Future Rod Arsenal. Thoughts, Opinions? 2025
T_Nix35 reply :
Hey fellas,
I am trying to get my rod selection down for next season so I can be prepared going into the FLW (BFL, Co-Angler) season next year. I recently fished my first tournament as a Co-angler and placed 28th out of 106 co-anglers. I feel like that is pretty good and know that I have the ability to fish with a lot of these guys competitively. With all of that being said this is what I have so far:
Dobyns Champion 702SF-Drop-shot, Wacky Rigs
Dobyns Champion 702C-Shaky-Heads, Small Top-waters
Dobyns Champion 703C-Heavy/Thick Cover Shaky Heads, Small Jigs, Large Top-Water, Light Texas Rigs, Light C-Rigs, Spinner Baits
Dobyns Champion 704C- Frogs, Jigs, Carolina Rigs, Swimbaits, Pitchin', Texas Rigs
Dobyns Champion 736C F/H- Heavy Cover: Pitchin', Frogs, Carolina Rigs, Punchin
Dobyns Champion 805CB-Crank Baits, Mid-Deep Divers, Squarbills
I want a versatile six rod setup and I feel like this covers it all. If y'all could give me some opinions on what I have chosen and whether or not these six rods will do everything I could possibly need them to do. I would appreciate some insight!
Thanks,
TCN
iabass8 reply :
Sub the 736 for the 766 or 805 if your doing any punching. The 736 is a beastly rod but isnt a great punching stick.
Would also get the 705 or 735 for jigs/crigs/frogs over the 704
T_Nix35 reply :
On 5/6/2014 at 10:42 AM, iabass8 said:Sub the 736 for the 766 or 805 if your doing any punching. The 736 is a beastly rod but isnt a great punching stick.
Would also get the 705 or 735 for jigs/crigs/frogs over the 704
Would the 736 work since I only have 6 spots? Or will the 766 work just as well as the 736 for all of the presentations I could use it for while also being a good punching stick? Also why would you pick the 705 over the 704? Can it be used for all the presentations used by the 704, just with a little more backbone?
iabass8 reply :
Id rather use the 766 for frogs/punching/flipping heavy cover than using the 736. Neither rod walks frogs very well but the 736 will walk a frog much better than the 766.
I would personally get the 735 over the 704/705 and use that for jigs/frogs in cover/trigs/carolina rigs. It has a unique xf tip that is more lucrative when using it as a utility rod. You can throw a very wide range of baits on this rod. It also depends on what you consider "light" texas rigs.
tomustang reply :
You forgot jerkbaits. I'm not a dobyns connoisseur but I'd throw the jerkbaits along with every thing you have listed on a 6'8MF which would probably be a 683.
Arv reply :
It may just be me, but I wouldn't want the 805 for squarebills. I'm not an expert on cranks, but if I was to get a do it all cranking rod from the Dobyns line up I feel like I would lean towards the 765. I have the 705cb as my all around treble hook rod and its been fantastic so far, though I don't really throw any mid-deep divers.
T_Nix35 reply :
Alright so rather then get a 704/705, I should get a 735 for all of my bottom presentations as well as froggin? Also I should get a 766 for my pitchin'/flippin rod? As far as jerk baits go I plan on using my 702C for Jerkbaits. And the only reason I put Squarbills on my 805CB is because it is heavy enough to use when throwing SB in cover. I could use it on my 703C, I will just have to see which one works better. I don't mean a med-deep crank bait, I mean medium divers to deep divers haha. Thats my mistake.
Grantman83 reply :
Punching and heavy stuff - 766
Jigs/trigs/frogs - 735
Cranking - 765 cb glass
Spinning - 702sf
Flukes, weightless plastics, senkos - 703
Moving baits w/one hook and everything else -734
iabass8 reply :
On 5/6/2014 at 7:21 PM, Grantman83 said:Punching and heavy stuff - 766
Jigs/trigs/frogs - 735
Cranking - 765 cb glass
Spinning - 702sf
Flukes, weightless plastics, senkos - 703
Moving baits w/one hook and everything else -734
Despite his wimpy prowess and using the 704 over the 734 
, grantman is correct in this line up of rods that you should choose.
tbone1993 reply :
Ill let the experts take over but I will say any dobyns collection that doesnt have a 735c is missing out. Same with the 765cb glass for deep cranks.
Grantman83 reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 12:26 AM, iabass8 said:Despite his wimpy prowess and using the 704 over the 734
, grantman is correct in this line up of rods that you should choose.
Oh how the ribbing continues lol
T_Nix35 reply :
I have never owned a Glass rod so the 765CB Glass makes me nervous. Is it a wimpy stick? I don't want to be able to touch the tip of my rod with the butt of itself.
lmbfisherman reply :
On 5/6/2014 at 7:21 PM, Grantman83 said:Punching and heavy stuff - 766
Jigs/trigs/frogs - 735
Cranking - 765 cb glass
Spinning - 702sf
Flukes, weightless plastics, senkos - 703
Moving baits w/one hook and everything else -734
This nothing I can add, plus Grantman knows his Dobyns.
Grantman83 reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 7:51 AM, T_Nix35 said:I have never owned a Glass rod so the 765CB Glass makes me nervous. Is it a wimpy stick? I don't want to be able to touch the tip of my rod with the butt of itself.
It is a composite rod so lighter than glass and softer than graphite. It is not a wimp by any means
tbone1993 reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 7:51 AM, T_Nix35 said:I have never owned a Glass rod so the 765CB Glass makes me nervous. Is it a wimpy stick? I don't want to be able to touch the tip of my rod with the butt of itself.
It does have flex like a crankbait rod but you will be hard pressed to make it bend that far. Biggest ive boat flipped has been a little over 3lb , the rest I netted.
DTack reply :
On 5/6/2014 at 10:17 AM, T_Nix35 said:Hey fellas,
I am trying to get my rod selection down for next season so I can be prepared going into the FLW (BFL, Co-Angler) season next year. I recently fished my first tournament as a Co-angler and placed 28th out of 106 co-anglers. I feel like that is pretty good and know that I have the ability to fish with a lot of these guys competitively. With all of that being said this is what I have so far:
Dobyns Champion 702SF-Drop-shot, Wacky Rigs
Dobyns Champion 702C-Shaky-Heads, Small Top-waters
Dobyns Champion 703C-Heavy/Thick Cover Shaky Heads, Small Jigs, Large Top-Water, Light Texas Rigs, Light C-Rigs, Spinner Baits
Dobyns Champion 704C- Frogs, Jigs, Carolina Rigs, Swimbaits, Pitchin', Texas Rigs
Dobyns Champion 736C F/H- Heavy Cover: Pitchin', Frogs, Carolina Rigs, Punchin
Dobyns Champion 805CB-Crank Baits, Mid-Deep Divers, Squarbills
I want a versatile six rod setup and I feel like this covers it all. If y'all could give me some opinions on what I have chosen and whether or not these six rods will do everything I could possibly need them to do. I would appreciate some insight!
Thanks,
TCN
Keep the 805CB it works just fine for squarebills if you can handle a longer rod, it would also be versatile for just about any crank aside from smaller squarebills. Smaller squarebills like the small speedtraps may be tough to throw on it, but you will have other rods you could throw those on. It actually makes a great spinnerbait/chatterbait/small swimbait rod as well. The 765cb glass is a lot more moderate rod, it will definitely work just know that it is built differently than the 805cb. If you want a glass rod with a lot of tip and give to it, the 765cb may be better for you.
I would also advise swapping out the 736 for the 766. The 736 is awesome for frogs, but it does not do as good a job punching or flipping as the 766 does and the 766 does just fine for frog work.
Do you prefer the 7' rods over the 7'3"? If not I may have a couple different recommendations. If you're ok with 7'3" rods I would consider the following:
Keep the 702sf and 702c for what you've listed and the 702c for your ripbaits.
Sub the 703c for 733c, to me the 733c has a bit more versatility in the overall action of the rod.
I agree with the recommendation of subbing the 704c for a 735c or possibly 734c, the 735c would be my first recommendation.
Feel free to PM or ask questions why I recommended these rods.
Good luck on your upcoming events as a co-angler, you're off to a great start!
iabass8 reply :
On 5/7/2014 at 7:51 AM, T_Nix35 said:I have never owned a Glass rod so the 765CB Glass makes me nervous. Is it a wimpy stick? I don't want to be able to touch the tip of my rod with the butt of itself.
You wont know its a glass rod until you have s fish on. They are really unique rods
Brian Needham reply :
hmmmmmmmmmmmm........... I am torn here.
seems like a 735 is going to fit real nice in there like others said.
the only thing I am really going to say change and this is my opinion so take it for whats its worth:
if you want to throw cranks....... and there is a lot of squarebill and 10-15foot work to be had, with 6xd work in a pinch I am saying 764RMcb
if you are throwing a BUNCH of 2.5 sqbill and heavier 15ft+ cranks then the 765 come highly recommended.
the 805rmcb is a 6xd/dd22 rod, and some folks say it is a little harsh, hence the huge praises of the 765glass
we really need to hear more about where and how you fish to get to the nitty gritty of it.
T_Nix35 reply :
I am extremely torn by this whole decision process haha! Here is what I believe I have now since I have listened to y'all.
702SF
703C
734C
735C
766FLIP
765CB
I really think I should have 702C in there for shaky head fishing and rip baits. I like throwing both of these baits on a medium powered rod and the 702SF just has too soft of a tip on it. I am thinking I can throw shaky heads on the 703C but I am also a little worried about it being a little bit too heavy of a rod. I am sure I can throw my rip baits on the 765CB, but I am not sure about that. I like throwing light shaky heads, 1/8 to 3/16, so do y'all think I should have the 702C in there? I also prefer graphite over glass rods but I may give the 765CB GLASS a shot.
As far as what I fish, here in Arkansas the lakes are extremely diverse. We have both clear lakes and dirty lakes. We don't have a bunch of tall grass to fish on the banks like florida, but we do have a lot of wood and trees to pitch into on the banks. fishing deep water humps, saddles, and ledges is a big deal here. On our FLW circuit this year we are fishing Lake Ouachita (fairly clear with good deep and bank fishing depending on the time of year, I love throwing deep divers on this lake because it has a lot of pressure from non-anglers due to it being the most well known lake in Arkansas), Lake Dardanelle (it is literally a part of the Arkansas river so it is dirty rocky and frog fishing heaven), And Greers Fairy (it is the clearest lake we fish with a lot of smallmouth fishing and finesse presentations). So you can see why I would want a very diverse selection of rods. What makes it hard is being a co-angler, I want to only have 6 Rods so I don't tick my boater off rolling up in the morning. I guess if I had 7 it wouldn't be that big of a deal and I could leave the rods I know I won't need at the house.
My favorite ways to fish are crank baits, drop shot, shaky head, wacky rig, pitching into cover, swim baits. With that being said I am trying not to have a set way to catch fish all the time. I want to be the most diverse fisherman on the circuit, I feel like that gives me the best chance to win at every lake.
What I believe is very important is to have at least one of each power rod (medium light, medium, medium heavy, etc..). I figure they will all be fast action rods except for my crank bait rod which I would like for it to be a Medium heavy moderate action.
I appreciate the info so far! I am still not set so keep it coming!
TCN
T_Nix35 reply :
Haha Needham I just noticed you were from Marion. So I would imagine you know about the lakes I am talking about. If I am missing anything you think is important on these lakes feel free to add it in, I would appreciate it.
Brian Needham reply :
Whoops...... I forgot you are in Arkansas......... got to prepare for a tournament this morning and I will get back.
T_Nix35 reply :
What tournament are you fishing and what lake?
Brian Needham reply :
golf tournament......have one at the course today
Brian Needham reply :
1. 702 spinning........ you will be throwing all your dropshots and 1/8th oz shakeys on this rod.... all your hot springs lakes, norfolk , greers ect
2. 702 casting...... you will be throwing all your 1/4oz shakeys on this, 1/4oz finesse jigs, and probably jerkbaits too.....rage rigged craw ...1/4oz swimjig ect .. you can split your wacky work between this rod and your spinning rod, depending how how you have the other one rigged
3. 704, or 734...... I like the 734 for me....... spinnerbaits, 3/8 and 1/2 casting jigs...... up to 1/2 paddletails..1/2oz swimjigs with grub trailer. buzzbaits, keelweight rage toads, ect.... 1/4oz 7in worm/lizard/trig... can pitch in light cover. a true workhorse rod.
4. 735c...... frog rod, pitching rod, 3/4 head paddletail and 3/4oz jig rod..... carolina rig in a pinch
5 and 6 is where we get the debate..... you seem to like cranking so I am putting you in 2 cranking sticks.... main reason is you like cranking, another reason is it is hard to do everything on 1 cracking stick.
5. 805RMCB or 765glass......... 6xd/deep diver work. I have the 805 and I like it. I actually have a 6in bull shad tie on it right now, but with the offshore bite about to crank up, I will change out the line and go back to 6xd......805 will launch a 6xd and big divers....... some people call it too stiff and go with the 765glass, many people call the 765glass the best 5xd/6xd rod made ever.
you will probably need to call dobyns and ask them to discuss your needs on your deep diver.
6. 764RMcb....... any crank up to 15 foot this rod will do, and will do squarebills when needed. I find it to be the perfect DT10 rod. and can do jerks, poppers, spooks too, if you can stand the lenght.
Again on the cranks, there are other options, you can go 705 for squarebills, middivers, topwater spooks ect and the go 765 for the deep divers/ BIG spinnerbaits.
I think we got you covered pretty good on the other 4 rods but you really need to call Richard/Gary at Dobyns to talk through your cranking choices...... as people tend to get picky about what they like in a cranking stick (rightfully so)
there you have it... its a pretty solid base to start from.... since you are limited to 6 rods I would carry 2 extra reels with you spooled with different lines....and leader material. you will be trowing buzzbaits on the 734 so you will want to tie a 10foot mono leader on it for your spook, buzz, ext then cut the leader off mid morning to direct tie a jig, worm, ect.
because you might be throwing jigs on 15# flouro at Ouachita and frogs on the AR River, both on the 735
you will also need to carry those 2 extra reels becasue some of those lakes like Greer's, line size matters since the water is so clear.
make sense?
catch anything reply :
I would pick the rod that covers your fav technique because at least to me I would want my best outfit to be the technique that I like the most because most of the time that's the one your going to use
Alonerankin2 reply :
After reading thru this thread.... I feel like I am in
Math class! Also seeing double! All those numbers! Geez..... Good luck fella.. Happy Trails!
T_Nix35 reply :
Yeah I am covered on the first four rods for those I am going with the 702SF (already have), 702C, 734C, and the 735C. As for the two crank bait rods you chose I would really like to have that 766Flip in there for pitching into cover, unless you think the 735 or 734 would do just fine for pitching into cover. I believe I am going to go with the 765CB Glass and then get the 766FLIP. I will just use my 702 for square bills and shallower divers. I use my Medium rod right now for Square bills and shallow divers and it works perfectly. Thank you for all of the help though, I really appreciate it!
@Skippy- Haha I know what you mean man, but that is just how the Dobyns rods are identified. The first two numbers are the length, and the last number is the power of the rod, so a 702 would be a 7 foot rod that is medium powered.
Robert Riley reply :
I know it's a bit late, but don't forget that you can always call dobyns and ask about their rods. They've been extremely helpful, and haven't tried to upsell me at all (actually tried to sell me a Champion instead of a Extreme, I was fixed on the Extreme haha).
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