Thoughts on super high end swimbait rods

[Morgan Y]

Ever since getting a Dobyn's Xtasy spinning rod I've been thinking about what a super high end swimbait rod would feel like. I really find that the blank material allows manufacturers to make much crisper actions, and along with the sensitivity the lightness of the rods lets them be very whippy which could lend itself to better castability. It's definitely something I find to be interesting to think about. Does anyone have experience with something super high end vs an average say $300 swimbait rod and have thoughts on if it actually makes a difference or not?

[billthebasser]

Just go with a Dobyns. They will outperform almost all custom rods out there and you can’t beat the lifetime warranty

[Morgan Y]

11 minutes ago, billthebasser said:

Just go with a Dobyns. They will outperform almost all custom rods out there and you can’t beat the lifetime warranty

I have an 867 and love it, I was just thinking it’d be cool if they made a super high end rod. I really like dobyns though, I have 5 of their rods. 

[Secretly Beloved]

Tbh I don't think there isn't much that you are missing in terms of sensitivity. I've had NRX's, Megabass Destroyer USA and P5, Phenix K2, Kistler Zbones, and NFC rods blanks that I've built on. Now that I have/had all these rods as I got rid of all my NRX's and Phenix K2 and I turn to action more than sensitivity. Don't get me wrong sensitivity is amazing but if you have a stiff rod with amazing sensitivity for throwing things like a glide style bait you'll find more fish coming off. I would rather have a more parabolic rod for glides but with that said with a more parabolic rod you do lose some sensitivity but it makes it up with landing fish. But if you enjoy fishing Jig style swimbaits sensitivity is the way but with that said using high-end rods for quite a while, it isn't much you are missing, and some rods are in the 200-300 dollar range are well built. I just turn to action more than anything but that is just my take on it would love to hear what others say.  

[Mossypumpkin]

I’ve been wishing Dobyns would do a couple Swimbait models in the xtasy series. Some guy on the Dobyns rods page tried to tell me “you need sensitivity for swimbaits”. So many people out there think we just chunk and wind it’s absurd. Imagine jigging a hudd down deep on a $550 rod with better sensitivity and lighter weight than a champion. Would be heavenly!

[SacPig916]

30 minutes ago, Morgan Y said:

I have an 867 and love it, I was just thinking it’d be cool if they made a super high end rod. I really like dobyns though, I have 5 of their rods. 

I also have a 867 and a 806.  Love both of them so much, its witchcraft how stiff they are until you hook into a fish.

[xxlbass]

8 hours ago, Morgan Y said:

Ever since getting a Dobyn's Xtasy spinning rod I've been thinking about what a super high end swimbait rod would feel like. I really find that the blank material allows manufacturers to make much crisper actions, and along with the sensitivity the lightness of the rods lets them be very whippy which could lend itself to better castability. It's definitely something I find to be interesting to think about. Does anyone have experience with something super high end vs an average say $300 swimbait rod and have thoughts on if it actually makes a difference or not?

yeah I tend to think the Roman Made Rods are f'n badass and they pin fish good with hard treble baits.  The Evolzion MB rods are nice as well the "White Python" is the business for 2-4oz baits.  Gotta look at build quality and double footed guides.   I would like to get a Deps Huge Custom for the 250.  On another note there are some cheaper rods that work fine.  How about a 7'9" Conquest Rod for Jig type or line thru

[bengyaj]

Well I'm fishing a Megabass TS Blackjack. It's more on the softer side but the blank recovery is faster allowing me to also fish soft baits. I fish 6oz trebled baits and 4oz softies with it beautifully. It's around 600 bucks but to cover many techniques with one rod, feels a amazing and balances well too. Is it $400 better than say an Okuma Guide Select in terms of action, sensitivity? Nah. But I have a hard time putting it down though. 

[Jim137a]

1 hour ago, bengyaj said:

Well I'm fishing a Megabass TS Blackjack. It's more on the softer side but the blank recovery is faster allowing me to also fish soft baits. I fish 6oz trebled baits and 4oz softies with it beautifully. It's around 600 bucks but to cover many techniques with one rod, feels a amazing and balances well too. Is it $400 better than say an Okuma Guide Select in terms of action, sensitivity? Nah. But I have a hard time putting it down though. 

Love my TS black Jack. 

[Morgan Y]

5 hours ago, Mossypumpkin said:

I’ve been wishing Dobyns would do a couple Swimbait models in the xtasy series. Some guy on the Dobyns rods page tried to tell me “you need sensitivity for swimbaits”. So many people out there think we just chunk and wind it’s absurd. Imagine jigging a hudd down deep on a $550 rod with better sensitivity and lighter weight than a champion. Would be heavenly!

I would lose my mind fishing with a rod of that caliber. Hopefully this post will get things churning, fingers crossed.

[Morgan Y]

6 hours ago, Secretly Beloved said:

Tbh I don't think there isn't much that you are missing in terms of sensitivity. I've had NRX's, Megabass Destroyer USA and P5, Phenix K2, Kistler Zbones, and NFC rods blanks that I've built on. Now that I have/had all these rods as I got rid of all my NRX's and Phenix K2 and I turn to action more than sensitivity. Don't get me wrong sensitivity is amazing but if you have a stiff rod with amazing sensitivity for throwing things like a glide style bait you'll find more fish coming off. I would rather have a more parabolic rod for glides but with that said with a more parabolic rod you do lose some sensitivity but it makes it up with landing fish. But if you enjoy fishing Jig style swimbaits sensitivity is the way but with that said using high-end rods for quite a while, it isn't much you are missing, and some rods are in the 200-300 dollar range are well built. I just turn to action more than anything but that is just my take on it would love to hear what others say.  

I’ve been using a more parabolic rod recently, dobyns 867, and have found it to be quite nice for casting and pinning fish. I’m not sure if getting a higher end rod would actually change a whole lot for glides on second thought. I’m going to assume that the jig hook baits are what need the sensitivity like you were mentioning. 

[Morgan Y]

5 hours ago, bengyaj said:

Well I'm fishing a Megabass TS Blackjack. It's more on the softer side but the blank recovery is faster allowing me to also fish soft baits. I fish 6oz trebled baits and 4oz softies with it beautifully. It's around 600 bucks but to cover many techniques with one rod, feels a amazing and balances well too. Is it $400 better than say an Okuma Guide Select in terms of action, sensitivity? Nah. But I have a hard time putting it down though. 

The ratings are pretty varied on the black jack. Are they actually reasonable or is it way over rated?

[Morgan Y]

Just now, Morgan Y said:

The ratings are pretty varied on the black jack. Are they actually reasonable or is it way over rated?

Weight ratings, not reviews. 

[Morgan Y]

5 hours ago, xxlbass said:

yeah I tend to think the Roman Made Rods are f'n badass and they pin fish good with hard treble baits.  The Evolzion MB rods are nice as well the "White Python" is the business for 2-4oz baits.  Gotta look at build quality and double footed guides.   I would like to get a Deps Huge Custom for the 250.  On another note there are some cheaper rods that work fine.  How about a 7'9" Conquest Rod for Jig type or line thru

Those jdm rods are definitely interesting to look at, maybe I’ll have to buy one someday. 

[Whammy]

5 hours ago, Morgan Y said:

Weight ratings, not reviews. 

The Black Jack is rated 1/2-4oz I believe. So far I’ve thrown a small soft plastic with a 6/0 weighted Beast hook, so probably under an ounce total, to a Wade Hoggs, which is right around the max recommended weight of 4oz. It handles both fine, but the sweet spot for me is the 2-3oz range. 

I’ve seen lots of people say that the Blackjack is their favorite rod for a Deps 250 though, and that’s like a 6oz bait I think? 
 

ive fished mainly G Loomis rods for awhile now. Conventional, saltwater, fly rods, you name it, I’ve fished with it. I could probably be accused of being a bit of a fan boy, and that’s fine with me. But the Black Jack is one of the finer rods I’ve ever picked up. It just feels good in your hands and fishes well. Could you find that same magic in a $200 rod? Absolutely. Especially for swim baits. But I’m fortunate enough to have the Black Jack so that’s what I enjoy using.