I did the same exact thing. Stopped in the Rogers Cabela's store and saw the Copper River rods on sale for $19.99. I didn't really need a new rod but they are sharp looking and I liked the fact that for a medium heavy rod, it wasn't like handling a 2x4. I was excited to give it a try. Went out fishing a couple of evenings later. First fish on was nice largemouth that got off at the boat. About three casts later I hook into a small largemouth. I got him by the boat and went to swing it into the boat and the rod snapped about 8 inches from the tip. Just like Boodog said, it snapped like a dry twig. It seemed really brittle. I took it back to Cabela's and they asked if I wanted to replace with another one. It was tempting but when I asked how many had come back broke like that she said she had seen quite a few. I just got my money back. Pretty disappointing.
