How do Dobyn's compare to St. Croix's?

[Randy Price]

I live in the upper midwest (IL & WI border)and had never heard of Dobyn's until I visited this website.  Around here St. Croix & G. Loomis are the premium rods that most guys like.

[JLewis134]

Whenever I recommend rods St Croix is always on my list. Great products and even better customer service. 

 

Premium rod companies for me (as I have lived all across the US) include Shimano, St Croix, G Loomis, Megabass, and Daiwa.

[basser27]

I was a die hard st croix guy until I fished dobyns. 

[FrogMann]

5 minutes ago, basser27 said:

I was a die hard st croix guy until I fished dobyns. 

Dobyns rods feel dead to me. I would go St Croix

[5by3]

Dobyns is better balanced and more comfortable, st Croix more sensitive 

[bogfrog]

I dont know why St.Croix insists on building tip heavy rods. It would be an easy problem to fix.

[evo2s197]

43 minutes ago, bogfrog said:

I dont know why St.Croix insists on building tip heavy rods. It would be an easy problem to fix.

Which models have you deemed  tip heavy?

 

See below

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/224808-help-selecting-14-oz-t-rig-jig-rod/?do=findComment&comment=2541761

[NJBasstard]

I have both St Croix & Dobyns. Compared to the Dobyns the St.Croix is a little tip heavy but the overall weight of the rod is less. From what I understand (don't know for sure) Dobyns uses weights in the butt end of the rod to balance the rod. If that's true than that would explain the overall weight of the Dobyns being more than St.Croix and a number of other rod manufacturers. Even though the Dobyns weighs more it actually balances so well that it feels lighter in my hand. That said, I'm happy to fish either one.

 

For what it's worth all of my experience is with rods around the $200 price point. I can't comment on the high end stuff from either company.

[basser27]

Which st croix rods are you comparing to Dobyns? 15-20 years ago the premiers and avids were great, I thought they were the best bass rods for the money until a few years ago when I bought a Dobyns fury. 6 furys later My st croixs sit in the corner collecting dust lol 

 

I can’t comment on the high end st croixs but if you compare a $100 st croix to a $100 Dobyns it is night and day IMO

[Boomstick]

My oldest son has a pair of Dobyns Sierras, 704C and 703C and my youngest has three Mojo Bass, the 7'1" MH/F Jig & Bait rod, 7' MH/MF spinnerbait rod and the 7'2" M/M Mojo Glass. I also have the Mojo Bass 6'8" M/XF topwater rod and a 6'9" ML/XF Avid X spinning rod for finesse fishing.

The St. Croix rods are amazingly light which I believe gives them the illusion of being tip heavy, although I don't personally have an issue with that. I will say the action on the Dobyns 703C makes it a more versatile rod than any of the St. Croix rods, as the tip is a little more towards moderate fast so it's great for treble hooked baits and weightless soft plastics and still has enough tip for things like topwaters and it also makes a great pairing with the 704C if you are looking for two casting rods to do just about everything besides the heavy stuff. At the same time I don't think Dobyns makes a rod with a extra fast tip and solid bend throughout like the topwater rod that I have which has is great for imparting action on poppers and jerkbaits, but won't manage a larger single hook as it doesn't have as much backbone.

Unlike the 703C however, the Sierra 704C is a solidly fast tip. I would give it the nod over the St. Croix Mojo Bass Jig & Bait rod, but it's also a little more expensive. The action is about perfect for 3/8oz jigs and T-Rigs and has a solid enough tip to manage 1/2oz jigs if the cover isn't too thick (the St. Croix might get the nod here for 1/2oz jigs however).

 

 

[Matt Eisen]

3 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

My oldest son has a pair of Dobyns Sierras, 704C and 703C and my youngest has three Mojo Bass, the 7'1" MH/F Jig & Bait rod, 7' MH/MF spinnerbait rod and the 7'2" M/M Mojo Glass. I also have the Mojo Bass 6'8" M/XF topwater rod and a 6'9" ML/XF Avid X spinning rod for finesse fishing.

The St. Croix rods are amazingly light which I believe gives them the illusion of being tip heavy, although I don't personally have an issue with that. I will say the action on the Dobyns 703C makes it a more versatile rod than any of the St. Croix rods, as the tip is a little more towards moderate fast so it's great for treble hooked baits and weightless soft plastics and still has enough tip for things like topwaters and it also makes a great pairing with the 704C if you are looking for two casting rods to do just about everything besides the heavy stuff. At the same time I don't think Dobyns makes a rod with a extra fast tip and solid bend throughout like the topwater rod that I have which has is great for imparting action on poppers and jerkbaits, but won't manage a larger single hook as it doesn't have as much backbone.

Unlike the 703C however, the Sierra 704C is a solidly fast tip. I would give it the nod over the St. Croix Mojo Bass Jig & Bait rod, but it's also a little more expensive. The action is about perfect for 3/8oz jigs and T-Rigs and has a solid enough tip to manage 1/2oz jigs if the cover isn't too thick (the St. Croix might get the nod here for 1/2oz jigs however).

 

 

I just bought the 7'1 Mojo Bass Med Heavy jigs and baits rod and I can't wait to break it out this spring. I like what you said about it and yeah, its light as a feather. However, we could argue that the 704C Dobyns probably has a slight bit more back bone, however, nothing on this earth beats st croix sensitivity (besides G loomis). A st croix will beat that dobyns in sensitivity anyday of the week. 

[evo2s197]

3 minutes ago, Matt Eisen said:

I just bought the 7'1 Mojo Bass Med Heavy jigs and baits rod and I can't wait to break it out this spring. I like what you said about it and yeah, its light as a feather. However, we could argue that the 704C Dobyns probably has a slight bit more back bone, however, nothing on this earth beats st croix sensitivity (besides G loomis). A st croix will beat that dobyns in sensitivity anyday of the week. 

The sensitivity on the new AGS Xtremes with take a Nrx lunch money for sure.

 

[Revival]

I went from St Croix Premiers to Dobyns Furys.  One of the biggest differences like others have mentioned, is the balance.  All of the St Croix I have felt was so tip heavy.  Something I never noticed till I started using the Furys.  Fishing the Furys felt so much better and natural.

 

Another big thing is their power rating.  St croix’s premier medium is like a Fury medium-heavy.

 

I think in that price range, the Furys is a better bang for your buck.

[Boomstick]

12 minutes ago, Matt Eisen said:

I just bought the 7'1 Mojo Bass Med Heavy jigs and baits rod and I can't wait to break it out this spring. I like what you said about it and yeah, its light as a feather. However, we could argue that the 704C Dobyns probably has a slight bit more back bone, however, nothing on this earth beats st croix sensitivity (besides G loomis). A st croix will beat that dobyns in sensitivity anyday of the week. 

That's a nice rod for sure, but I'm not sure it has more sensitivity than the Sierra 704C, maybe the Fury 704C. The sensitivity is different on both rods. The Mojo might be able to detect a slightly weaker hit which is great for fishing a  T-Rig or a jig for finicky fish, but if you get a weak hit on something like a spinnerbait you can tell the difference between a weed and a fish on the Sierra pretty much instantly without having to set the hook, which is where it has an advantage. It's hard to describe, it's like comparing to speakers, one which can output lows at a lower frequency vs one that outputs more low end at an audible frequency but can't reproduce a low as low as the other speaker.

 

In terms of action and power, both rods are nearly identical.

[GReb]

This is my personal opinion but all of the lower end St. Croix rods I've owned were terrible and sold.  The LTB I own for jerkbaits will never be sold though.  I own a Fury and Champion that are both consistent and feel great in the hand.  They don't necessarily do one thing extremely well but they are very well rounded rods.  I'd love to try a Champion Extreme or Ecstasy

[Matt Eisen]

1 minute ago, GReb said:

This is my personal opinion but all of the lower end St. Croix rods I've owned were terrible and sold.  The LTB I own for jerkbaits will never be sold though.  I own a Fury and Champion. They are both consistent and feel great in the hand.  They don't necessarily do one thing extremely well but they are very well rounded rods.  I'd love to try a Champion Extreme or Ecstasy

I guess I'm just impartial then because I've always been told that st croix rods are the best rods out there and from my experience, I never had a problem. If i needed a good froggin rod, yeah, I probably wont go with a st croix but I'll go with a dobyns fury or champion instead....

 

But I'm fishing st croix's till the day I die

[Stephen B]

5 minutes ago, Matt Eisen said:

I guess I'm just impartial then because I've always been told that st croix rods are the best rods out there and from my experience, I never had a problem. If i needed a good froggin rod, yeah, I probably wont go with a st croix but I'll go with a dobyns fury or champion instead....

 

But I'm fishing st croix's till the day I die

St Croix makes fine rods! Great company

[Boomstick]

6 minutes ago, Matt Eisen said:

I guess I'm just impartial then because I've always been told that st croix rods are the best rods out there and from my experience, I never had a problem. If i needed a good froggin rod, yeah, I probably wont go with a st croix but I'll go with a dobyns fury or champion instead....

 

But I'm fishing st croix's till the day I die

I like my St. Croix rods, and my kids. I also like my other kids Dobyns -- can't think of a much better 1-2 for casting rods than the 703C/704C really. And I like my Daiwa Tatulas a lot too. All good choices

[Finessegenics]

The tip heaviness only seems to be true in my experience with the heavier casting models. My MH Avid X is a little tip heavy, I’ll admit that but I think it’s the best I can get around here. I can’t actually prove it but I’m willing to say for the price you won’t get rods that are more sensitive. 
 

I’ve never held a Dobyns but seeing how popular they are with the members on this site, I’m sure they’re top tier rods. On every “rod suggestion” thread on this site, spinning or casting, 100$ or 300$ budget, a Dobyns is always mentioned. That doesn’t happen for no reason. 
 

I’d say buy one and compare the two! 

[Columbia Craw]

Randy, you are like a lot of guys.  I had never heard of Dobyns rods until I stopped at a large tackle dealer in California about eight years ago.  I saw some Dobyns rods on the rack and liked what I saw. I wanted a new quality flippin rod and went with a Dobyns Champion and so it goes.  I've owned more rods than I can recall including St Croix models.  Over time, I like what Dobyns offers in powers, actions, configurations and so forth. They fit my style of fishing. I've yet to break one.  St. Croix makes a good product. I don't care for their handles at all but that's just me. After time, you know what you like and want from a rod.  I just happened to find it, for the most part, in one brand.

[J.Bass]

St Croix lower end rods around $100-180 feel “tip heavy” as many have said. I do agree think it’s because of how light the rod is in other parts. All my St. Croix rods are super light. 
 

Now my Legend Xtreme is light and very sensitive. I can hold my Legend Xtreme ALL day with no tiredness. It’s so sensitive you can distinguish all obstacles on bottom to a fish bite. I would agree the Legend Xtreme can give any rod a run for its money. 
 

Lower end rods are light and great. I don’t know much about Dobyns but I hear great things. I think each rods from each company work well for different applications. Both to me are great rod companies.

[kayaking_kev]

I've bought 12 Dobyns since October from every series except the Colt. I only own one St.Croix and that's the Panfish Series, so I can't compare them, but I'm sure they make great rods for the same reasons @Finessegenics mentioned about Dobyns, and I love the fact they're made in the USA.

 

The things I love about Dobyns besides that they make great rods that are balanced and look nice, is that you can have conversations directly with the owner and he will give you honest advice, even if that means telling you to buy a cheaper rod, which I've seen him do several times.

 

And, there seems to be more sales on Dobyns rods compared to St.Croix, G.Loomis, Shimano, Megabass, I got 7 of mine for 30% off and 5 for 40% off, at those prices a Sierra cost almost as much as a Bass X, and that's not even a competition. You get lifetime warranties and don't even need a receipt. They have a huge selection of models for about every application you can think of.

 

For those that say Dobyns aren't that sensitive, have you tried an Xtasy or Extreme? Anything below that I use for reaction baits or frogging and they have perfect actions and plenty of options for that. I have rods that are lighter on the scales, but in the hand the Dobyns feel a lot better and lighter due to the balance.

 

Having said that, I still want a NRX 873crr, Conquest 843c, Megabass One Ten Special, and the new St.Croix Xtreme. I didn't really plan to have a full arsenal of Dobyns Rods, but that's how it ended up due to the sales. My first one was between a Fury and a Bass X and had I choose the Bass X instead, I may have a arsenal full of St.Croix instead. In the end, I think it just comes down to personal preference and is all highly subjective. 

[bogfrog]

5 hours ago, evo2s197 said:

Which models have you deemed  tip heavy?

 

See below

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/224808-help-selecting-14-oz-t-rig-jig-rod/?do=findComment&comment=2541761

They could all use some help, the longer heavy power rods especially. I havent handled the newest extreme rods, but the older versions had a rear grip that was a lot shorter than competitors like Daiwa. An inch longer rear grip can make all the difference. Ask around....I'm by no means the only one saying this. When you make one of the lightest rods on the market the place where you have take the weight off is the butt, leaving the tip heavier. You can either add weight to the butt (increasing rod weight) or slide the reel seat farther ahead to get proper balance.

[rangerjockey]

I had a deal with Dobyns and have fished most of them, won a couple dollars with them also. I fish a bunch of St. Croixs now as well as Witch Doctor, Falcon, on and on.

The SC is a better made rod. I think Dobyns has some nice actions but between the 2 I'd pick the SC , I think the Avid is a more sensitive rod than the Champ. and a bit cheaper.

There's been some internet talk about the SC being tip heavy. Some of the older longer LTB's were. The newer ones since 2018 not so much. My 7ft1 jig rod is right on the hook keeper with a E7. My 7ft M  Xtreme is right on the reel nut.

With that said I've heard Dobyns was running a 40% off sale on their facebook page. I doubt the dealers are too happy about it but its a good deal.

 

[bogfrog]

16 minutes ago, rangerjockey said:

I had a deal with Dobyns and have fished most of them, won a couple dollars with them also. I fish a bunch of St. Croixs now as well as Witch Doctor, Falcon, on and on.

The SC is a better made rod. I think Dobyns has some nice actions but between the 2 I'd pick the SC , I think the Avid is a more sensitive rod than the Champ. and a bit cheaper.

There's been some internet talk about the SC being tip heavy. Some of the older longer LTB's were. The newer ones since 2018 not so much. My 7ft1 jig rod is right on the hook keeper with a E7. My 7ft M  Xtreme is right on the reel nut.

With that said I've heard Dobyns was running a 40% off sale on their facebook page. I doubt the dealers are too happy about it but its a good deal.

 

Witch Doctor? Is Adam still making rods down in Florida? I havent heard from him in awhile, we used to speak every week or so. Great guy, and not afraid to think outside the box on rod builds.