First, thanks for the responses. Fishcharmer, how do those long rods balance out? My longest flipping sticks today are 8 ft and can be a little tip heavy. When I find a pressure bite pattern, tip heavy rods can cost me fish as I will end up putting more pressure on them than I intend to and miss them. Some rod makers are now putting weight into the butt section of the blanks to help with balance. However it comes with a price in that rod weight often gets pretty heavy. The old add on balancers could balance any rod but sometimes you had to add as many lead inserts as it would hold and you could really feel the extra weight. Fatigue was a constant issue when flipping all day, especially in grass with big weights. Just curious as to your experiences with this. Thanks, 'spoon