Great pictures and report. I was thrilled to see a post from you! "Heritage Angler", a member here, had posted about these rods awhile back and he had asked me to make him up a 13' furled leader which I did and he said it worked fine. They do have their place in the fly fishing world. You might PM him and compare notes.
Keep the reports coming because when I read them and see the pictures, I feel I am right there with you enjoying every minute!
Great report....
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.