Winter 2022
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VERSATILE CASTING RODS
With the most commonly-used specialty rods out of the way, Dobyns keeps it simple with most of his moving bait rods. He recommends a 7’3” 4- or 5-power like his 734 or 735. That’s what he uses for buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits and it’s his “go-to” Super Spook launcher.
“You can do so much on it,” he explained. “I usually have at least a couple in the boat with me because they’re good for about 60 or 70 percent of all bass techniques. You can even frog fish with them.
“When I won the US Open, I realized on the last day that I needed a jig rod for a specific situation. I didn’t have one, but I had a 734. It wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it was good enough and I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing anything.”
Fury
He’d also invest in two crankbait rods if you fish both deep and shallow, or a single crankbait stick if you fish one or the other. For shallow and medium divers he likes the 764CB and for deeper diving lures like the Strike King 6XD or Norman DD22, he’d look to the 805CB.
SPECIALTY STICKS
Once you get all of those
basics down, you might want
to delve into a rod with a
distinctive, albeit purpose.
For western anglers, or
anyone targeting larger fish,
Dobyns would recommend
a swimbait rod, specifically
his 806.
“It can handle just about any 6- to 9-inch baits,” he said. “Any smaller than that and you can use your 734 or 735. Between those two you’re going to be able to handle 95 percent of swimbaits, everything but the biggest swimbaits.”
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