As a first rod I only got kind of close to the intended taper of Payne 98 - the tip section wasn't too far off but the butt... well, I've seen butts that are beauts but this one isn't. But then I have learned that's more or less true of most rods built... so here is my rod blank averaged data plotted against a couple of others.

Apparently the over-sized butt section with a substantial increase just below the ferrule is the primary cause of a noticeable ripple in the line on both the back and forward casts. I can toss either a 4 or 5 weight line with it but it does a fantastic job of roll casting with a 5 wt. The bottom line is, it works.

Next up is a Garrison 202E...

Rod no 1 vs P98 and Grnager Victory.jpg