Dobyns Fury Rod Review

The Dobyns Rods Fury bass fishing rod is now available. Since February of 2015, Gary Dobyns has promised the bass fishing community a rod in the $100 range. As the introductory rod in the impressive Dobyns Rod lineup, the Dobyns Fury is born from a very strong pedigree. After years of design work and field-testing input, Gary finally has a rod he is excited to put his name on. Priced at $109.99, I’m certain the Dobyns Fury will set a new standard for the $100 market rod.

In an interview with Gary about the Fury bass fishing rod, he started by saying; “I’ve tried to make a rod in the $100 range for years but couldn’t make a decent one…so I didn’t.” To provide a rod for this market, many manufacturers use a lower quality blend of material and dress them up with shiny inexpensive components. This was not an option for Gary; “I always say you can’t make a good rod without a good blank. The blank is the heart and soul of a rod.”

Gary’s goal with the Fury line of rods started with the concept – a better ‘made’ fishing rod is more important to anglers than a better ‘looking’ rod. Using the best blend of material for the blank was most important. He figured that to keep the price near $100, the cosmetics would be an area he could save money on the overall retail price.

When an angler holds the Fury, it will be hard to see where the cosmetics were cut. The unique green highlights and logo, the dual material split grip, and Kevlar wrappings, make the Fury a fine piece of equipment. In my opinion, the Fury rod is very sharp and has the ‘curb’ appeal anglers have started looking for in their equipment.

The Fury has Dobyns Rods standard Kevlar guide wrappings and a unique split grip handle that boasts an AA grade cork grip and a hi-density Hypalon butt. The Fury also uses a high-quality Fuji reel seat. According to Gary, “There are a ton of cheap reel seats. A seat only holds the reel, however if you go cheap, sooner or later you’ll have reels jumping out or not tightening down. I avoid this with the Fuji reel seat.” So, where did Gary find ways to drive the cost down on the Fury? To be honest after fishing two different Fury rods for a few days, I have no idea.

When an angler is researching a rod purchase, the first concern is sensitivity. We as anglers have been conditioned to believe a rod’s sensitivity is directly relative to its price. The more expensive the rod, the more sensitive it will be. While often the case, it is actually the lightweight and sensitivity driving the price tag. These costs are what Gary Dobyns has struggled with in trying to build a $100 rod. Using a 30-ton material, the Dobyns Fury is sensitive, balanced and lightweight. Fishing with the 765 Flip for 6 hours straight, I had no fatigue in my wrist, elbow or shoulder. Strikes were easily detected when the bait was on the fall. Using the Fury 734C as a spinnerbait rod, willow leaf and Indiana blade vibration was easily detected. The balance on both of these rods enhances their sensitivity. When a blade stopped turning, or bait got light/heavy, the well-balanced rod transmitted these changes immediately.

All the Fury rods have a fast action. When I first started using the Fury 734C, I felt like it was more of an extra fast action. It has a very solid tip that seemed to give way to the power of the rod rather quickly. However, after casting different baits and catching several fish, it was easy to see the fast action at work. When a fish is hooked, the tip gives more and transfers power further down the rod’s blank. According to Gary, this is a big advantage in favor of the angler. Gary explained it like this, “The Fury is made to be a “little” slower than our Champion and DX series, making them more versatile and more “forgiving” for anglers.” What this means to the angler is casting will be more accurate and fewer bass will escape because of poor hooksets, getting caught off guard during a fight, or jumping bass. This all adds up to the perfect rod for the beginning and tournament angler alike.

There are two exceptions to the Fury’s line of fast action rods. The first is the 735C. A mag/heavy power rod designed for frogs, flipping, and swimbaits; this rod comes with an extra fast action needed for these techniques. The other exception is the Fury 705CB crankbait rod. As a medium heavy rod designed for crankbaits, rattletraps, and top water, it comes with a mod-fast tip. Many rods will work for these techniques; however, the mod-fast action is a huge plus in casting crankbaits or topwater, and landing bass on treble hook baits.

In my opinion, a beginning angler only needs three Fury rods to get started with baitcasting techniques: 734C, 735C, and 705CB. For $300, these three rods give an angler top of the line equipment covering nearly all applications encountered. If an angler finds they are doing more flipping, especially to heavy cover, a 765Flip should be considered for their next purchase. With eleven rods in the Fury lineup, anglers are sure to find the rods fitting their specific needs.

Power, the Fury has it. I am highly impressed with the load and power of the Dobyns Fury. I am not easy on a rod, and I fish some extremely nasty vegetation. Hooking a bass is never the problem, getting them out of the vegetation can be a chore and requires a strong tolling motor to get to the fish versus reeling the bass in. Wanting to see how much abuse the Fury can take, instead of using the trolling motor I used the Fury 765Flip, on multiple occasions, to pull the boat towards hooked bass under mats. To my surprise, the Fury is very strong. However, I must admit there comes a point a rod simply can’t pull a 1400 pound boat over grass anymore. The Fury 765Flip is very strong, loads perfectly, and the power is more than an angler can apply. I found the power and fast action was a great combination, allowing me to turn a bass’s head rather quickly. Being able to move bass to the top of vegetation mats the majority of the time reduced the number of times I had to retrieve a hooked bass.

In my efforts to find a flaw in the Fury, I took two of them to a local rod builder for inspection. Not being a professional builder myself, my observations would be just opinion. I wanted a professional judgment on the build of the Dobyns Fury fishing rods. Shawn Jeardoe, of Jeardoe Guide Repair, performed this inspection for me. First was to check the spine. I gave him a Fury 734C and a 765Flip, both passed. “Impressive” was the term he used. He continued, “…a lot of time goes into a perfect spine as I see here; I’ve never seen this kind of alignment in a hundred dollar rod.” Next was a basic visual inspection of the guides, windings, sealer, and cork quality. Lastly, Shaun checked the guide alignment and overall installations of the rod, reel seat and handle components. According to Shawn, “These rods have all the characteristics, and weight of a $200-$300 shelf rod at any major tackle retailer.”

Gary’s number one goal with the Fury is to provide a sensitive, well-balanced rod the Dobyns Rods are known for. Second is to provide this rod at a price that didn’t break the bank. After years of design work and field testing input, Dobyns Rods has this rod, and it’s called the Fury. Priced at $109.99, the Dobyns Rods Fury has several places in my rod locker, and I’ll bet it will yours too.

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