Jace D Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 I have both. I have 4 Dobyns (795 SB fury, 806 ML, 807, 867) and 2 okuma rods (old model guide select xxh and new "A" model xh) and they are all good for what I do with them. The Okumas are used for the bigger stuff like deps 250 up to the 11" Rago Soft Tool. They work great and I haven't had the same experience with the "A" rods that other guys have. It definitely feels as good if not better in quality than the original and the whole thing about the A series rods having a faster taper is not at all what I've found. All of the guide selects have been pretty true to their ratings and they seem to have a faster taper in general as compared to many other swimbait rods I've used but they are definitely a good, purpose built, swimbait rod. The other thing, if they are actually lighter than Dobyns, they absolutely do not feel like it. Dobyns is the best I have seen of the mass production rod companies at balancing their rods correctly and so their swimbait rods always feel very light in the hand. I also believe though that Dobyns rods are grossly overrated. Not in their quality or function, but in their actual lure weight range rating. There is really no way that you could fish a 10 oz. bait on an 807 with any feeling of control. It's just not made for that. A deps 250 at 6-6.5 oz is probably pushing it to the edge of its usable range. Just keep that in mind if you decide to go with Dobyns. And don't fear the Dobyns line guides any longer. Dobyns has change everything over to Fuji. Way better now. Really can't go wrong with either brand. If I had to pick one rod from each company to do everything, I would go with the Dobyns 867 or the Okuma A series XH. Good luck! FishDr, bassfiend72, Mossypumpkin and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patk3786 Posted February 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 Thank you guys for all the great info. I got a pm to also look at the Low Down Custom rods. There website says sold out but I sent them an email and for $250 you can get a standard rod in about a month or $350 for a full custom rod but takes a couple months to get. Does anyone have experience with these rods and how do they compare to the Dobyns and Okuma? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyDfish Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 Just like most things it's a lot just personal preference. I love the okuma guide select swimbait sticks. Definitely get what you pay for. I use the heavy with a calcutta 400 for my 8 " hudds and medium heavy with a calcutta 300d for my swaver 200 s and 3D glide swimmer 205s. That's pretty much all I throw. Both pinned with 20lb seaguar abrazx. Great setups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSlant Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 Thank you guys for all the great info. I got a pm to also look at the Low Down Custom rods. There website says sold out but I sent them an email and for $250 you can get a standard rod in about a month or $350 for a full custom rod but takes a couple months to get. Does anyone have experience with these rods and how do they compare to the Dobyns and Okuma? Some people have been waiting close to a year for custom LDC just fyi Az_urban_swimbaiter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColemanTaylor Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 dobyns fury swimbait rod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins84 Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Okuma hard to beat for the $ Mossypumpkin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got0ne Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 I have both. I have 4 Dobyns (795 SB fury, 806 ML, 807, 867) and 2 okuma rods (old model guide select xxh and new "A" model xh) and they are all good for what I do with them. The Okumas are used for the bigger stuff like deps 250 up to the 11" Rago Soft Tool. They work great and I haven't had the same experience with the "A" rods that other guys have. It definitely feels as good if not better in quality than the original and the whole thing about the A series rods having a faster taper is not at all what I've found. All of the guide selects have been pretty true to their ratings and they seem to have a faster taper in general as compared to many other swimbait rods I've used but they are definitely a good, purpose built, swimbait rod. The other thing, if they are actually lighter than Dobyns, they absolutely do not feel like it. Dobyns is the best I have seen of the mass production rod companies at balancing their rods correctly and so their swimbait rods always feel very light in the hand. I also believe though that Dobyns rods are grossly overrated. Not in their quality or function, but in their actual lure weight range rating. There is really no way that you could fish a 10 oz. bait on an 807 with any feeling of control. It's just not made for that. A deps 250 at 6-6.5 oz is probably pushing it to the edge of its usable range. Just keep that in mind if you decide to go with Dobyns. And don't fear the Dobyns line guides any longer. Dobyns has change everything over to Fuji. Way better now. Really can't go wrong with either brand. If I had to pick one rod from each company to do everything, I would go with the Dobyns 867 or the Okuma A series XH. Good luck! Spot on. Well said. DeltaBassinWithJP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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