Graphite

Graphite blanks dominate freshwater fishing because they do the two things anglers care most about at once: they are light enough to hold all day, and they are stiff enough to transmit a tap through the blank into your hand. When a spec sheet mentions IM6, IM7 or a modulus number, it is describing how stiff the fiber is. Higher numbers let the maker build the same power out of less material, so the rod gets lighter and more sensitive.

Higher modulus also means more brittle. A high-end graphite rod will snap where a cheap one would flex. Premium blanks are less forgiving of car doors, high-sticking and being leaned against a tailgate.

Most rods under a hundred dollars are a graphite composite with some glass content mixed in. That is not a compromise so much as the right build at that price, since it gives up a little sensitivity for a lot of durability.