I got to try one out on a trip last week. They certainly do what they are advertised to do. I was casting a hair & feather frog the size of a hubcap. According to the guide it takes a little different kind of cast. 1 - you don't want to false cast very much, if at all. The front-loaded line really does shoot big flies. 2 - after you stop your backcast, the advise was to let your wrist "break" back a little. I think this is done because the stiff rod doesn't really load. I can absolutely see this as a tool for tournaments and to fill a niche as a tube and/or boat rod. But for my everyday fishing, i.e., fish under 2 lbs. on a river - not so much.