I'm probably the odd ball on this but I prefer a fiberglass rod for this mainly cause the heavy load on the rod while trolling for extended periods of time seems to take its toll on graphite. Shimano has a couple of fast taper glass downrigger rods that have a beefy bottom end that makes it easy to pop the clip but the tip is sensitive enough to reveal even the slightest change in lure action (like when you pick up a small weed). About $40 last time I looked.