New Finesse Setup

[adamney]

I'm contemplating purchasing a new finesse setup. The rod and reel I've been using are years old and are starting to wear down, so it's time to upgrade. My budget is about $500. For those of you more experienced than I in this realm, I have a few questions:

The Rod: After lots of research and careful consideration I decided I want to go with a Dobyns rod, either the savvy or champion series. My question about this is, for those who have used both series, does the Champion series provide a big enough advantage to justify it's price above the savvy series? If so I have no problem spending a little extra for the quality, but if it's uneccessary then it's a different story.

I thought a 702SF in either series would be good for my needs: shaky head, drop shot, wacky rig, and weightless Texas rig primarily. However, I'm concerned that the medium light may have the backbone to set the light wire drop shot and wacky hooks i use, in which case I would go with the 703.

The Reel: I love shimanos and they're generally the only reels I buy. My eye is on a stradic, either the ci4+ or the FK. Any opinions on which one is better? Their prices are so similar that it's hard to tell. The ci4+ is lighter at around 7 oz, but the FK weighs 8.3, and I don't mind an extra 1.3 oz.

The Line: I want to use braid (power pro) to a fluoro leader (seaguar blue label). Any advice on breaking strength of the braid? I was thinking 20#, but am open to suggestions. The fluoro leader would be 6  or 8 pound depending on what rig I'm using.

That was a ton of questions, so thanks a lot in advance. All opinions are appreciated.

[Robert Riley]

I'm on the way out of the house, so I'll post just about the rod. Champions are much nicer than the savvys, and the Extremes are as much better than the champions. If you're spending $500, buy an extreme, I've heard great things about the DX734sf. In my experience, when it comes to spinning gear, the money is mostly on the rod. I have two spinning reels, $50 and $130, don't prefer one of the other. The price difference doesnt matter as much as in casting gear. 

[Darren.]

1 hour ago, adamney said:

I'm contemplating purchasing a new finesse setup. The rod and reel I've been using are years old and are starting to wear down, so it's time to upgrade. My budget is about $500. For those of you more experienced than I in this realm, I have a few questions:
.......
The Reel: I love shimanos and they're generally the only reels I buy. My eye is on a stradic, either the ci4+ or the FK. Any opinions on which one is better? Their prices are so similar that it's hard to tell. The ci4+ is lighter at around 7 oz, but the FK weighs 8.3, and I don't mind an extra 1.3 oz.

The Line: I want to use braid (power pro) to a fluoro leader (seaguar blue label). Any advice on breaking strength of the braid? I was thinking 20#, but am open to suggestions. The fluoro leader would be 6  or 8 pound depending on what rig I'm using.

That was a ton of questions, so thanks a lot in advance. All opinions are appreciated.

First: Welcome aboard!

As far as the rods, no can help. No Dobyns experience.

Reels, I'm a big fan of the Stradic line. Bought two FJs
last year, probably won't upgrade again for a couple
more. But by that time, I'll likely go with the FK (better
pricing prior to new model release).

Concerning braid. You don't *NEED* to go with anything
over 15#. I am perfectly comfortable with 10# PP and a 
leader from 6-15# depending on what I'm fishing in.

I'm currently using 15# PP SuperSlick 8 on a bunch of 
reels because I got a great deal on a 1500 yard spool. 
Otherwise, every spinning reel would have 10# on it.

Fluoro is fine at 6 or 8#.

[adamney]

Thanks for the thoughts guys! It is much appreciated.

[Fisher-O-men]

For the knot- Alberto!  Uni/uni if you want to break off fish!

[rawjuice]

Dobyns is definitely a great choice, if you are looking to spend that kind of money and you want a good finesse setup, i would go to the champions or champion extreme. These are more sensitive than the savvy. For braid to fluoro choice, 10-20# braid to 6-8# fluoro is what I would go with, so you are pretty much spot on with what you are thinking of getting. I like lighter line because the bait just works more natural and you really want that for finesse. Good luck bud!

[blckshirt98]

The new Stradic CI4+ reels they're releasing at ICAST look sweet, and will probably retain more value if you ever need to sell it for some unforeseen reason.