Dobyns Sierra Cork Treatment ..Yes or No?

[Juankar]

Hi guys... I recently bought a Dobyns Sierra 703C and a Sierra 734C... can you tell me if you treat the cork with U40 for example or if you leave it as it comes from the factory. Thank you

[scbassin]

I treat all mine with U40 When I receive them.

[ne_dan]

I just leave all my cork rods the way they come.  After a couple of years you may loose a little filler material, but I'm not a fan of the way the feel after sealing them.

[Fishingmickey]

I don't treat, I like a full cork grip too. Just feels right in the hand.

FM

[FrnkNsteen]

1 hour ago, scbassin said:

I treat all mine with U40 When I receive them.

I treat all mine too. I can feel a difference right after sealing, but it usually only lasts for a bit.

 

I've found I notice less of a difference if you make sure to wipe them down really well after cleaning before you seal them. If there is anything like cork dust on them when you seal them, you will lock it in and feel it afterwards. The cleaner it is, the smoother it will be.

 

I also put a very light coat of sealer and wipe off the excess.

[mrpao]

I clean and treat all of mine.

Keeps the cork newer looking for longer.

I think it also helps with resale value because the cork is not all pitted up.

[FishTank]

Usually I say no but the cork on my Sierra BFS rod looks like it's 5± years old and I have only had it a year. I don't know why it's beat up looking but it fishes just fine. 

[MN Fisher]

Fury, Mojo, Victory, Celilo, Reflexion - all my rods that have cork get treated.

[tander]

Sealed the cork on my Sierra's. Will continue to do so.

[SproDD79]

I seal cork with U 40 as soon as I get the rod, regardless of manufacturer.

[Cbump]

Seal all my rods. After about a day or two they feel no different than before sealing but stay cleaner. 

[badfish79]

I seal for all all the reasons stated above, but mostly to keep the cork from getting pitted up. Pits in cork make it look so beat up. Its a lot less effort to seal it when its nice and pretty than it is to mess with the wood filler, sand it smooth and then having to seal it anyway to never have to deal with that again.

[MidwestBassAttack]

No sealer for me. I tried once and hated how it changed the feel. Totally defied the purpose of cork in my eyes. I like my cork naked. Feels great and always good grip.

[MickD]

Would be fun to run a few blindfold tests. 

[swhit140]

I've been sealing my rods for years, for the low cost of the U40 cork sealer it is well worth it in my opinion. 

[Columbia Craw]

Wrapper comes off, U40 goes on.

[ike8120]

Every brand of rod that I have with cork handles get treated with U-40.

[Cbump]

11 hours ago, MickD said:

Would be fun to run a few blindfold tests. 

Agree. Not buying the different feel thing. Probably put too much on. 

[badfish79]

you want to deal with this in a few years?

 

or keep seeing this?

 

 

I think the Sierra and Champ cork is the same, so you would get similar results as this. I dont think the cork is super high quality, so you probably dont need to worry about ruining the "feel" of it. I'd probably have to think a bit longer if sealing some nicer stuff, like Xtasy or NRX cork.

[Marty-WI]

Where do you buy U40?

[MN Fisher]

8 minutes ago, Marty-WI said:

Where do you buy U40?

Most of the online tackle shops carry it

Even Amazon has it.

[Deleted account]

18 hours ago, MidwestBassAttack said:

No sealer for me. I tried once and hated how it changed the feel. Totally defied the purpose of cork in my eyes. I like my cork naked. Feels great and always good grip.

 

Mid West Bass Attack 2024!

 

 

[msgf91]

I just got some of the nicest rods I've had in the last year and I'm even thinking about using the sealer.  I have a used TFO spinning rod with a full cork handle.  Should I try cleaning that and sealing it to try out if I like the sealer or not?  I heard some people use Magic eraser to clean older cork.  What do you guys use?  (Sorry to hijack the thread with a question, I'm also on the fence about using cork sealer)

[Bankc]

5 hours ago, fish_burrito said:

you want to deal with this in a few years?

 

or keep seeing this?

 

 

I think the Sierra and Champ cork is the same, so you would get similar results as this. I dont think the cork is super high quality, so you probably dont need to worry about ruining the "feel" of it. I'd probably have to think a bit longer if sealing some nicer stuff, like Xtasy or NRX cork.

That top rod looks like it lost of fight with a meat grinder!   Seriously, I've got some old, fiberglass rods with cork grips have lived uncovered in either the boat or the garage for the last 40 years that don't look anywhere near as bad as that!  They've never been sealed, or probably even cleaned, either!  I won't lie and say they look as good as the bottom rod, but man... that guy's had a rough life!  

[Marty-WI]

Sorry for the newbie questions.  I cut my teeth in Wisconsin chasing panfish, walleyes and northerns with live bait so used to dirty rods.  I'm late to the bass game, but loving it.  I've grown my Dobyn's collection quite a bit and I'm becoming more intrigued by this procedure.

 

Is this really only effective on new cork or can old cork be cleaned and applied?

 

How often do you do it?

 

Thanks!