+1 on aluminum. Way to easy to bend. My experience has been that it also generates a noticeably larger amount of rod whip.
If you can find stainless local, that's the way to go. If not, shipping often outweighs the benefit.
I use standard steel rods. I spend about 15 mins cleaning my rods after a launch. Use a cleaner like gum out carb cleaner, dry thoroughly, and lightly coat with 3 in 1 machine oil. Remington gun protectant works really well, but can be costly. I sand lightly with 800 grit when they get really bad.