Dobyn’s Fury 7’ Med/Hvy Review

The Budget All-Around Casting Rod You’ve Been Looking For

-Specifications-

Model: FR 703C

Length: 7'

Power: Medium/Heavy

Action: Fast

When it comes to fishing gear, specifically rods and reels, I’d argue that the threshold for good quality starts somewhere around the $100 dollar mark. You may find an exception here or there, something that rocks for $70 or $80, but once you hit that $100 zone, you’re talking about gear where you’ll really start to notice a difference in quality. If you’ve read my Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier 2 review, then you’ll know that I had originally purchased it as an all-around rod with a primary intention of throwing stickbaits, and was not impressed. I was prepared to use it going into the 2018 season, but I can’t say I was excited to do so.

I came upon the Dobyn’s Fury stickbait rod by accident. All I had asked for Christmas was the medium-power, moderate-action cranking and jerkbait Dobyn’s Fury, and I thought I’d communicated the model correctly to the parents. I was wrong. What I unwrapped wasn’t the cranking rod, but the stickbait, spinnerbait and jig rod from the Fury line, and much like Bob Ross, I’m thrilled this happy little mistake found its way into my arsenal.

What I Like:

Like I was saying earlier, somewhere around that $100 mark is where I feel you start to have real quality gear, and the Dobyn’s Fury stickbait rod comes in at around $110. For that price, I’d argue that you’re getting a pretty damn high-quality rod.

The entire Fury series as a whole takes after the Alien aesthetic, with neon green details accentuating the hard-black blank. Add in cork split-grips with a carbon pattern handle and toss a Lew’s Mach II Speed Spool on top, and you’ve got yourself a very sexy combo.

Not including the hookset or retrieve, which I’ll cover later, the rod feels great in your hand. I’m not sure whether I’m a bigger fan of a full handle or the split-grip style, but the split-grips on the Fury are well spaced and fit my particular dimensions very well. I figure that with any low-profile casting reel you’d feel comfortable chuckin’ around on this for a long day of fishing.

Now, for the important stuff. When it comes to catching fish, I’ve found the Dobyn’s Fury to be incredibly competent. As it denotes on the handle, which is a cool little detail, this rod is designed by the team at Dobyn’s for jigs, stickbaits, spinnerbaits, flukes and Texas rigs. I had been looking for a stickbait rod that would keep me happy for a long while, and I found it right here. Sensitivity is excellent, better than any rod I’ve used to this point (6/27/18). My favorite way to fish stickbaits is weightless on an EWG hook, with long pauses and an overall very slow retrieve. The success I’ve had with this rod using that technique has brought my bump-to-hook ratio through the roof; I feel so many more bites than I’m used to that I find myself setting the hook on grass more than I’d care to admit.

Apart from stickbaits, I’ve found this rod to be amazing with small swimbaits and even some single-hook topwaters, buzzbaits in particular. I throw a 4.3” Keitech on a 3/16oz. belly-weighted Gamakatsu EWG screw-lock to great effect; you can easily tell what’s a weed clump and what’s a nibble after only a little practice.

What I Don’t Like:

My primary complaint isn’t so much of a complaint, but more of an observation.

One thing I’ve noticed, which may annoy some, is that this rod doesn’t have a very fast action. It’s branded as such, but it really isn’t as fast as you’d expect. The bend is parabolic, with the real start of the bend beginning closer to two-thirds of the way up the blank as opposed to something like three-fourths or faster. This doesn’t bother me at all because of what I use this rod for. If you were looking to spend a reasonable amount of money for a rod with a very fast action, say for dedicated jig fishing, this isn’t your rod. If you’re looking for an all-around workhorse with the capacity to throw a multitude of different baits, this is certainly the one that you’re looking for.

One real complaint that I have is with the reel seat. I have to tighten the seat down very often on my particular rod, as sometimes on a day when I’m lucky enough to set the hook a lot, it’ll get loose on me and wiggle the reel while I retrieve. I haven’t lost any fish, or reels for that matter, as a result of this little annoyance, but keep it in mind.

To Conclude:

I think it’s safe to say that this is my favorite rod in my arsenal. I don’t own that many rods, but I’m extremely grateful that this is one I do. The sensitivity is excellent, the hook-setting capacity is no joke, and the look and feel of the Dobyn’s Fury stickbait rod can’t be overlooked. I’ve put about 30 or so hours on the water with this rod, and while it took me some getting accustomed to, I’m now fully confident in its abilities. When it comes to finding a budget-conscious all-around casting rod, this is the one for me, and I reckon you’ll find it’s the one for you, too.

Buy one.