Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews

Dobyns Rods Fury Series Review

As mentioned in a previous post, I have been wanting to try out a new Dobyns Rod I’d picked up recently while on the road at a tournament event. Then I wanted to do a Dobyns Rods review.

A friend had told my about Dobyns Rods and suggested I try one out, so I did – and he was right, I’m impressed. My Dobyns is a Fury Series 734C, one of their more affordable rods with a suggested retail price of Dobyns Rods review$109.99, but it is balanced and has the feel to me of a higher end casting rod. The 734C is 7’3″ long and is geared toward techniques including buzzbaits, horny toads, jigs, senkos, swimbaits and spinnerbaits. The Fury Series hasn’t been around long, just been since May of 2015.

For the Dobyns rods review I was able to get out and use the rod extensively on a fishing trip to the Elk River and it performed very well. The first thing you notice is how comfortable the grip is with a nice cork main handle and then a butt covered in a “Hypalon” material, giving you more grip for long casts. Starting out with a Booyah spinnerbait I had a nice bass hooked within the first 30 minutes and the rod performed beautifully. Whether launching long, accurate casts, setting the hook, or reeling in an upset largemouth, it felt silky smooth. Again, feeling in the hand like a higher end rod than the actual price. Later on when switching to a jig, it was no problem for shorter and more accurate casts.

Dobyns Fury Series Rod

Dobyns does offer four other levels of rods: Champion Extreme, Champion, Savvy, and Savvy Micro Guide. Overall I am very pleased with this Dobyns Fury series rod, a great value for the price and plan to look into more Dobyns rods in the future. Find them at an local dealer or online at sources such as Tackle Warehouse.

Reviews

Bending Branches Blades are Tough!

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This Bending Branches promotional video below does a good job of showing the various positive attributes of their paddles for anglers. In the video it says “beefed up blades” when showing the Angler Pro IMG_1326on screen. I can attest, not only are these blades more than tough enough to manage moving water, brush and rocks, but also came in very handy in a recent roadside situation.

On the way home from a work event, a co-worker was stranded on the side of a very busy interstate. She had run over a gas can which had wedged under her car and wouldn’t come loose. You could smell the gas and the can was wedged tightly up under the engine block, just out of reach! When we jacked up her car, I grabbed one end of the Bending Branches Angler Pro and put it to work, pushing and prodding and prying the gas can. The paddle powered it loose and scraped it out from under her car.  I’m thankful every time I hit the water with my Angler Pro, but also am thankful it was just the tough tool we needed in that tight situation.

Reviews

Great Service by Dobyns Rods

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Would like to recognize Dobyns Rods for some excellent service recently, which is important from a fishing equipment company. At a recent visit to Lake Fork I purchased a Dobyns Rod at the tackle shop and once I was home recognized a small problem with it. Being hundreds of miles from where I purchased it in Texas, this kayak fisherman was at a loss of what to do.

One email to Dobyns Rods directly with an explanation of my problem resulted in a quick reply from them with a proposal to fix the issue. The assistance was quick, it was courteous and I could tell they really wanted to help me out. I’ll be reviewing my Dobyns rod very soon here on the blog. As I previously wrote, I’m looking for a new go-to rod company and they have certainly made a great impression so far.

Reviews

Manley Rods Review Part 1: First Impressions

Recently I’ve been looking to choose a new fishing rod brand to use and have a few in mind I wanted to check out. One of these brands is Manley Rods, which caught my eye with their MRF (“Adjust-a-Butt”) system, which allows for the angler to adjust the length of the rod butt based on the situation. This is particularly appealing when kayak fishing due to being in a sitting position most of the time a
nd the rod butt can get in the way with certain techniques.

First of all, a word about Manley Rods service. Before they shipped my rod I received a friendly phone call from Manley to confirm something in my order. They just wanted to take a minute to ensure I was going to receive the correct shipment – which I really appreciated. I’d ordered a Platinum Series Medium Heavy Fast Action casting rod which is either 6’9″ or 7’3″ long, depending if the butt is extended or not.

Opening the box upon arrival, the rod was very well packaged in plastic and bubble wrap, giving me confidence it was safe during shipping. First thoughts were that it was a nice and sleek looking rod, with components that look and feel solid. Love the feel of the cork grips which are very soft to the touch – I immediately wonder how durable they are. Adjusting the butt position is easy, but it feels like the handle may have a little more total weight because of this feature.

Overall, I’m pleased with what I’m seeing here and can’t wait to get it on the water. Manley claims on their components page that the special Microwave Guide System adds up to 30% further casting distance over standard guides. Looking forward to taking it out for a field test and sharing the results.

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Lake Atkins Lives Up To The Hype

It’s not often that reality matches up with the hype that comes with fishing destinations – but Lake Atkins delivered for me. I’d heard a lot of talk about this up and coming “Big Bass” lake stocked with Lake Atkins Arkansas signFlorida strain bass in Arkansas, but had not fished there until just recently – and it was impressive.

Lake Atkins was recently the site of the 2015 Arkansas Kayak Anglers State Championship, bringing together qualifiers from local trails for a year end event. The lake is made up of expansive flats which vary from 5 to 12 feet deep, with a small deep end being 20-25 feet around the dam. Standing timber, both visible and submerged, litter the lake from end to end which provides underwater structure everywhere. In addition, much of the shoreline is ringed by cypress trees and small coves and cuts, providing excellent cover for bass. Good luck finding ditches or humps or ledges, because there aren’t many and they are subtle.

Big Bass Lake Atkins Arkansas Largemouth
A 24.5″ monster from Atkins.

Pre-fishing was on a Saturday and Atkins was littered with a kayak fishing fleet determined to unlock the lake’s secrets. Almost all those fishing that day were catching good fish, including 7.6lb and 8lb hogs brought in by yak anglers. I did well that day with a Bandit crankbait and Yum plastics. A cold front came in on tournament day, changing the fishing dynamic and resulting in a tougher bite. Even so, one kayak angler hauled in a massive 24.5″ monster that didn’t even look real. What also impressed me was that good fish were being caught on multiple types of baits, which isn’t always the case on a tough, post-front day.

This lake is definitely worth more visits. Use caution and watch for stumps just below the surface when navigating the lake! Many kayaks were high centered and impaled through scuppers and more than one pedal-kayak was damaged from striking submerged timber. If you need a break, order a good burger or grab some tackle at Lucky Landing, located on the south side of the lake.

Reviews

Lake Fork Marina and Motel Review

In November 2015 I was fortunate to join more than 90 other top kayak bass fishing anglers at Lake Fork, Texas, for the Tournament of Champions. The Lake Fork Marina and Motel sLake Fork Marina & Motelerved as the home base and take-off point for the tournament and was a great spot to host.

First of all, anyone who has been to Lake Fork knows it is not close to any town of any size, so having lodging, tackle shop and restaurant all in one spot right on the lake was very convenient. The staff in the tackle shop and motel check-in were great and easy to work with and very flexible on check-in and check-out options. The tackle shop at Lake Fork Marina & Motel was well-stocked with many of the baits and other supplies you could need.

Honestly, the motel rooms were not great, but were cheap, clean, and convenient to the lake – which is the most important attribute. I really liked that you could park and back your yak up right to your door for extra security. There are camp sites and really nice lodges for rent if you have a group. A highlight of the Lake Fork Marina motel is Tiffany’s Restaurant which was a great place to eat and you must try the pie. (Verona Italian Cafe is also nearby and a can’t miss option)  All in all I definitely recommend this as a fishing HQ for a trip to Lake Fork.