Sorry to take so long to get back with you guys. Thanks for all the tips on buying a cane rod! I will do some more homework and try to decipher what are the good models to buy. Sounds like all of the major makes made at least a few good tapers, so it will just be a matter of determining which are the ones worth buying. Thanks for the help. I will be sure to post any other questions I come up with. Tight lines!