Tips & Techniques
Gary Dobyns on Rods |
 |
June,
2009
By
Tom Redington
Gary Dobyns offers a unique perspective on the fishing tackle industry.
He’s the West’s all time money winner with over $2 million in bass
tournament career earnings, winning 39 bass boats along the way. In
addition to being an accomplished tournament angler, Gary has been
intimately involved with the tackle industry for decades. He designed his
first rod for Abu Garcia in 1989 and since then he’s designed rods for 3
different companies. Gary currently owns his own rod company, Dobyns Rods.
While he’s quick to point out that he’s a rod designer and not a rod
engineer, his perspective as a tournament angler and rod designer offers
great insight for any fisherman trying to select the proper gear. I sat
down with Gary in May and asked him a variety of questions about fishing
rods. In Part I, he covers the attributes that constitute a great rod and
how he built his line of rods to accomplish that. In Part II, Gary gets
specific on selecting the proper rods for specific applications.
Tom: I assume building rods comes down to a bit of a tradeoff. When you
design a rod, what are the most important attributes that you design?
Light weight, balance rod, durability, casting distance, etc?
Gary: I design rods for sensitivity and balance, which are really one and
the same. With a balanced rod, you’re not fighting the tip, so it feels
light in your hand and more sensitive. As a result, a heavy balanced rod
feels lighter in your hand than a light rod that is out of balance. It is
harder to balance longer rods, so that’s the challenge. Bigger diameter
rods with a faster taper are easier to balance and you can build them with
thinner walls. I’m after small diameter rods--I think it is a higher end
look--and am using thicker walls. I could build lighter rods if that was
all I was after. For example, I’m using a top quality high density cork
that weighs 30% more than inferior handles. I chose to build a balanced
rod that is very, very sensitive, and it feels very light.
Tom: What design features set the new Dobyns Rods apart from the rest of
the marketplace?
Gary: Balance & sensitivity requires high end materials, so I scoured the
worldwide marketplace for the top components. I was looking for a more
durable better guide, and found Kigan, and I’m the first one to bring them
to the US. They have a unique “3D” design with 3 points of contact and
then it is still epoxied in place, so it’s a very sure hold. In addition,
Kigan has a strong frame and is an ultra durable guide, with zirconium on
Champion Extremes and SiC on the Champion line. Zirconium is 30% lighter,
so we use it on the Extremes. These are very expensive guides, but they
were the best I could find. For handles, I wasn’t happy with Portugal
cork. I wanted denser, cleaner cork, so I started looking at a French cork
and settled on Korean cork. It is more expensive, actually extremely more
expensive than the Portuguese cork, but it is also much better and it
doesn’t have the issues with fill like other cork. The rods feature Fuji
reel seats because they are the best. We added trim rings to dress up the
rods and made them look sharp cosmetically as well, plus Kevlar wrapping
on lower butt section of the Extremes. We ended up with what I wanted—not
a “pretty” rod, but a very sharp, clean rod. We’re building a really high
end fishing rod, including our manufacturing processes. We build every rod
on the spine. And we're using a locking wrap on all single foot guides.
It’s an extra step and a pain in the neck, but with use over time, the
guide won’t ever get loose. It’s typically only done by custom rod
builders and we do it on all of ours.
Finally, I paid attention to the little details, like hook keepers. They
drove me crazy because they are hard to make work for all applications
(i.e. drop shot weights). I used a small loop style keeper on a 45degree
angle so as not to catch your line (one of my pet peeves) and on dropshot
rods I made a custom keeper to hold the drop shot weights and a small loop
for your hooks. I placed in behind the handle to avoid catching your line.
Believe it or not, this hook keeper dilemma was one of my toughest
problems to solve, both in placement and design. People would think "oh
hook keepers are nothing,” but I get fighting mad over them catching my
line, so I tried to fix this.
Tom: What’s the difference between the Champion and Champion Extreme rods
and for what applications are the Extremes better?
Gary: The Extremes, I call them “feel rods”. I recommend them for baits
that you really need to have a good feel, like worms and jigs. They’re
made with the best materials, are super light, and made so you can feel
every pebble on the bottom. They aren’t made for reaction baits, and I
wouldn’t even recommend fishing reaction baits (like spinnerbaits and
cranks) on them. They’re just too sensitive. The Champions are very
sensitive and you really don’t need a rod better than them. But if you
want the best and need to feel everything down there, the Extreme is made
for you.
Tom: We’ve seen a lot of experimenting with grips over the past few years,
with split grips and no foregrips, etc. What’s your philosophy on grips?
Gary: Any time you lock down the front of the rod you’re going to deaden
some sensitivity. With no foregrip, you can get 4 fingers on the blank and
get more sensitivity. You probably don’t need it with these rods, but it
sure doesn’t hurt anything. I have a foregrip on my swimbait rods because
some of the guys grip the foregrip to cast these. I still don’t think you
need it, but the guys want it, so I listened and added it. I have some
great swimbait guys on Pro Staff, including big bass angler Mike Long,
who’s a stud. Why am I going to tell a guy who’s caught 60 bass over 15
lbs that he doesn’t need a foregrip?
Split grips have been around for a long time. Berkley was doing a very
short split grip on their Series One in the mid-80s. I did a rod line with
Competitive Edge in the early-90s with split grips and it caught on. It’s
really just a trend. The split grip is a looks deal, it doesn’t help with
anything because it’s behind where you’re holding and it really doesn’t
have a function. It’s the way rods are today. It’s a techy look, a pretty
look, and it is an accepted rod in today’s market. I make a number of
split grips and full handle grips. For reaction baits, I don’t like split
grips—I prefer the full handle. For flipping sticks and swimbaits, I
personally don’t like a split. I’m starting to build some of those rods
with splits because guys like the look and my split grips are outselling
my full handles, but I still think there is a need for a full handle. And
if you have a really clean cork like I’m using, it’s a gorgeous rod with a
full handle anyway. Some guys say that it is easier to grab the knob at
the end of split grip to cast, but the downside is that if you’re wearing
a jacket or sweatshirt, it easy to get that knob caught in your pockets.
Only my swimbait rods have the EVA foam. It has become the standard for
swimbait rods and that is what the swimbait gurus prefer, so my swimbait
line has EVA grips. It’s not a sensitivity deal, actually foam is way less
sensitive than cork. EVA foam is cheap—good cork handles are outrageously
expensive—so a lot of the companies that are after a price point will have
foam on the handles. I think cork is sharper looking and more sensitive,
so I use it on everything except for the swimbait rods.
Tom: Longer rods become more popular all the time, going from 6 and 6.5 to
7 and 7.5 and now even 8 feet plus. What are the advantages of longer
rods?
Gary: In the West you can hardly give away a rod that is under 7’. We keep
going longer and longer because you can cast farther, pick up more line on
the hook set, lose less fish because they play the fish better, and a lot
of times it makes up for mistakes—if you are out of position on a hook set
a longer rod moves so much more line that you’ll still often get the fish.
The only drawback is that it’s very hard to balance them. With cranks and
swimbaits, longer casts cover more water and your bait is in the strike
zone longer, so you catch more fish. In deep water, say dragging a jig in
30, 50, or even 70 feet, you’ll get a big bow in your line, especially
with the wind blowing, plus you have some stretch in your line with
everything except braid. The long rod still allows for good hook sets in
these cases. Shorter rods, I just don’t use them. I just got used to
making accurate casts with longer rods, even around docks. I personally
don’t use a rod under 7’.
Tom: There’s a big difference in rods of the same power, such as M or MH,
with an extra fast taper vs. a fast or moderate taper. Please explain what
taper/tip speed means and how to select the proper tip speed.
Gary: Most of my rods are pretty fast because I prefer fast rods. A few
are extra fast but most are fast, really fast plus. In my line, anything
that says fast is a fast plus. With a fast rod, when you put pressure on
it, it’ll load up fast, so you’ll feel fish or cover faster and you’ll set
the hook faster. The only time I use a mod-fast is on cranks and jerks. I
even prefer a fast on spinnerbaits. Some guys prefer mod-fast for
spinners, I still prefer fast though. With fast rods, you don’t have to
set the hook as hard and you don’t have to move the rod as far to set the
hook because it loads quicker, and it’ll overcome stretch in the line. You
need the slower action of mod-fast rods so you don’t take treble hook
baits away from fish when they bite and they won’t tear them out near the
boat. Think of them more like a rubber band—it’ll load slowly.
Tom: What about fiberglass vs graphite?
Gary: There are a lot of different grades of graphite and there are a lot
of different kinds of graphite. That’s where you get into your strength
and weight of your rods. Graphite is a very, very sensitive material and
all my rods have graphite in them. Glass is something that never went away
and is getting revived—a lot of guys are going back to glass. I hadn’t
made glass except for in a couple rods prior. I didn’t make it my first
generation of Dobyns rods because I wasn’t happy with it. I got away from
fishing glass rods in the past because I hated the weight, they were as
big around as a broomstick, and they didn’t feel or fish well. For my 2nd
generation of Dobyns rods, I challenged my engineer. I told him I wanted a
small diameter, light glass rod. It was not easy. We went through 10
different prototypes in a 3 week period. But we got it and now I have a
lightweight, small diameter glass rod. It is a composite. There is some
graphite and glass in the butt section, to keep the diameter down and to
keep it lighter, but the entire forward tip section is all glass. I have
my small diameters, so it is a cool looking rod. And it weights next to
nothing, not 5 lb like a normal glass rod. Actually, since it is so
lightweight, it is a fairly sensitive rod. But you don’t need the
sensitivity, that’s not what you fish glass for, but it doesn’t hurt
anything. As a result, I think it is the best glass rod available today
and it is a different glass rod than what anyone else is building in the
entire market. Since it came out so well, we’re in the process of
expanding our glass line.
Tom: Now that you have the lightweight glass rods, do you prefer the
slower action of your glass rods or the bit of extra sensitivity of your
graphite crankbait rods?
Gary: That’s a good question. I hadn’t thrown a glass rod in over 10
years. I used to have a full arsenal of custom made glass rods, but since
then, I’ve gotten into the new mod-fast graphite rod that reacts somewhat
similar to glass and I got used to that. Now that we have the new glass
rods, I find myself fishing a lot of glass lately and I like glass but I
am missing some of the sensitivity—I learned to adjust to that over the
past 10 years of not throwing glass. I love our new glass rods but I’m
also used to fishing the mod-fast graphite CB rods, so I use both. It just
depends on what I’m doing and how much sensitivity I want. It really
allows anglers to get exactly what they want for treble hook lures.
Tom: You’re well known as a hard jerkbait expert. What rod do you
recommend for jerkbaits?
Gary: I’m throwing a lot of the 704C and 705C rods. I throw a lot of
Staysee 90s, a bait I redesigned with Lucky Craft this year, changing it a
little bit. It’s my #1 jerkbait. I throw it more than any other jerkbait
and the new version 3 is pre-weighted with bigger hooks, the way I always
customized it in the past. I use a lot of their other jerkbaits too. I
throw the Pointer DD78 when I’m fishing shallower. I also throw a Pointer
128, it is their biggest jerkbait, and that’s when I want a 705. For the
Staysee 90, you can throw a 704 or a 705. My son prefers the 704; I’m
throwing the 705. Just depends on personal preference, both will throw
them really well. I’m often throwing these jerkbaits on 8 or 10 lb test,
and I rarely throw it on more than 12 because I think it impairs the
action. I love throwing jerkbaits; if it wasn’t for them, I probably
wouldn’t be a professional fisherman.
Tom: I’ve often found picking a good rod for soft plastic jerkbaits like
Magic Shads, Zig Zags, and Senkos difficult. On one hand, you need to
throw these relatively lightweight lures a long ways to catch skittish
bass in clear shallow water. At the same time, you need a rod with plenty
of backbone to drive a big hook through thick plastic at the end of a long
cast. What type of rod would you suggest for this application?
Gary: That’s a good question. That falls in to the category of needing a
longer rod, where you’re picking up more line and taking the stretch out
of the line. A fast action rod will also help with this. It’s going to
depend on personal preference. I tend to throw more 4 powers, while a lot
of guys prefer the 3 powers. The 733 and DX743 are good, but when I’m
throwing bigger baits, like 5 and 6 inch sizes, I’ll bump up to the 4
powers, like the 734 and DX744.
The long rods let you cast it way out there and get through the plastic
and penetrate the fish’s mouth. I don’t have a wicked hook set. I have a
sweep-load hook set and I really crank hard to keep pressure and bury the
hook. I think that anyone who sets the hook with a slack line pop defeats
the purpose, unless if you have a super strong hook. If that thing hits
bone, the hook springs and you don’t get penetration, so you miss the
fish. If you’ll load the rod and do a sweep set, that hook will catch and
dig in. Plus, you won’t break off on the hook set because you don’t shock
the line. I come back hard but I’ll ease up as the rod loads, and I never
drop the rod and do a slack line set.
Tom: What’s the biggest mistake people make when selecting rods?
Gary: The best advice I can give is that I always tell guys to buy the
best that they can afford. You’re going to feel more bites and your going
to land more fish. As for the mistakes, they often fish the wrong bait on
the wrong rod. For example, you don’t want to throw a crankbait on a
flipping stick. Can you do it? Yeah, but it’s not going to do it well.
Most of the guys don’t have enough of what I call “utility rods”, 3 and 4
power rods that’ll do a lot of things well—like my 733 and 734. You can
jig fish with them, and I throw all my topwaters and spinnerbaits on them.
You can c-rig with them; you can buzzbait with them. I don’t go to any
lake without 4 or 5 of those versatile in the boat with me because if I
don’t have the exact rod with me, I can still get by with the utility
rods.
Tom: Anything else you’d like to say in closing?
Gary: My first generation of rods was built in China and I’m done with
that. I don’t want to build cheap rods; I want to build top end rods. I
think my new rods are as good as any rods on the market. I just ask guys
to pick them up and give them a try. When they walk into their tackle
shop, take a look at them. I promise they won’t be disappointed.
For more information, go to www.DobynsRods.com or check out the full
lineup in person at Lake Fork Trophy Lures’ store in Emory and on their
website, www.LFTLures.com. If I can be of assistance, please contact me at
214-683-9572 or e-mail me through my website,
www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com.
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