Balancing a reel to the rod has been debated forever. It really makes little difference for casting, but what about fishing? 10% of the time on the stream is spent casting, and 90% of the time is spent fishing. There's nothing worse (for me anyway) than holding up a tip-heavy rod all day during the drift. A butt-heavy rod takes second place. Anyway, I try to balance the rod with a reel. No need to get too scientific about it, close is close enough. Moving you hand up and down the grip slightly changes the balance of the rod when you are fishing. Most people do that naturally. As long as it is close, you will be fine.