TackleTour

Does anyone own this rod and like it.
What do you think of the sensitivity?

Well I had the 1st champion extreme 742 then got the 742 hp extreme, not much better in sensitivity. I had a 1st gen extreme 745 & sold it, my buddy said his $150 duckett was just as good, then he sold it. If you're in that $300+ zone and worried bout sensitivity, just save and get a 894c nrx for that power range

Hennessy wrote:Well I had the 1st champion extreme 742 then got the 742 hp extreme, not much better in sensitivity. I had a 1st gen extreme 745 & sold it, my buddy said his $150 duckett was just as good, then he sold it. If you're in that $300+ zone and worried bout sensitivity, just save and get a 894c nrx for that power range

Thanks Man.
I have the 894NRX and it’s o k. I think that the balance sucks and I probably alone in this but at that price point I should NOT have to buy something to balance it.
That being said the St. Croix legend elite?? I think it is I’d have to look and most definitely the Kistler H3 heavy rod are both in my personal opinion high contenders of the 894. I was on a whim with the Dobyns rod. I’ve yet to receive it. I got the mike long 784 rod from the previous generation and it was horrible. I don’t know what type of jig fishing people are doing with that rod but for me it was possibly a good chatterbalt rod at best. I’m not brand loyal at all. And I’ve got a few megabass rods. And maybe it’s jait me but I hear of more broken megabass rods or at least post about them. So when they were upwards of $5-600 seems they had better qc. I’ve been getting the older models and of the current line up I like the destroyer series.
I’ve read about the 745 HP and I’ll give it a try and if I don’t like it some brand loyal person will buy it. I want to be able to speak intelligently about it and have the experience with it. I will certainly post on it. I’m going JDM next rod to see what the luxxe rods are all about.


What didn’t you like about the first gen 745 rod?

I have the nrx 894 and the extreme 745 , not the HP . The 745 is my favorite shallow heavy cover pitch'n stick ,pitch'n 3\8-1\2 oz Trigs and jigs , it just feels right in my hands ! That being said it's the split handle , with a steez 100sha and a rubber butt cap , 50 fx2 fg knot to 18-20lb leader . Balance is perfect and the sensitivity is improved alot closer to nrx .Sub 6oz reels really brings the best out of dobyns rods ( steez \aldebaran ) ! The HP is supposed to be a little more sensitive than my 745 . The nrx does transfer the lighter vibrations better , but I've never missed a bite on the 745 . I have a steez svtw on the 894 and 18lb sunline for fishing deeper brush piles or casting and dragging big worms, C rigs, Football jigs . Tried balancing the 894 with rubber butt caps(butt cap and 2 or 3 quarters) , but to me it adds too much weight and lost some of the fine sensitivity it's known for !

I have the pre HP and my tourny partner has the HP. I love mine. We both have Zillions on our respective rod. I love the balance and action, especially for jigs. Sensitivity is very good with flouro. I also have a 784ML, 743C, 703C, 795Flip and 742SF. I am very happy with each of them.

I have the pre HP version of the Extreme DX 745 and love it for 1/2 oz jigs. Just the right power and balance for a good pitching rod. Is it as sensitive as a NRX? No, but for $225 less I wouldn't expect it to be. Is it sensitive enough, yes.

I don't have the HP, but I am disappointed in the sensitivity of the original...I still have it, but I'm on the search for something to replace it. I'm thinking going with either Kistler or St. Croix.

goldrod wrote:

Hennessy wrote:Well I had the 1st champion extreme 742 then got the 742 hp extreme, not much better in sensitivity. I had a 1st gen extreme 745 & sold it, my buddy said his $150 duckett was just as good, then he sold it. If you're in that $300+ zone and worried bout sensitivity, just save and get a 894c nrx for that power range

Thanks Man.
I have the 894NRX and it’s o k. I think that the balance sucks and I probably alone in this but at that price point I should NOT have to buy something to balance it.
That being said the St. Croix legend elite?? I think it is I’d have to look and most definitely the Kistler H3 heavy rod are both in my personal opinion high contenders of the 894. I was on a whim with the Dobyns rod. I’ve yet to receive it. I got the mike long 784 rod from the previous generation and it was horrible. I don’t know what type of jig fishing people are doing with that rod but for me it was possibly a good chatterbalt rod at best. I’m not brand loyal at all. And I’ve got a few megabass rods. And maybe it’s jait me but I hear of more broken megabass rods or at least post about them. So when they were upwards of $5-600 seems they had better qc. I’ve been getting the older models and of the current line up I like the destroyer series.
I’ve read about the 745 HP and I’ll give it a try and if I don’t like it some brand loyal person will buy it. I want to be able to speak intelligently about it and have the experience with it. I will certainly post on it. I’m going JDM next rod to see what the luxxe rods are all about.


What didn’t you like about the first gen 745 rod?

The sensitivity. It was my go to fb jig rod, handle 3/4oz like a champ. From what I remember, it was a tad more powerful than my 894. For fun fishing that 745 was more than enough. I am not the best fisherman, don't think anyone can claim that. When there's money on the line, I need all the help I can get. That 894 shines when you can feel slack line bites in 40ft+ feet of water. The nrx and kistler zbone rods are all I use for bottom contact baits

I would buy a 746 I have 2 and love them.

One of the things to keep in mind in my opinion is the military discount that
some companies such as Dobyns have. It is an incentive unit self for me to at least try.
My weekend is stacked but I will carve out some time for a green fish.

Finally got the rod in.
I had my old gen one Cumara medhvy and the Dobyns is slower in action
The first 4-5 guides on the Dobyns is where the power steps in at.
I pulled out my st. Croix LE 7’4” and the Dobyns isn’t close
So I went to the Kistler 7’3” heavy. And in comparison I wasn’t sure if the Dobyns was really a mag heavy
It’s a very clean build, the Dobyns rod is. I have a zillion on it now. But had a Steez SV on it when I made some
cast. I’m still out on sensitivity. I can say the rod is nice and it has smiliar patterns as my super rekki.
I had to look close because at first I thought it was the same. It’s not butbit is very astetically pleasing.

I tried a Dobyns champion graphite cranking rod in the spring. My reaction was much as yours. Very pleasing rod to look at and well assembled. Handles fish well. Sensitivity was good but I never made any conclusions in part because it is a cranking rod and I did not buy it to bottom bounce.

I love my 745. Jigs and t-rigs from 1/2oz is the sweet spot. Doubles as a frog rod in a pinch. As stated above it won’t be as sensitive as an NRX. I don’t feel like I miss fish because of the sensitivity. It just gets the job done and it does it very well. To me, the warranty played a big factor in keeping my NRX or selling it for a Dobyns. Their customer service goes a long way. It’s enjoyable to call them and talk about recommendations or what rod is most suited for your fishing style or just fishing in general. Richard has always been a class act. Just reallly depends on what you’re looking for in a rod.

I was getting my gear ready for my fishing season (Nov to May) in Florida and I was out casting my 765 crankbait rod in this series. I find the blank emits plenty of vibration to detect a deflection with a spinnerbait. Maybe not NRX but as stated above, not missing fish.

I’m going to the St. John’s river with it today or tomorrow to pitch jigs
Now that’s a proving ground for any rod. I really just need some time off.
I will be pitching 1/2-3/4 jigs with the tokar hook. Should be a great time
as it's beginning to begin to cool off in Florida