Sunday, April 8, 2012

Dobyns Rods It Is






The rod hunt is over! Yeah it didn't exactly take very long. As of yesterday I am the proud owner of two Dobyn's rods. Gotta say, I'm very excited.
I hadn't indented on buying two rods. No, honest I really didn't. It started with an invite by two of my brother-in-laws to visit Capra's with them. I had never been and according to these two fine members of the BC Pro Staff, it is a store unlike any other. Variety and deals abound. I wasn't disappointed.
I had particular interest in visiting Capra's because they carry G. Loomis, Fenwick, St. Croix and Dobyn's rods. This was a great opportunity for me to be able to really compare all the various lines I had been thinking about. It didn't take long for me to land on Dobyn's being my next rod brand of choice.
I was able to check out the Savvy line and the Champion line of spinning rods. Unfortunately they didn't have any casting rods in stock. Both lines were exceptional. Well balanced. High quality. Extremely light. I ended up picking up a Champion 702 SF and a Savvy SS 703 SF.
The Champion 702 SF is a Medium Light rod with Fast action. I am actually going to use it as a drop shot rod even though it says it is more for shaky, darter heads, ect.
The Savvy SS 703 SF is a Medium rod with Fast action. This is going to be a really versatile rod for me. I plan on using it for almost every application. No limits on this bad boy.
The Champion retails for $240 and the Savvy $160. But that isn't what I paid on this fateful day at Capra's. I paid $160 for the Champion and $99 for the Savvy! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Both rods are brand new. Both rods are backed by a lifetime warranty. Both rods are amazing and are going to catch me tons-o-fish.
It was a terrific deal. Now to put them to the test in less than 4 days on Lake Fork.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Golden Fishing Nugget by Wired2Fish

I've been spending a lot of time thinking, reading, dreaming, preparing, worrying about the BC Pro Staff Lake Fork trip coming up. I've been all over the place in terms of my mental state. Most of the time I'm excited but as the date draws closer I'm not beginning to worry that we will have missed the bite because of how far ahead the season already seems to be due to the weather. I mean for pete sake, even up here in Minnesota we are talking about moving the bass opener up by a whole week. While that might not seem like much, a change like that with our DNR is nothing short of a miracle.

Anyway as I was out surfing the web as I've been doing literally every single night, I came across a very interesting article on Wired2Fish. I like those guys and their site. Very informative and visually appealing. Sorry, got off track there. So yeah I came across an article on fishing ahead of the curve. This specific paragraph I thought was a good reminder about the way bass move;

"Obviously, if you don’t fish a lot with consistency it’s hard to know where the fish were or are at any given point in the year. But the spring is a rapidly progressive transition for the bass. They are out on the main lake, then move to secondary structure in bays in creeks, then up shallow in the pockets and flats, then they begin working back out, stopping along familiar secondary areas and shallow cover laden areas until the finally reach their summer destinations back out deeper yet. Sometimes, this all happens in a month. Sometimes, it seems like it takes several months depending on factors like water clarity, water levels and water temperature."

That will be something that I will keep front of mind as we get down to Fork. My natural inclination will be to fish shallow. It will be important for us to be disciplined and remember to hit all of those locations mentioned above.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Farewell Fenwick?

I'm in a pickle. Perhaps not a terrible pickle just yet but a pickle all the same. For the longest time I have been a devout Fenwick rod guy. No real rhyme or reason for it other than it happened to be the first brand of rod I bought with my own money way back when. I can't even remember what influenced that decision all these years later.

Today I own several (understatement) Fenwick Elite Tech rods. I love them. There is only one thing I would change about my current Elite Tech line up, I'd make them all split grip handles. But that to me is a minor change, the rods are just that good. They are balanced well, ultra sensitive, cast a mile (when paired with my revo's), and have been very durable. So what is the issue? I've got two and a half of them. First, is that the new Elite Tech rods seem to have dipped in quality. Yes the price has come down significantly as well. The new ET rods are $139.99 vs. $200+ of the old ET's. Maybe I'm being hypercritical but I can't get past the feeling that the lower price point also means a lower quality rod.

The second issue, probably the more significant one to consider, is that I'm unsure I like the ergonomics of the new style grips and reel seats they are using on the ET line.

And third, the new Elite Tech line is specific to smallmouth fishing. That in itself isn't a big issue but more of a "huh...interesting concept" type thing. I guess my current ET's are necessarily specific to largemouth and yet I use them for any fishing I do. Again, not really an issue but when I start picking them apart I always list this in the "con's" category.

That brings us to the pickle I currently am in. I am due to replace two of my older casting rods (one will be used for pitching weightless soft plastics and the other jigs in 15+ ft of water)and two spinning rods either this year or for sure next. The brand that has been my mainstay doesn't feel like a viable option. So what are my options? I've got a few ideas in mind but want to keep an open mind. So rather than list out the current brands I've been eyeballing, I thought I would list out my buying criteria and solicit ideas from all of you. Here are the things that come to mind, please feel free to make specific rod suggestions or even call out things I should be thinking about when making this all important decision.

Price- I'm looking to keep the price below $200 a rod.
Warranty- If I'm spending $100+, I expect a lifetime warranty.
Handle- now that I've gotten into split grips, I think I prefer them. I could be swayed on this one but I think it's a requirement. A cork handle is absolutely a requirement. I just can't get into the EVA handles. To me it is a bit like the issue I have with the new ET rods, feels a bit cheap.
Microguides- I haven't landed on a firm decision on this. One minute I love the idea and the next I hate it. I'd welcome any thoughts on this. Do you have any experience with them? Good, bad, indifferent?
Cosmetics- arguably this shouldn't be part of the criteria, it should be function over form but hey, I admit that if I don't like the look of the rod I will feel less confident in the rod. Not a good recipe for success on the water.

Leave a comment or shoot me an email at thebasschroniclesATgmailDOTcom with your thoughts and suggestions.