Champion 805CB Review

by Chris Rhoden

March is the herald of spring. In much of the country, it’s very start of the prespawn. Up north

guys are often just getting to ice out, and in more southerly climes fish are often mid spawn. Part

of being prepared to take on the various stages of bass migration is being well prepared, and many

anglers have spent weeks getting gear prepped for the forthcoming spawn. However, the longest

part of the spawn cycle is undoubtedly post spawn, and it pays well to have your gear ready to

switch targets when the big females start moving back to their normal haunts. Deep cranking is

one of the best ways to get at big fish from the immediate post spawn on into winter, and Dobyns

makes what in my opinion the best deep cranking stick ever made to help fill that role in your

quiver.

There seems to be a fair amount of questions directed towards which cranking rod in the Dobyns

lineup is “best”. These questions pop up every year, on various media sites in one form or another

Most of these threads regard deeper diving baits. For a couple years a dedicated deep diver rod

was something missing in my lineup. This spring I picked up the 805CB to fill that gap. Note this is

not a new rod, it is NOT the same 805CB Glass that Paul Mueller designed though they have a

same length and power rating.

The primary design input on the 805CB was Randy McAbee. Guys on the West Coast know him as

one of the best crank bait fisherman in the game, and a DD22 has been his bread and butter for a

long time. The 805 is designed for that style of bait. It’s got a nice soft tip, but it shuts off relatively

quick and has some backbone. I’ve thrown everything from a DLN to a 10XD on mine since May,

and it’s performed nicely. It really is perfect for a DD22/DT16/6XD size bait. With a properly tuned

reel, you can absolutely launch baits on this one.

One of the things that a lot of companies make in a deep crank stick is a soft rod throughout it’s

length. Long, almost parabolic rods that can whip a bait and then keep fish pinned. This is an area

where the 805 is just better at hooking them in the first place. Mark Rose was once interviewed

about what he throws his deep crank on. His answer was a long graphite stick with a soft tip and a

good amount of power in the butt. The composite nature of the 805CB gives this model a lot of

those same qualities. You have a soft tip to absorb the pull of the bait and to let the fish eat the

bait….but when you put the pressure on them, it has the ability to control bigger fish. Deep divers

aren’t the same as other treble hooked baits; most times there’s a good deal of line between you

and the fish when they bite (thus more line stretch). Having a rod that can actually set the hook

efficiently with a slight rod sweep is important….you simply cannot set hard enough to get good

hook penetration on a glass rod in some cases. The #1-2 size trebles on a deep diver are not the

same thin gauge as a #4-6 on most treble-hooked baits…they are thicker and have a longer shank.

The 805CB has the right blend of tip and power to really sink a #1 treble on the set, and then keep

it in place when the fish starts to shake it’s head.

Having fished with it frequently in the last year, my 805 has seen various duties. It can easily fish a

chatterbait and lighter blades, and it’s an excellent rod for smaller swimbaits (especially the smaller

4-6″ line-thru baits). It’s also a good rod for yo-yoing an LV500, and it’s an excellent choice if you

like the lighter 4-6″ glide baits. I’ve also been throwing my baits on this with a 7:1, and even then

the bigger deep divers don’t take much of a toll on my arms at the end of the day. It’s not common

that a specialized stick like the 805 can prove to be versatile. It absolutely shines in the intended

application, but an 805 can easily prove a favorite of someone who only occasionally needs a good

deep diver stick.