I fish 12 and 14 ft southern's. 1/8 pony head on bottom and gnat on top with 1/2 to 1 oz weights. Use nothing but bait casters and guides are perfect size. I have bent my poles completely under my boat when hanging up and not hurt them. I even took one of mine at a camp in the parking lot. To show people how tough they were I put it in rod holder and grabbed line, bent pole in a complete U without hurting it. Very sensitive and tough as nails. Ed Dukes is a great guy to do business with. Long handles are for getting reel in front of rod holder.