rod are spooks, i.e. Vixen, Super Spook, river2sea rover (both sizes in all), Spinnerbaits (3/8-3/4oz) Chatterbaits (1/4-1/2oz), hollowbelly style swimbaits on open and weedless hooks in 1/4-1/2oz and I actually really like the rod for scrounger heads too (1/4-1/2).  I feel like this rod (for me) mixed with my line choices is unique in that it provides the right action for single hook reaction style baits as well as topwater with trebles.  The rod is slow enough that it allows a fish to "take the bait and turn" before it loads up fully, but once it loads the power is there to drive even the most stout and thick of single hooks.  I also believe that the parabolic action of the rod helps to keep fish pinned and avoid overly large hook holes in the summer time.   

I feel the rod is slightly too fast to be ideal (although it can still be used in a pinch) for crankbaits or ripbaits.  I also feel it is too slow for a jig and not quite enough power (for me) for a frog.  I believe it would make a great buzzbait rod for most fishermen, once again due to the overall action.  I like a heavier buzzbait rod due to where I throw them so it's not my first choice.  

The 735c is an in-between rod to me and I no longer actually own one after using them.  I had used the rod and in most situations where it is useful (for me) I am either using a 744dx or more than likely a 736c.  In comparison to the 734c, the action on the 735 is definitely less of a parabolic bend.  That is the first and largest difference for me aside from slightly heavier action overall.  The tip on the 735 is still soft, however the rod is nowhere near as parabolic overall.  I think this rod would shine for the right person on these following techniques just as an example:

Throwing a frog.  For me personally, I don't like the rod for a frog, I just want something heavier overall and the "casting tip" doesn't matter to me.  With that being said, I can definitely see why some would prefer this rod over the 736c even.  The tip on the rod being a bit lighter definitely would help with casting for most as it will load slightly more with your light hollow body frog.  It still has the power to handle most frog situations that people will put themselves in.  Once again, it doesn't work for me as a frog rod and my first recommendation is still the 736c, however I understand the differences in the way everyone fishes.  

I believe the rod would really shine as a horny toad rod.  The tip may be a little too heavy for some, but I think the power once a fish eats to drive a single hook would be awesome to have, and there is still enough tip to give juuuuuust a bit when that fish blows up.  

I think the rod would also be great for pitching soft plastics or jigs to targets on the bank or around docks where you need a lot of control on the fish, using heavier line like 30-70lb braid, or 15+ lb fluoro I feel the rod would really shine and put you at an advantage over the bass.  

I think this would make a great buzzbait rod, once again I still prefer a slightly heavier rod myself, however for most, I feel this would handle any buzzbait fish in any situation they are presented.  Plenty of power and just a bit of tip to allow the fish to eat.  I also feel it would be a strong candidate for use around heavy cover with a spinnerbait.

I do not think this rod is quite a good choice for any bait with treble hooks (aside from large topwaters like a lunker punker).  

I hope this compare and contrast is helpful to anyone who can see it.  If there are further questions please feel free to ask. Also, I'm sorry to thread jack, if this is a problem I can copy all of this information to a new post and delete from this thread.  Thanks and have fun!

[tomustang]

I want to hear reviews:

 

Dobyns Champion 734C vs. 735C  Full Cork.....

The 735 is a great pitching stick (3/8-1/2) and frog rod. 734, well I didn't choose that one.

[WPCfishing]

These two rods are great for different applications to me.  The 734 is overall a slower rod as far as the action goes...  I know you are educated on rods, the tip itself is still somewhat fast but I feel under load it bends further into the blank.  It's by no means a crankbait rod it's not going to bend down to the reelseat but it does have a smooth action and loads fully through the blank.  I feel the rod's overall load before it shuts down (and still has a great deal of power once it does) makes it a great rod in my arsenal.  My favorite baits for this rod are spooks, i.e. Vixen, Super Spook, river2sea rover (both sizes in all), Spinnerbaits (3/8-3/4oz) Chatterbaits (1/4-1/2oz), hollowbelly style swimbaits on open and weedless hooks in 1/4-1/2oz and I actually really like the rod for scrounger heads too (1/4-1/2).  I feel like this rod (for me) mixed with my line choices is unique in that it provides the right action for single hook reaction style baits as well as topwater with trebles.  The rod is slow enough that it allows a fish to "take the bait and turn" before it loads up fully, but once it loads the power is there to drive even the most stout and thick of single hooks.  I also believe that the parabolic action of the rod helps to keep fish pinned and avoid overly large hook holes in the summer time.   

I feel the rod is slightly too fast to be ideal (although it can still be used in a pinch) for crankbaits or ripbaits.  I also feel it is too slow for a jig and not quite enough power (for me) for a frog.  I believe it would make a great buzzbait rod for most fishermen, once again due to the overall action.  I like a heavier buzzbait rod due to where I throw them so it's not my first choice.  

The 735c is an in-between rod to me and I no longer actually own one after using them.  I had used the rod and in most situations where it is useful (for me) I am either using a 744dx or more than likely a 736c.  In comparison to the 734c, the action on the 735 is definitely less of a parabolic bend.  That is the first and largest difference for me aside from slightly heavier action overall.  The tip on the 735 is still soft, however the rod is nowhere near as parabolic overall.  I think this rod would shine for the right person on these following techniques just as an example:

Throwing a frog.  For me personally, I don't like the rod for a frog, I just want something heavier overall and the "casting tip" doesn't matter to me.  With that being said, I can definitely see why some would prefer this rod over the 736c even.  The tip on the rod being a bit lighter definitely would help with casting for most as it will load slightly more with your light hollow body frog.  It still has the power to handle most frog situations that people will put themselves in.  Once again, it doesn't work for me as a frog rod and my first recommendation is still the 736c, however I understand the differences in the way everyone fishes.  

I believe the rod would really shine as a horny toad rod.  The tip may be a little too heavy for some, but I think the power once a fish eats to drive a single hook would be awesome to have, and there is still enough tip to give juuuuuust a bit when that fish blows up.  

I think the rod would also be great for pitching soft plastics or jigs to targets on the bank or around docks where you need a lot of control on the fish, using heavier line like 30-70lb braid, or 15+ lb fluoro I feel the rod would really shine and put you at an advantage over the bass.  

I think this would make a great buzzbait rod, once again I still prefer a slightly heavier rod myself, however for most, I feel this would handle any buzzbait fish in any situation they are presented.  Plenty of power and just a bit of tip to allow the fish to eat.  I also feel it would be a strong candidate for use around heavy cover with a spinnerbait.

I do not think this rod is quite a good choice for any bait with treble hooks (aside from large topwaters like a lunker punker).  

I hope this compare and contrast is helpful to anyone who can see it.  If there are further questions please feel free to ask. Also, I'm sorry to thread jack, if this is a problem I can copy all of this information to a new post and delete from this thread.  Thanks and have fun!

 

Excellent review.. Thx for adding the 736 in there. From what I've recently be told the 734 is a great all around rod. Although it's rated at a heavy power and the 735 is a Medium Heavy here's how they stack up. The 734 In the 4 power world according to Dobyns it is a heavy.. When you step up to a 5 power things change.. So, in the 5 power world the 735 becomes a medium heavy. The word medium can be confusing but in this case the 5 tells you it's still a heavier action rod than a 4. 

That being said the 5 would be a much better rod for working in heavy cover... The 6 possibly better depending on just how heavy. 

As for casting the 5 will be very accommodating with a half oz bait. I'd be interested in knowing how the 6 tip would react to the same bait weight being thrown,. if its got some life I'm a buyer. I'd probably pass on the 735..

DTack made some great points I'm pleased to hear and agree with. He obviously knows the Dobyns rods. Now where getting somewhere... at least with a few of the Dobyns Rods.