actually the rod is for my bro, he's not an avid fisherman and probably gets out, literally, a couple times a year. i just thought a graphite 20# rod would be a good "all-round" rod for someone like him to have. he'd like to have his own rod but doesn't want to spend too much money on it. and if he's gonna buy one, he'd like to get something that's at least halfway decent. the rod would be used mainly for local bass and occasional yellowtail trips. thanks for the suggestions. i'll look into the 2708 and as always more suggestions are welcome.