Good question. I use graphite rods and Ambassaduer reels. I keep the drag at about 5 pounds (That's fairly loose compaired to the line I use and the rod capabilities) so as not to break anything and use my thumb for added drag. The mono leader helps a lot. You'd be surprised how much give even three feet of mono adds to the system and my leaders are usually anywhere from 8 to 12 feet when new.
One big thing is to not top stick the rod. Even with a low drag you can bust the rod if you bring it straight up. More rods are broken because of top sticking than by braid or any other reason. I bet the only thing that breaks more rods than top sticking is big Oafs like me falling on them!
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