Even at slack, you need a rod with enough lifting power to keep a fish from sounding all the way to the bottom, and to steer it around things like lobster pot cables when you get it close.
I had a 29# crash a yellow Polaris at dead slack and sound like a Trident sub heading for the bottom. I was using an old S-glass SSB 132 2F that had 8" taken from the tip, and I had to lean into it to keep her from bottoming out.
The 120 1L will work nicely on the average Canal fish. I like to be prepared for the above average one. But it's your $$$
