7’ all around casting rod shopping

[TcRoc]

Want a new 7’ to 7’1 all around Medium/Heavy -fast or extra fast casting rod.. I hate this as there r no stores that carry them to get my hands on.. 200 ish.. no particular order. 

1. St. Croix Mojo Bass (I have the 6’8 which I hated but now love) or St.Croix Premier if worth the extra

2. Dobyns Sierra micro if worth the upgrade over Fury

3. Daiwa Tatula

4. Shimano Zodias( new model)

 

also looking for comments on how each rod stacks up with there power /action ratings.. as obviously all r different.. one medium heavy may be more of a heavy and one medium heavy may be more moderate.

[kdubracing]

I have the 6’10 MH Tatula and absolutely love it. I’ve throw everything from frogs to  weightless t-rig Senko to jerkbaits to flipping beavers/jigs and haven’t felt like it’s out of place at all.

[Reel]

I like the Shimano Zodias.  I don't have the new model yet but I've got a couple of seven footers of the old model that I really like.  Go with M/H for an all around rod.

[Hawgfinder]

I have 3 of the new zodias casting rods. 2-7’ m/h and one 6’10” m/h. I really enjoyed fishing we these rods for a month. Light and sensitive and feel really solid all around. The hook keeper kind of in a strange place but at least they have one

[TBAG]

Dobyns Sierra 734c is my choice.

[FryDog62]

Not St. Croix in MH, it will feel like a tip-heavy meat stick compared to the other three you listed IMO. Big fan of the Tatula and 734c in Dobyns is a fantastic versatile rod. Zodias is new but intriguing. 

[Darth-Baiter]

i love my Fury by Dobyns.  it is my favorite rod.  the grip is right..perfect thickness for me.  the shorter handle is easier in a kayak.  i am gonna buy another one. it punches way above it's weightclass.

[FishTank]

Maybe a few bucks over your budget.....  St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast.  It does just about anything. 

[waymont]

Tatula or Zodias. You choose. The Tatula rods are exceptional, not just for the price, but in general.

The new Zodias are pretty slick too.

[throttleplate]

anyone bought a new ugly stick Carbon rod? I bought it in the 6-6 length medium fast and it is super light and has enough stiffness in the tip to which i like.

 

I was at the tackle store and compared in on a table with $200.00 rods bending the tips down together as if i was a surgeon with a patient on the table and so i bought it at $80.00.

 

Liked it so much i quit using all other rods and just used the carbon ugly. Will buy a 7 footer next summer.

 

Ok i am ready for the ugly stick backlash

[TcRoc]

I see a few posting about the 734c.. which I know is popular.. being I’m looking medium heavy are  Dobyns Rods on the lighter side.. so a 734 is close to a medium heavy as a lot of other rods? 

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, TcRoc said:

I see a few posting about the 734c.. which I know is popular.. being I’m looking medium heavy are  Dobyns Rods on the lighter side.. so a 734 is close to a medium heavy as a lot of other rods? 

Yep - compared to my Diawas - the Dobyns Heavy is a Diawa Medium-Heavy. So if you want a 'medium-heavy', the 734 or even the 704 is what you're looking for.

[TcRoc]

18 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Yep - compared to my Diawas - the Dobyns Heavy is a Diawa Medium-Heavy. So if you want a 'medium-heavy', the 734 or even the 704 is what you're looking for.

? Thank you

[kayaking_kev]

19 hours ago, TcRoc said:

Want a new 7’ to 7’1 all around Medium/Heavy -fast or extra fast casting rod.. I hate this as there r no stores that carry them to get my hands on.. 200 ish.. no particular order. 

1. St. Croix Mojo Bass (I have the 6’8 which I hated but now love) or St.Croix Premier if worth the extra

2. Dobyns Sierra micro if worth the upgrade over Fury

3. Daiwa Tatula

4. Shimano Zodias( new model)

 

also looking for comments on how each rod stacks up with there power /action ratings.. as obviously all r different.. one medium heavy may be more of a heavy and one medium heavy may be more moderate.

1.) Mojo Bass uses SCIII, while the Premier uses SCII graphite. Mojo has Split Grips vs a Full Handle on the Premier.

I've personally never used either, but I would go with the SCIII Mojo out of the two, plus I think it looks better. The only St.Croix I have is SCII blended with SCVI and it's a Panfish rod.

 

2.) The Sierra is worth the upgrade over the Fury for most people, but try to get at least 20% off though. 

I've owned 14 Dobyns rods and all of their series, and they all have softer tips than most manufactures, especially the Sierra series, so if you don't like that then stay away from Dobyns. It makes them more versatile and they still have plenty of power, you just have to swing a little harder on your hookset, but once hooked they do a job at keep fish pinned.

 

Another thing about Dobyns is, if your looking for a MH, you probably want to get a H, whereas if it was a St.Croix or Shimano a MH is more of a true MH. They are also not going to weigh the lightest on the scale compared to some others, but definitely won't weigh as much as others. My MH Fury 703c weighed 4.5 oz. while my MH Xtasy 723c weighed 4.6 and every Heavy rated Dobyns rod that I've owned has been at least 5.0 oz. This isn't because the blanks are heavy, it's because the handles are weighted to give them it renowned balance. When you hold them in your hand they feel a lot lighter than their weight on a scale, because most of the weight is being directly supported in your hand and not out at the end of the rod.

 

Sensitivity really is subjective, but for me I don't notice much of a difference between my Fury and Tatula and they both weigh about the same. If it was an O.G. Tatula, then I would say get it. 

 

One thing that Dobyns has over the others is the Lifetime Warranty. Those St.Croix rods and the Tatula only have 5 year warranties, and I believe the warranty on the Zodias is pretty bad. So if that's important, Dobyns is the way to go, because they are all pretty good rods.

 

If you don't want something with as soft of a tip as a Sierra, but want something better than the Fury, I would take a look at the Kaden 714c, their tips aren't as soft and in the same price range. 

 

3. The Tatula is a nice rod, but when I compare it, I usually find myself comparing it to the Fury rather than the Sierra. I think the Sierra is a little better and it's really close between the Fury and Tatula, IMO. The Tatula has Fuji guides, but they are Fazlite, and I don't think there's much of a difference in performance to warrant the extra money when you get a lifetime warranty with a Fury. 

 

4. The new Zodias is a nice looking rod and I want to try those handles out. I've never used one, but my experience from using other Shimano's like the Conquest and SLX is that they will have more powerful tips, not as soft as Dobyns, and the powers are rated more accurately. The Conquest and SLX are some light rods, so I would expect the Zodias to be the lightest of the 4 options mentioned. The only bad thing is their warranty. 

 

In that price range with Black Friday coming up, I would consider the Expride.

[Kayak Fishin]

5 hours ago, FishTank said:

Maybe a few bucks over your budget.....  St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast.  It do just about anything. 

X2!

[TcRoc]

Well looks like may be a Champion Xp 734c from a fellow forum member.  Not the length I was really looking for  but it will be put to use lol.

[NOC 1]

I wouldn't overlook the Falcon Expert. $199 and fishes better than that.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2020 at 5:13 PM, TcRoc said:

I see a few posting about the 734c.. which I know is popular.. being I’m looking medium heavy are  Dobyns Rods on the lighter side.. so a 734 is close to a medium heavy as a lot of other rods? 

The owner of a local shop constantly says Dobyns will blow the lower end Croixs away.  I fondled every line they had from the Fury to the Champions and they all felt heavy.  The other problem I have with them is the lack of a locking nut to cover the threads, for a $230 rod it should have one. 

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2020 at 5:45 PM, kayaking_kev said:

Mojo has Split Grips vs a Full Handle on the Premier

They make split grip premiers.  I think they just started putting splits on without considering what that would do with the balance.  My 7' M F is so tip heavy I need a 8 or 9 oz reel to even come close to balancing it.   

[Junger]

Daiwa 7’ Tatula Elite M/MH for me. 1/8-1oz lures and has a nice soft XF tip. I can throw Ned rigs to a 1oz hard swim bait on it.

[waymont]

Tatula rods are much more sensitive than Dobyns Fury or Sierra rods to me.

[GReb]

23 hours ago, NOC 1 said:

I wouldn't overlook the Falcon Expert. $199 and fishes better than that.

I have another on the way. Offered seller (ALF) on eBay $150 for a brand new model and they accepted it. You won’t find a better rod for that price I guarantee it

[zell_pop1]

You could buy a St Croix Avid MHXF 7' or in Avid X 7'1" 5/16-3/4 oz lures for just over $200. It is a true MH.

[jbsoonerfan]

I have a practically brand new 7' MH Zodias (2020 model) that is MINT I would sell for less than you can buy one for. PM me if you are interested. I will probably list it within the next few days.

[NOC 1]

7 hours ago, GReb said:

I have another on the way. Offered seller (ALF) on eBay $150 for a brand new model and they accepted it. You won’t find a better rod for that price I guarantee it

100%

That Falcon Expert rod isn't as sensitive as the new Z-bone I got, or some of my Megabass stuff, nor do they make the many special purpose and niche rods like Megabass does. But I can throw the Expert in a mix with those rods and in no way do I feel like the Expert is really outclassed.

 

In my opinion they are much better than the Avids, the Tatulas, LTB, etc. In fact I'd put a Falcon Lowrider at about $120 up against any of those rods any day.

 

I have a hard time sometimes figuring out exactly why everybody always recommends stuff like Mojo Bass, and any Dobyns rod other than MAYBE the very top of their line up. Just like when anyone ever asks for recommendations for rods under $100, it's so predictable that a whole bandwagon automatically recommends the Aird-x. Certainly everyone has a right to use what they like and to recommend it.

 

But I have a suspicion that what we end up with is sort of a regenerative feedback loop. Guys who are beginners ask for recommendations. On those recommendations they buy either a Dobyns Fury or an Aird-X. A month later another guy asks for recommendations and that same guy who a month ago didn't himself know what to buy is now on the bandwagon recommending the same rod.

 

So it gets bigger and bigger as we go. And many of the recommendations are coming from people who, while they may be very pleased with their rods haven't really fished with enough other stuff to tell what of the other stuff might be better.

 

The Aird is a nice rod for $50, but the truth is that for $69 the Falcon HD is a much better rod than the Aird and much much better than the cheaper Dobyns stuff.  I wouldn't give you $50 for a Dobyns Fury. If you gave me a choice between a Fury and a $29 Daiwa Crossfire, I'd take the Crossfire in a heartbeat. Or even a Berkley Cherry-wood.

And yes, I've had all these rods.

 

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes. It's just that I have a hard time understanding why so many really good rods get passed over just because 40 people recommend a lesser rod. What's popular isn't always what's best. You can outdo any of the rods mentioned with a Falcon, Ark, the lighter HMG, a few of the BPS rods and likely a dozen more and probably cheaper too.

 

I just try to keep other guys from making the same mistakes I have and save them the hundreds or even thousands of dollars that I blew when I didn't know any better either.  I try to keep people from buying Vendetta's, Veritas,  Furys, Sierras, and etc. because they are not very good rods for the money. I know that rods are a personal thing and that one mans pleasure is anothers poison, but on the other hand a broomstick is a broomstick.

 

Shutting down rant mode.....

[TcRoc]

9 hours ago, NOC 1 said:

100%

That Falcon Expert rod isn't as sensitive as the new Z-bone I got, or some of my Megabass stuff, nor do they make the many special purpose and niche rods like Megabass does. But I can throw the Expert in a mix with those rods and in no way do I feel like the Expert is really outclassed.

 

In my opinion they are much better than the Avids, the Tatulas, LTB, etc. In fact I'd put a Falcon Lowrider at about $120 up against any of those rods any day.

 

I have a hard time sometimes figuring out exactly why everybody always recommends stuff like Mojo Bass, and any Dobyns rod other than MAYBE the very top of their line up. Just like when anyone ever asks for recommendations for rods under $100, it's so predictable that a whole bandwagon automatically recommends the Aird-x. Certainly everyone has a right to use what they like and to recommend it.

 

But I have a suspicion that what we end up with is sort of a regenerative feedback loop. Guys who are beginners ask for recommendations. On those recommendations they buy either a Dobyns Fury or an Aird-X. A month later another guy asks for recommendations and that same guy who a month ago didn't himself know what to buy is now on the bandwagon recommending the same rod.

 

So it gets bigger and bigger as we go. And many of the recommendations are coming from people who, while they may be very pleased with their rods haven't really fished with enough other stuff to tell what of the other stuff might be better.

 

The Aird is a nice rod for $50, but the truth is that for $69 the Falcon HD is a much better rod than the Aird and much much better than the cheaper Dobyns stuff.  I wouldn't give you $50 for a Dobyns Fury. If you gave me a choice between a Fury and a $29 Daiwa Crossfire, I'd take the Crossfire in a heartbeat. Or even a Berkley Cherry-wood.

And yes, I've had all these rods.

 

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes. It's just that I have a hard time understanding why so many really good rods get passed over just because 40 people recommend a lesser rod. What's popular isn't always what's best. You can outdo any of the rods mentioned with a Falcon, Ark, the lighter HMG, a few of the BPS rods and likely a dozen more and probably cheaper too.

 

I just try to keep other guys from making the same mistakes I have and save them the hundreds or even thousands of dollars that I blew when I didn't know any better either.  I try to keep people from buying Vendetta's, Veritas,  Furys, Sierras, and etc. because they are not very good rods for the money. I know that rods are a personal thing and that one mans pleasure is anothers poison, but on the other hand a broomstick is a broomstick.

 

Shutting down rant mode.....

Only thing I would say is..many guys looking for recommendations(Opinions) is because there is 1 million rods/reels out there and no way to touchy feely before you buy. Not because they are always beginners. There’s just way to much out there and most are in a warehouse not a retail store .. more times than none you have to base it off of the forums ,read and than make your decision which leads to another opinion.. it’s what it’s all about and no way around.. it’s not like being able to go test drive a car.