03-26-2010, 03:18 AM
Took the rod out to the back yard and practiced a little. I changed the weights a bit and adjusted the spool tension. I can now cast it around 75' without a bird nest using about 1" of 1/4" lead. I will need more practice as it is really different than casting a spinning rod. So far I like the feel and the reel is very smooth. Thumb control is definitely a key issue. I tried setting the tension so the weight would just barely drop when released, but still had a few problems. I set the tension a little tighter to where the weight will drop if you shake the rod just a bit and that seems about right for me now. I am sure I will be able to loosen it up a bit once I get the hang of it. I should have quite a bit more practice once I get back from the trip this weekend. All in all I think this will be a great rod and reel combo once I get the hang of it and it just may become my favorite rod, well, next to my 3wt fly rod I built.
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