Happy Holidays to everyone!!! The last month of 2022 is here and it’s been a fast year. Looking back on this year, the thing that really sticks out is the number of new dealers we’ve signed up. It’s been a really good year overall. We have launched several new items this year and I’ll review each of them.
We’ve just released the new Champion Cull Tags (also called Cull Buoys by some). I’ve already received questions of why are there 8 different colors. Well, in Crappie events it’s a 7-fish limit, plus other countries also have events where creel numbers are larger. These Cull Tags are super easy for one-handed operations. Plus, they don’t lose fish as you pull them from the livewell. We’ve tested these for a while and made changes until we believe they’re the best cull tags available. These are just now available and priced at $59.99.
The Champion XP Series DC 794.5 AR A-Rig rod was launched this year and it’s definitely a homerun for us. It has the same action as our popular swimbait models and falls between the Champion
DC 794SB and DC 795SB models. The other difference is this rod has a cork handle on it.
The Josh Jones Hyperlite crappie series has also been a homerun. These come in 10-, 11-, 12-, and 14-foot lengths. They’re made for the forward-facing sonar craze that Josh is largely responsible for. It’s hard to balance these long rods but we’ve done a good job and we’re getting great feedback. These are all 2-piece models.
We’ve had so many requests to expand our clothing line. So, we added a new polyester hoodie in a bunch of colors. The response has been great. We also added a bunch of new hat styles and colors. The best place to view these is on our website at Dobynsrods.com
The Maverick Rods and Reels were brought to market this year. It’s our first venture into the reel market. The Maverick Series has rods, reels, and combos. These were made because of dealer requests so we responded to their needs. The Maverick rods are a straight 24T Mitsubishi graphite rod at $99.99. They are extremely balanced and sensitive. The Maverick casting reels come in 3 gear ratios, and three colors to match your Dobyns rods. They have 11 ball bearings plus a roller bearing. They are incredibly smooth and strong. The spinning comes in two sizes (2000 & 2500) and also in 3 colors.
The tip removal tool is also new. This has not sold well because no one really has seen anything like this before. It was designed by my good buddy and custom rod builder Lynn Williams. We see damaged blank tips on rods where anglers overheat the tips. This tool makes it impossible to damage a rod tip. It’s super easy to use and everyone that’s tried the tool raves about the ease of use and how functional it is. If you’d like to see a video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlQtlG1UmN8&t=8s.
Lastly, I’d like to thank all the anglers that have tested the new cork and have given us feedback. We made four very popular models of Champion Series rods with the new cork and put them out to the public to test and give thoughts. The response overall is very good. There have been some negative comments by a few anglers but it’s been very positive mostly. Here’s how the feedback to date is running: 82% of the anglers love the new cork. With four different styles, the comments vary on which style is their favorite. 11% like the new cork fine and just want cork handles and 7% do not like it at all. Some of the commenters believe we’re looking at saving money with the new cork. But, in truth, it costs a lot more and I’m just looking at new options as cork quality is declining. We have some test samples left, so anyone wanting a good deal on a test rod, there are some still available. I’m still looking for comments. Again, thanks to all for the testing and feedback. It really helps to test something new and getting hundreds of anglers using it is the fastest way to help me make decisions.
Happy Holidays to all and maybe Santa will surprise you with a new Dobyns rod under your tree!
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