Expert Review: Dobyns Rods Sierra

Published on 07/13/2022 · 4 min readThis review is my honest opinion of the rod which I purchased with my own money in August of 2020.
Danny Palmquist, Fishing Expert
By Fishing Expert Danny Palmquist

Dobyn's Sierra 735c paired with a Lew's Super Duty Wide Spool and frog combo. Photo by Danny Palmquist

About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the rod which I purchased with my own money in August of 2020.

My Take

The Dobyns Sierra Casting rod series is a great choice for intermediate anglers looking to hone in on technique-specific setups with precisely tuned tapers.

About this rod

  • Model: 2020 Dobyns Sierra 735c
  • Rod Length: 7’3”
  • Rod Power: Mag Heavy
  • Rod Action: Extra Fast
  • Rod Pieces: 1 Piece
  • Rod Material: Graphite

About me

  • Preferred Fishing Style: Topwater Bass Fishing
  • Experience: 20+ Years

Test conditions

  • When I Bought This: August 2020
  • Reel Paired with Rod: Lew’s Super Duty Wide Spool 8:1:1
  • Line Paired Rod: Sunline FX2 80lb Dark Green
  • Days tested: 200
  • Waters I’ve used it on: Lakes and Ponds
  • Species targeted with rod: Largemouth Bass

How It Performs

Casting Ease
5/5
Performance
5/5
Quality
4/5
Versatility
2/5

What I Was Looking For

I love frog fishing and I needed a rod with a soft tip for skipping frogs under overhanging trees. It also needed to be able to handle casting lightweight hollow-bodied frogs. Also, I found that after a long day of frog fishing, I felt a lot of fatigue in my arms and I wanted to find a rod that was lighter in weight and easier to manage.

Why I Chose This Gear

I am a big fan of Dobyns rods and I was using a Dobyns Fury 735c for my frogging setup. After reading that Dobyns Sierra series features tips that are a bit softer than their Fury series counterparts, I went ahead and purchased the Sierra 735c.

Dobyn's Sierra 735c paired with a Lew's Super Duty Wide Spool and frog combo. Photo by Danny Palmquist

What I Love About It

  • Application: When fishing around heavy cover, the rod allowed me to make precise casts which meant that I could land more fish and get hung up less.
  • Performance:
    • Ease of casting: The soft tip of the rod loads up easily, which has made it easier to skip frogs under overhanging trees and docks. It also loads easily while casting lightweight frog lures.
    • Action: The action of the rod is rated extra fast. It’s a little slower than I expected, but that was ultimately a good thing.
    • Accuracy: The rod is very lightweight and balanced which makes it easy to make pinpoint casts directly to the cover fish are hiding in.
  • Feel: The balance in the rod allows users to keep the tip down and impart action easily to their lure.
  • Length: Being 7’3”, the rod has the power to make a solid hookset as well as the leverage to manage aggressive bass.
  • Aesthetics: The look of the split cork grip appeals to me and I prefer the gray/silver logo on Dobyns Sierra series to the green that’s used on the Fury.

Issues I’ve encountered

  • Durability: One of the guides came loose, but it was still completely intact and I was able to glue it back in place easily.
  • Versatility: This is very much a technique-specific rod. The soft tip doesn’t allow for fishing with other heavy-cover fishing techniques.
  • Performance:
    • Power: The power of the rod is perfect for hooksets when fishing in close quarters, but I did struggle with getting a good hookset from a distance.

Favorite Moment With This Gear

After purchasing the rod from a local tackle shop, I couldn’t wait to put on a reel and hit the water with it. On my first cast under some overhanging trees, I got a huge blowup after twitching it a few times. I thought I missed the fish but after reeling in some slack and lifting my rod tip, I realized that I caught a 3-pounder. The taper on the rod is so dead-on that I didn’t have to worry about the timing or strength of my hookset.

Value for the money vs. other options

When using this rod, my hookup ratio went from roughly 50% to 70% when using hollow body frogs, which was well worth the price increase from the Fury series. I also looked at Cashion’s ICON frog rod which would have been more sensitive, but since you can see a blowup when frog fishing you don’t a sensitive rod in order to feel a bite and I didn’t think it was worth the extra money.

Final Verdict

The light weight, balance, and precise taper on the rod make Dobyns Sierra series a nice, performance-oriented rod and at a great value price.

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