Mojo Bass VS.....

[Foretwoone]

I'm looking to start my collection of casting rods so I'm looking to grab probably 3 rods. I currently just have a Dobyns champion XP spinning rod. I could probably use some advice on what 3 rods would be the best/most versatile. For reference I'll be fishing almost exclusively lake Fork tx(my house almost backs up to it).  So I'm assuming it'll be a lot of top water, plastic worm/creatures, some spinnerbaits, frogs, and crankbaits. Not really sure if any of those can be handled by the same rods.... I'm still too new to fully get it. 

 

With the original Mojo Bass line on closeout for $120ish I'm wondering if there's a better rod around for equal or less. I've seen the Dobyns Fury line and I'm not at all impressed.  

[MN Fisher]

I have Furys and Mojos - get the Mojos.

 

I just wish the 'new design' was a separate line and they were keeping the original Mojos around.

[thediscochef]

I have a couple mojo yaks and I love them. Can't speak for the dobyns but the mojo yaks I've used have all been dynamite and ridiculously sensitive. I'm a sucker for purple gear too lol

[Foretwoone]

Any suggestions on within the mojo line what rods I should be starting with?

[MN Fisher]

Depends entirely on what techniques you want to do.

[GReb]

Falcon lowrider

[NorthernBasser]

So 3 casting rods from the old Mojo line to get started?

 

6'8 M/F- Topwater, jerkbait, finesse jigs/t-rigs. Could get away with throwing squarebills and lipless in a pinch. 

 

7'1 MH/F- Can do all kinds of stuff with this rod. Jigs, swim jigs, Texas-rig, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, paddletail swimbaits.

 

7'4 H/F- Frog and flipping heavier cover. 

 

Another great series of rods that are on the 'cheaper' end are the Ark Randall Tharp Honey Badger Series. They retail for $130, but with the new line coming out, these may be getting discounted soon. I think they punch higher than their price-point, and they look great as well. But you can't go wrong with the Mojo's, either. 

 

[FrnkNsteen]

I'm not a big fan of the Mojo series as they always seem tip heavy to me. The one exception is the 7' MHMF "Spinnerbait" model.

 

For whatever reason, I really like that rod! It seems well balanced and has a soft tip. I have used it for small spinnerbaits, small vibrationg jigs, whopper plopper 90s and Choppos, etc. 

 

I was once throwing a Choppo on it for smallies in Ontario and got bit off by a northern. I tied on a Rapala OG Slim to throw a crank for a while and had a muskie grab the back hook. Had to take my time working him to the boat but it did it. Lost it as we were struggling to net it (too big for net) but the rod and reel (New Zillion SV TW) did well for what it was.

 

Estimated size was about 50"-53" Wife will testify as a witness as she was staring it down face to face holding the net. 

 

I actually like the Fury line at that price point, especially the 705cb and 733c, but also agree with the Falcon Lowrider and Ark Tharp series. I have an Ark Catalyzer and an Ark Tharp Hammer and like them both!

[gim]

15 minutes ago, FrnkNsteen said:

The one exception is the 7' MHMF "Spinnerbait" model.

 

For whatever reason, I really like that rod! It seems well balanced and has a soft tip.

 

I bought this exact rod for this exact purpose in March 2022 when BPS had their annual trade-in special.  I got it $25 off MSRP and paired it with a Shimano SLX baitcasting reel that I ordered from Omnia Fishing at $15 off.  There is a spinnerbait tied to that thing the entire season.

 

I also have another mojo and a muskie mojo.  I would recommend them.

[Foretwoone]

With all that being said.... Am I better off mix and matching? I kinda liked the idea of a matching set but if I'm only going to have 5 or 6 total bass rods and have no hopes of tournament fishing I don't mind different brands. 

[MN Fisher]

6 hours ago, FrnkNsteen said:

I'm not a big fan of the Mojo series as they always seem tip heavy to me.

I haven't noticed that issue - yesterday's trip included the 6'10" ML-XF and 7'1" M-F spinning and the 6'8" M-F casting and I though they balanced well with the reels I had on them (Ultegra 1000/Miravel 2500/Tatula 100 respectively).

[NorthernBasser]

20 minutes ago, Foretwoone said:

With all that being said.... Am I better off mix and matching? I kinda liked the idea of a matching set but if I'm only going to have 5 or 6 total bass rods and have no hopes of tournament fishing I don't mind different brands. 

 

Entirely up to you. Personally I don't like pigeonholing myself with one brand. Every brand has their own feel to them. Some company's models are great, while others may not be for what you're looking for. There's so many great brands out there that I like to try multiple companies out. I have over 40 rods from 18 different companies. Granted, I may have 4-6 from one company and 1 or 2 from another, etc. 

[FryDog62]

I had St. Croix rods (LTB, AvidX, Mojo) for years and now own a lot of Dobyns rods. Big reason for the switch is balance. Both rod lines are on the heavy side but St. Croixs tend to be quite tip-heavy, especially anything MH or Heavy. Dobyns rods are overall widely regarded as well-balanced. I also have a lot of ALX rods and they are similar to Dobyns in terms of balance, but many times lighter overall. 

[NavyToad]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/102211501?pid=146978

 

Not as discounted as they were last week, but you still can’t beat it. 6’10” and 7’3” are still available.

Don’t let the “open box” worry you. I and several others on here bought them last week - no complaints.

[Texas Flood]

15 hours ago, GReb said:

Falcon lowrider

x2

[FishTank]

I have a Mojo Yak rod and have been very pleased with it. It's pretty soft and is fun to fish. If the regular Mojo rods are like it any fashion for $120 I would jump on it.

 

On the other hand, I have Dobyn's Champion XP M Fast and it too is a nice rod. But at the price of the Mojo, you would have to cut back to two set ups instead of three. 

[JN94]

If you can find a Dobyns Sierra on sale I'd give it a look. Idk what it is but the Sierras fish and feel so much better to be than the Champ XPs. I've sold my XPs and kept my Sierras. The Sierras are actually a hair lighter as well (weighed the 7' MH model of each line). I'll continue buying Sierras but won't buy anymore XPs. I'm probably in the minority on this but that's been my experience.

 

May also want to check out the new SLX A line for $99. I only own one (7'2 H) that I bought for larger paddletails but have been super impressed with the weight and feel of it. Haven't fished any bottom contact so I can't speak to sensitivity