7’ all around casting rod shopping

[kayaking_kev]

9 hours ago, NOC 1 said:

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.

 

Wow, that made me laugh a little. I understand your point to an extent, and while the above statement may be your personal preference & opinion for whatever reason and you're entitled to it, but IMO that is a stretch to say the least.

 

There are plenty of people who have used a ton of rods in that price range and agree the Fury is a good rod for the price, Tactical Bassin is one I would mention. The warranty alone is worth more than those other two rods you mentioned. I wouldn't pay full price for a Fury or any other rod for that matter.

 

I can't speak on the Falcon HD, but I do also recommend other budget rods besides the Fury, like the much cheaper Lew's Hank Parker Speed Stick, which for $40 I feel is more sensitive than the Fury, but again it doesn't have a good warranty like the Fury. And of course, I ended up breaking the tip on that Lew's rod with no warranty.

 

If these threads only received replies from people on this forum who have owned about every brand of rod out there, there would hardly be any replies. And, even then it comes down to personal preference, so one who owned every rod out there might not have the same opinions as someone else who has owned the same rods.

 

For the most part, people are going to recommend rods that they have tried and liked and of course there may be some bias sometimes because people want to justify spending their money on that rod.

 

I've bought around 30 rods or more in the last year from a lot of different manufactures, Shimano, Dobyns, G.Loomis, Daiwa, Lew's, Fenwick, 13 Fishing, St.Croix, Berkley, and including three NFC X-Ray Blanks. I get them at good prices, so if I don't like a rod I can sell it for what I paid for it, I don't need to try to justify a rod that I really don't like.

 

One thing I've learned is that just how much of fishing gear choice really is personal preference. We can give our personal thoughts and recommendations on rods to others, but it still requires the buyer to know or figure out what their personal preference is. Some people just starting out and might not know what they like yet and the usual recommendations made in these threads are good starting points. Others who know more of what they like will have to weed through the replies and the information given and see if it sounds like it's what their looking for. Some replies that just name a rod aren't going to be too helpful, but others who tell you why they like a certain rod can be helpful, even if it's the only rod that person has ever owned. I know when I start a thread like this I'm looking to collect as much information as possible to make my decision, and I'm not going to go buy a rod based on the first reply I see that sounds good.

 

 

 

[GReb]

20 minutes ago, kayaking_kev said:

Wow, that made me laugh a little. I understand your point to an extent, and while the above statement may be your personal preference & opinion for whatever reason and you're entitled to it, but IMO that is a stretch to say the least.

 

There are plenty of people who have used a ton of rods in that price range and agree the Fury is a good rod for the price, Tactical Bassin is one I would mention. The warranty alone is worth more than those other two rods you mentioned. I wouldn't pay full price for a Fury or any other rod for that matter.

 

I can't speak on the Falcon HD, but I do also recommend other budget rods besides the Fury, like the much cheaper Lew's Hank Parker Speed Stick, which for $40 I feel is more sensitive than the Fury, but again it doesn't have a good warranty like the Fury. And of course, I ended up breaking the tip on that Lew's rod with no warranty.

 

If these threads only received replies from people on this forum who have owned about every brand of rod out there, there would hardly be any replies. And, even then it comes down to personal preference, so one who owned every rod out there might not have the same opinions as someone else who has owned the same rods.

 

For the most part, people are going to recommend rods that they have tried and liked and of course there may be some bias sometimes because people want to justify spending their money on that rod.

 

I've bought around 30 rods or more in the last year from a lot of different manufactures, Shimano, Dobyns, G.Loomis, Daiwa, Lew's, Fenwick, 13 Fishing, St.Croix, Berkley, and including three NFC X-Ray Blanks. I get them at good prices, so if I don't like a rod I can sell it for what I paid for it, I don't need to try to justify a rod that I really don't like.

 

One thing I've learned is that just how much of fishing gear choice really is personal preference. We can give our personal thoughts and recommendations on rods to others, but it still requires the buyer to know or figure out what their personal preference is. Some people just starting out and might not know what they like yet and the usual recommendations made in these threads are good starting points. Others who know more of what they like will have to weed through the replies and the information given and see if it sounds like it's what their looking for. Some replies that just name a rod aren't going to be too helpful, but others who tell you why they like a certain rod can be helpful, even if it's the only rod that person has ever owned. I know when I start a thread like this I'm looking to collect as much information as possible to make my decision, and I'm not going to go buy a rod based on the first reply I see that sounds good.

 

 

 

The Fury warranty isn’t great. You end up paying $70 bucks for a new rod. The Dobyns warranty program really picks up with the Champion where you can replace a $230 rod for $90. 

[kayaking_kev]

16 minutes ago, GReb said:

The Fury warranty isn’t great. You end up paying $70 bucks for a new rod. The Dobyns warranty program really picks up with the Champion where you can replace a $230 rod for $90. 

True, unless you have a dealer near you and can save $20 on shipping and that's only if the breakage is your fault, otherwise it's free or $20 for shipping.

[GReb]

55 minutes ago, kayaking_kev said:

True, unless you have a dealer near you and can save $20 on shipping and that's only if the breakage is your fault, otherwise it's free or $20 for shipping.

It’s unfortunate that Academy no long fulfills Dobyns warranties. 

[Randy Price]

I went through this same decision a couple of months ago.  I bought a Dobyns Fury 703C and fished with it one weekend and returned it for a SC Mojo Bass 71MHF and have been very happy.  The Dobyns Fury rod wasn't anywhere near as sensitive as the SC MB IMO.

[TcRoc]

6 minutes ago, Randy Price said:

I went through this same decision a couple of months ago.  I bought a Dobyns Fury 703C and fished with it one weekend and returned it for a SC Mojo Bass 71MHF and have been very happy.  The Dobyns Fury rod wasn't anywhere near as sensitive as the SC MB IMO.

Funny as I hated my Mojo when I first got it.. now I love it 6’8 MH/F.. I know I even previously commented I didn’t like it.. but now it’s a go too for my tight fishing

[throttleplate]

1 hour ago, Randy Price said:

I went through this same decision a couple of months ago.  I bought a Dobyns Fury 703C and fished with it one weekend and returned it for a SC Mojo Bass 71MHF and have been very happy.  The Dobyns Fury rod wasn't anywhere near as sensitive as the SC MB IMO.

do any of you buy a rod and use it and then get home and clean it up to look brand new, reattach the tied on tags and take it back as if you never used it? Same goes for a reel. I will come clean and tell ya i did this for a rod, a berkly cherrywood and it came with a reel as a combo and i disliked it after using rod only.

 

I put all the tags back on and told him it never left the house. The salesman whom sold it to me took the reel apart and inspected with a magnifying glass, not kidding as he was hoping to bust me but the only thing i did to the reel was take off the factory line and put braid on it using factory line as a backing.

 

I never took the reel out of the house i just wanted the rod but didnt like the rod and was going to use the reel as a backup so when i returned it i told him the cheap o reel wouldnt reel up my braid evenly and i noticed this when i put braid on in the house. Before i returned it i took the braid off and used it on another reel. I recieved my money back.

[Randy Price]

37 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

do any of you buy a rod and use it and then get home and clean it up to look brand new, reattach the tied on tags and take it back as if you never used it? Same goes for a reel. I will come clean and tell ya i did this for a rod, a berkly cherrywood and it came with a reel as a combo and i disliked it after using rod only.

 

I put all the tags back on and told him it never left the house. The salesman whom sold it to me took the reel apart and inspected with a magnifying glass, not kidding as he was hoping to bust me but the only thing i did to the reel was take off the factory line and put braid on it using factory line as a backing.

 

I never took the reel out of the house i just wanted the rod but didnt like the rod and was going to use the reel as a backup so when i returned it i told him the cheap o reel wouldnt reel up my braid evenly and i noticed this when i put braid on in the house. Before i returned it i took the braid off and used it on another reel. I recieved my money back.

I called Sheel's prior to returning it to see if that was OK.  I literally only used it for a couple of hours but long enough to know I didn't like it.  I was very upfront with the salesperson.

[throttleplate]

1 hour ago, Randy Price said:

I called Sheel's prior to returning it to see if that was OK.  I literally only used it for a couple of hours but long enough to know I didn't like it.  I was very upfront with the salesperson.

scheels where i am at has an indoor ferris wheel, a big layout for a shooting gallery, a small 4 lane bowling alley, a netted tent to try out golf clubs so wheres the casting pool at?

[Basseditor]

May I suggest checking out Kistler Rods sale going on until Saturday. I know not on your list but the sale price will get you to your ballpark budget. 

[DogBone_384]

1 hour ago, basseditor said:

Kistler Rods sale going on until Saturday

I second!  I bought my first Kistler in 2016.  I now have a dozen, mixed casting & spinning, in different sizes and actions.  My collection ranges from Magnesiums to Heliums.  My favorites are the KLX's.  They're made here in USA and won't disappoint.  Right now Kistler's running a sale offering 35% off $600 in your cart or 25% for $300.  

[NOC 1]

16 hours ago, TcRoc said:

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. 

I understand that and agree that is why people ask for recommendations. What I was addressing is why and how a sort of cult seems to form around certain rods and reels that seems to be disconnected to whether they are or are not good equipment and whether or not they are worth the money. That seems to affect the beginners, which is not to say that it is only beginners who ask for recommendations.

 

I also get it that the folks making the recommendations are trying to be helpful.

[TcRoc]

Ended up with the 734c Champ Xp. Paired it with a Shimano Slx Dc . Not the reel I was aiming for at all but couldn’t pass on the price. Have a Curado Dc and like it so figured whatever . 
 

[ChrisD46]

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

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.

*I have a Sierra 734c. and  Sierra 735c. and with the softer tips they become  braid main line fishing machines ... I want to add a Sierra 733c. as Gary himself calls this model an all - around  "sleeper" rod in the Dobyns line up good for many things . 

[kayaking_kev]

9 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

*I have a Sierra 734c. and  Sierra 735c. and with the softer tips they become  braid main line fishing machines ... I want to add a Sierra 733c. as Gary himself calls this model an all - around  "sleeper" rod in the Dobyns line up good for many things . 

Being a Northern guy, the 3 Power is my favorite out of Dobyns rods.

17 hours ago, TcRoc said:

Ended up with the 734c Champ Xp. Paired it with a Shimano Slx Dc . Not the reel I was aiming for at all but couldn’t pass on the price. Have a Curado Dc and like it so figured whatever . 
 

 

That SLX DC does match the colors of the rod great though. I have a SLX version on all my Champion rods for that reason.

[Fishydishy]

On 10/29/2020 at 12:13 PM, Randy Price said:

I went through this same decision a couple of months ago.  I bought a Dobyns Fury 703C and fished with it one weekend and returned it for a SC Mojo Bass 71MHF and have been very happy.  The Dobyns Fury rod wasn't anywhere near as sensitive as the SC MB IMO.

Very true. But the dobyns are more comfortable than the st croixs to me. I was torn between rod comfort and sensitivity. I have bought and tried a lot of the $150-300 range rods from Daiwa Tatula and the elites, shimano zodias, st croix avids, and the dobyns. I am never brand loyal, but I find myself keeping all the dobyns rods from the fury to the extreme simply because they are the most comfortable to fish with among the rods I have tried. 
 

Having said that, a comfortable rod is more important to me. Not that the dobyns are not sensitive, they are sensitive enough. 

[Randy Price]

9 hours ago, Fishydishy said:

Very true. But the dobyns are more comfortable than the st croixs to me. I was torn between rod comfort and sensitivity. I have bought and tried a lot of the $150-300 range rods from Daiwa Tatula and the elites, shimano zodias, st croix avids, and the dobyns. I am never brand loyal, but I find myself keeping all the dobyns rods from the fury to the extreme simply because they are the most comfortable to fish with among the rods I have tried. 
 

Having said that, a comfortable rod is more important to me. Not that the dobyns are not sensitive, they are sensitive enough. 

I'm glad they work for you!  Best Wishes.  Randy 

[Ben77]

Just picked up a SC Mojo bass 71MHF on sale and I'm very happy with it. I was thinking about the Dobyns fury 703c but my heart was set on the mojo just the sensitivity alone makes this a great rod!