Buy a good quality rod from a reputable manufacturer and you can't go wrong. I have had 8 Daiwa Strike SK-786 rods in 8 1/2 feet long for 35 years and still use them today. I did break one of them some 5 years ago and went looking to buy the same one for a replacement - however, they no longer make them. The reason it broke was my fault - was using a #1 Dipsey on a wavy day and the surge coming down a wave applied enough pressure to break it. Since then I use 10 foot Shakespeare Ugly Stik Dipsy Rod for fishing the #! And #3 Magnum Dipsey's. Use the old rods with the 0 size. About 4 years ago I added lead core to my arsenal of techniques and went with the longer Ugly Stik downrigger rods.