I have three brands of rigger/dipsey rods and been using them since '96. The 8'3" 1100 Light Ugly's are my favorite. Maybe the new ones aren't made the same. They sent me a new Med. spinning rod FREE for testing. It seems to be of totally different construction, flat black, single support ferrules. I use the rods mostly for stripers in the Hudson which can run pretty big and often we can't stop the boat to reel them in. Never had a problem. I use 20 lb. test mono and set my drags to just barely lift a 6 lb. ball. A jerk on the rod should let the drag slip. You'll be surprised how heavy that feels on an 8'+ rod. Don't set your drags by hand feel. This may help.
