Depends on the river that you are fishing .....a 12' rod would be hard to use on most of the rivers I fish here in oregon. I believe that most importantly you need a rod with enough lift to mend your line all the way across the river and have enough backbone to set the hook from any where the bobber sinks. I am not fishing any more than 20'-25' away from my feet. If I were fishing say the cowlitz or lewis which are bigger rivers I might opt for a longer rod. Also I would say if the rod feels good in your hand and you feel confident in it's construction buy it. I fish only IMX loomis Drift rods but I fish a STR1082s built in GL2 as a bobber rod as there is no real need for sensitivity in a bobber rod as it is a visual game. All my backbouncing rods are Berkley 15-50s. Dont get hung up on a name, There are quite a few quality rod builders on thissite as well in the area that build awesome rods .......sometimes better than factory rods at a better cost. I am very passionate about bibber fishing as you can tell so I appologise if you think i may be rambling .........Tight Lines-John