Bad Luck Larry,
Do you really mean yards? or did you mean feet?
"And really, most of the fish I've caught have been within 20-30 yards"
My thoughts on this are that I feel everyone will find the right rod for their style of fishing after they have been fly fishing for several years and once they find that rod, they will be able to make statements to support why they chose the rod they did and it would all be true for them. We are all not the same height, weigh the same, cast the same, fish the same, arms are different length, hands are different sizes, etc, etc., and all of this comes into play when casting and fishing. We must find our happy medium and that may be a different rod length and action than what the next person is using and no one will be using the "wrong" rod. We will all be using the rod and action that best suits us and that is why there are different lengths and actions and that is great. Everyone just needs to understand that there is not a "right" or "wrong" rod. Just different strokes for different folks. For instance, I agree with everything that the "pro" stated and I know that if I use his recommendations, that I will see the points he is making, but, I am just more comfortable doing it my way that I have gotten use to and that "way" may not be the "right" way, but, live is too short for me to start all over again. I really think that given time, most will come around to fishing the way the "pro" stated on their own and not realize that they have changed. As we age, we make changes to better fit our style at that time. We may start out with fast action and love it and then decide that it is time to slow down and this causes us to change to a little slower rod. I know that I love fast action rods and have been told that my casting style is more fitted to a fast action rod. In the past year I have noticed that I prefer to slow down a little, but, a medium rod does not fit my casting style yet. I now use a Sage FLi which is still rated as "fast" but I feel it is not as "fast" as my XP and it seems to fit my pace better. Over time that will probably change. It is all about changes in our ages, bodies, casting styles, etc. You just need to recognize when you need to change and make it.
Just my thought and nothing more....
Warren
Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.