Century - Something for the future LDSM ( Lite )

I must say that when I first laid eyes on the original Tip Tornado LD I was very impressed and felt that its design and construction was once again testament to Century’s desire to cater for anglers with top grade materials and a performance product.

The newest member in the Tip Tornado stable of rods has lifted the bar considerably in meeting the needs of those wanting something special when fishing the lighter end of the saltwater shore scene, be it in the UK, Europe, USA or here in Australia.

Since I started using the Century rods I have been looking for a rod that could meet a fairly broad range of applications, that being it must be able to cast the lighter leads and lures that I use for the smaller species like Salmon, Tailor (Bluefish) and Mullet yet still have the capacity to send out a good sized lead in rough conditions with a reasonable sized bait. I originally ordered the first generation LD in an untrimmed format , this was where the tip was left in its original as laid up state and increased the tip length by approximately 2 ½ inches . This slight variation gave me the feel for the lighter weights and still retained the power in the gearbox butt when I needed to send the heavier leads out a long way.


( Original LT version of the LD worked well - new faster tip will show big improvements to this )

I should point out at this stage that this rod was for use on the cleaner grounds where bite sensitivity and an ability to get distance was my primary requirements as well as the need to be used hand held at times when fishing for the likes of King George whiting which have a fast bite that requires a quick response to the bite.




( Where the LD shines 0n clean ground )

I felt that the rod could be therefore improved by adopting some of the design features that I have seen in the likes of the E1000 and TTR but with a high degree of finesse for this lighter sibling
To this end I asked if the standard LD could have the higher graded carbon incorporated into the blank to lighten it down yet still retain the power in the butt section additionally I was seeking a slimmer more responsive tip and therefore asked to have the ATT incorporated in the tip to allow for a slimmer faster action.
To say that this latest incarnation meets the requirements is an understatement, the tip is sharper yet retains a sensitivity that is needed to register bites and allow the angler to see this as well as feel it in the rod. The butt has been stiffened up with the introduction of the higher modulus carbon making the overall rod feel more alive in the hand and providing the angler with the confidence to hit a cast when required, like when the wind is howling in and you have to upscale the terminal rig. It also allows the lighter leads to be launched with the smaller more delicate baits yet still have the bait intact.



( New TT LDSM paired with Penn Sqall 12 on the beach fir the first time )

I initially took it easy with the rod as am always careful of using what is basically a proto type and therefore and unknown product but after the very first cast I new that we were onto a winner with the way the line was peeled of the reel and sent down field. Casting weights were in the 100 gram and 125 gram range as I feel that these are the best weights, keeping in mind that I wanted finesse to the outfit. The reel that I have matched up with the rod currently is that of the Penn squall 12 and running 0.31mm line, I will be downscaling the line shortly to allow a better feel and fishing experience on the likes of the Whiting and Salmon that are a mainstay here.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=TTDi2FetKb0

( Initial video -Testing with Penn Sqall and 125 gram )

With the initial impressions being very favourable I decided that the next round of test needed to be a bit more substantial and therefore decided to set the rod up with one of my Tournament reels being a Peter Cogan PTEC 5500 and running 0.28mm Ultima Distance and throwing once again the 100 and 125 gram leads.

Initial casts indicated that I needed to take my time with the turn and allow the lead to step outside of the tip as the lighter tip was easy to compress and under a tournament style cast was loading too quickly and causing the lead to come inside the tip. This slight change saw the leads being spat out to around the 220 meter mark which for a light / clean beach rod is brilliant. I felt that in better conditions these distance would also go up. For someone wanting a top class fishing rig with an occasional foray on the field with the light to medium weights this rod would be a top contender.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=pbYj7E0II8Q

( Video - Second Round of Test with impressive Results )


The way the tip reacts in the testing indicates that guide selection on the final production rods will be of great importance to the majority of anglers that would be wanting this rod in their arsenal. Current thinking is to use either the Fuji Alconites or better still a combination of the newer “K” style guides on the tips with the standard Alconites as the stripper and second guide.




( Current Guide Layout on LDSM - tip loaded via 150 grip lead in strong winds )

Discussions on the layout of the rod may well see this model being offered fro the fixed spool or spinner as they are called in the USA.
To this end I will be doing some more testing with a number of reels that I currently have to see what the new girl will do match both with the standard mono set up as well as braid which has a large following in the USA as well as other locations.

This rod will suit a wide range of anglers and to that end I wanted to get feedback from a range of anglers with differing experience levels. the information that was provided by both Allan and Dennis as well as Mick and Lee allows a better final product to be produced .

Overall length of the rod has been maintained at the 13’ mark but if demand is adequate a 12’ version that would make it ideal as a long range popper and spinning rod may also is on the cards.

Test and evaluation of all Century rods is not a rushed affair so I will be taking the rod out and targeting a wide variety of fish with it. This Sunday saw my daughter and I along with another mate down at one of the breakwaters that are dotted around Port Phillip Bay, the target species was our Snapper and we had hoped that the weather conditions would be as stated by the weather channel. As usual conditions were far from ideal from the point of view of using a lighter leads as we were faced with 20 to 40 knots of gusting southerly wind which were driving the rain straight down the bay. Fortunately we didn’t encounter too much rain but the wind and sea conditions required a more substantial weight and the utilisation of grip wires if you were to have any chance of holding bottom.



http://youtube.com/watch?v=3k9Wmb67qbk
( Video - LDSM on the water )

The rod was a pleasure to use even in these conditions and held its own when compared to it heavier duty stable mate in the Standard TT Super match. Note that these two rods should not get mixed up as the LD SM is intended for the lighter conditions and accordingly is rated from 50 to 150 grams whereas the Standard Super match has a rating up to 200 gram plus large bait. I see these rods as a great pair to cover the whole of the match angler’s requirements for finding and assisting in hooking the fish that we are after.



( The LDSM is not to be confused with its heavier more powerfull sibling TTSM )



http://youtube.com/watch?v=tzFtfgtlbUE

( Video - Even in tough conditions casting is relaxed with the LDSM)

As things are finalised with regards to guides and reel seating arrangements I will provide a more detailed overview of the rod, to date however I am happy to say that I have a top class bit of kit to fish with and I look forward to the coming weeks where the fishing will be on the improve as well as having the opportunity to travel around the coast a bit more and test the LDSM out on a broader range of fish and applications.
Final production is still a little way off but I hope that this insight into the rods development will wet the appetite of those looking for a light easy casting rod that covers a wide range of applications.

Regards

are you sure you did'nt leave anything out Jeremy.!
ever consider a career as a forensic scientist?........seriously mate,crackin report,well done.

Willie ,

Mate I love playing around and building rods , have been for the past 40 years and hope to be doing it for a little longer Glad you liked the review.

Excellent review Jeremy....really enjoyed it..... It looks like it s=would have some application in IE & the UK... Could make a very good Bass / Estuary rod. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

Kev

Super report great to read and some smashing videos aswell

Cheers

Excellent review Jeremy....really enjoyed it..... It looks like it s=would have some application in IE & the UK... Could make a very good Bass / Estuary rod. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

Kev

Id say it would deal with 99.9 % of what we catch here off beaches, 220 m is also very impressive casting for a rod not specificaly designed for tourny casting, i think it would have more applications than just a bass\eastury rod more like a match rod.

The rod is more than a Bass rod , yet the tip is sensitive enough to have fun with bass which are similar in size to our Salmon and Tailor over here.