Dang dude, I read this post last night before I went to bed and had nightmares about breaking JDM rods. I feel your pain, I broke a Majorcraft TripleCross back in the winter while taking it apart to stow it. Rammed the tip right into the side of the truck. I replaced the top section and put the rod right back into the rotation. Nice catch on the Crackers, a great way to fill the freezer. I prefer a #8 hook on a jig head, seems to get a better hook up rate for the Gills, do not catch many Crackers in the lakes I fish locally so you may need the bigger hook for the bigger Panfish.