Dobyns Rods Sierra Series

Gary Dobyns is continually exploring rod development. The goal – provide customers with bass fishing rods to meet the high standards and demands of tournament angling. The newest rod in the Dobyns Rod lineup is the Dobyns Rods Sierra Series. The Sierra Series not only provides a world class tournament rod, but it does it at a price bass anglers on a budget can afford. Priced between $159-$179, the Dobyns Rods Sierra Series provides anglers with all the actions and powers needed to compete in bass tournaments.

Everyone who’s fished with the Dobyns Rods Sierra Series says Gary has eliminated the competition in this price range. After reading how happy anglers and retailers are with the Sierra Series, I purchased a SA 734C and SA 735C. When I opened the shipping tube, I was immediately impressed with how light these rods are. I can honestly say they feel as light as some $300 off-the-shelf rods I’ve handled at our local Bass Pro.

The Sierra Series holds the same high standard “Curb Appeal” as the rest of the Dobyns Rods line. The guides are wrapped in solid black thread, and epoxy covering the thread is flawless. The Dobyns Logo is a shade between Blue Steel and Gray Steal; hard to nail down the color exactly, but it’s sharp. Accents between the reel seat and the first guide have a prism thread setting off the overall black blank.

The Dobyns Rods Sierra Series uses high modulus graphite blanks, Fuji Alconite guides and Fuji reel seat, Kevlar wrapping, and Portugal AA cork. Each rod is built on the spine and balanced to Gary’s high standards. I am a Shimano reel user and both these rods balance perfectly with a Curado or Citica.

Dobyns Rods Sierra Series Versatility

My first time on the water with the SA 735C was an experiment. I fished everything from hollow body frogs to swim jigs to buzzbaits. While rated as a Mag Heavy Extra Fast rod, I was surprised to find the tip loaded well and provided accurate casting with lighter baits. I could cast a 3/8-ounce swim jig with a plastic trailer around and under cypress tree limbs with ease. When a bass would strike, I had more than enough power to pull them away from cover and headed to the boat. Fishing a buzzbait was an effort in patients, the tip on the SA 735C is very fast. I found it very easy to set the hook too soon. The SA 735C transfers to the rods backbone quickly and pulled the buzzbait from bass if I wasn’t concentrating. However, once a bass has the buzzbait, hooksets are very reliable. The unforgiving power in the SA 735C will make it a must have for hollow body frog and jig anglers across the country. The tip action will allow anglers to place baits under overhanging cover very accurately, or make long distance casts across large flats, points or ledges.

I also fished the SA 735C with a variety of jigs ranging from 3/8-ounce to 3/4-ounce. By this time, I had a good understanding of the SA 735C capabilities and its casting and pitching abilities were no surprise. However, sensitivity was up for grabs and the Sierra Series did not disappoint.

The SA 734C shines in medium/light, medium and medium/heavy techniques and presentations. The SA 734C is perfect for Texas rigs, ¼ to ½-ounce jigs, spinnerbaits, vibrating jigs, just anything in the realm of ¼ to 5/8-ounce presentation. After using this rod for several outings, I truly believe a tournament angler could use this rod for everything except the extreme. It’s not going to be the right choice for an A-Rig or Punching, but on the lighter spectrum of both these techniques, it would work. An angler new to the bass tournament scene would give themselves a huge jump in their equipment by starting with the SA 734C.

Dobyns Rods Sierra Series Sensitivity

A real test of a rods sensitivity capabilities is to tie on a light weight and see how well it can transmit the bottom in 10-12 feet of water. A 3/8-ounce jig will feel like it is almost floating in water 10 feet or better with 15-pound test monofilament line. If a rod can transmit bottom cover (sticks, larger rocks, vegetation) and composition back to the angler at these depths with such a light weight, it is considered extremely sensitive. With both the Sierra Series rods, SA 734C and SA 735C, I could tell the difference between mud, sand, pebble or clam covered bottoms. The SA 734C provided a little more detail on bottom composition. However, I was using a lighter line (12-pound test) which changes the parameters of the testing.

Dobyns Rods Sierra Series Summary

To summarize, the SA 735C is a powerful rod. With an extra fast rating, it quickly transfers to the backbone of the rod. This gives the angler a lot of leverage for moving bass from cover. Whether pitching jigs to brush piles and laydowns or fishing hollow body frogs over grass, the SA 735C is going to be an angler favorite.

The SA 734C is a do it all dream rod. Light, sensitive, and a perfect balance of tip action and power. I’d recommend three. One for Texas rigs, one for any bladed baits (spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, etc.), and one for jigs. As an anglers’ skills develop, moving to more technique specific rods in the Sierra lineup may be desired, but the money spent on the SA 734C will never go to waste as this rod is super versatile.

The Sierra Series is as light and sensitive as many off-the-shelf rods costing twice as much. Gary’s high standards in workmanship and materials shine in the Sierra Series. With eighteen rods in the lineup, everything from a 6-foot 9-inch dropshot / shakey head spinning rods to a 7 foot 6 inch flipping rod, anglers can find everything they need in one series. The Sierra Series is a homerun in my book, and it’s going to save me a ton of money as I replace rods in 2017.

For more information on the Sierra Series visit DobynsRods.com

Get the Net It’s a Hawg,
Mike Cork