A real bummer they discontinued that rod (the 1178) ... for the money, it was a super rod for folks with a limited budget or a good back-up. For that matter, I fish mine a lot still ... and still enjoy it with my lighter to medium-weight lines.

Maybe you can still find one. We've got a couple of the rainshadow blanked rods, but haven't had much chance to fish them yet, so the jury is still out.