Century TTLD SM 12' trials
Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:29 pm
Well as a lot of you would know I have been working with Century on producing the 13' Tip Tornadow Low diameter Super Matech and was very happy with the way the rod came out and how it was able to handle everything that I threw at it during its trials as well as subsequent fishing trips with it targeting a wide range of fish from Salmon , to little snapper to ray's and Scates as well as Gummies.
Based on the performance of that rod I wanted to also have a shorter rod in the line up that would make it easier for a larger number of fishermen that perfer a shorter rod but still retain the characteristics of the long rod. In a lot of developments when a shorter version is produced it isn't as good as the original . Well I must say that in this instance that is not the case.
I received the rod in my latest order and was very happy with the initial defelction testing of the rod and found that the tip has retained the performance of its longer sibling. The butt section feels stiffer but as this is the natural impact of reducing the length there were no supprises there. The overall feel of the rod is very nice and the reduced weight is also noticable.
As you would expect i was quite excited about getting the rod and decided to take it down for a short casting session straight after work and wasn't disapointed with the way it performed sending the 100 gram lead away nicely from the Penn Squall 12 which is loaded with 12 pound Ultima Powersteel line .
The is the initial video footage that I took .
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XWqrriI0xc8
On the Thursday after I wanted to see how the rod performed fishing side by side with the longer model and therefore headed down to Port Melbourne which is a usual haunt of mine . Once again my luck was out with the weather but the rods still showed why they are so nice to fish with.
( Sister TTLD SM 12' and 13' )
It was good to see that the rods sat well in the tripod and even though there was a strong cross wind there was no lifting of the rods from the rest and the loaded the tips very well agains the 5 oz grip leads.
( The tips of both rods loaded well and registered bites from the small fish that were active in the area)
As I noted in the caption the action was slow with only little fish hitting the baits , but as is a great feature of the LD SM the bite detection was very good.
As with any test it needs to cover as many options and situations as possible to ensure that you make a decision based on fact and not assumptions . Therefore I headed out on the Friday afternoon/evening to do more casting test with the rod. This time I was throwing the heavier 125 gram lead but as was expected the weather hadn't got any better. As a matter of fact it was worse than the previous session with a strong headwind that was probable what more rod evaluation should be done in, that which is what the average fisherman has to contend with.
I was in luck this evening as young Mike was having some practice with his Tip Tornado Sport and therefore was a good candidate to have a cast with the lighter LDSM 12 '
Well the smile on Mick's face told me that he liked the rod but I'll let you see for yourself as I also videod this one as well.
Day two casting Video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OvQdnIt_FOU
Well the next test that I wanted to put the rod through was that of casting the heavier leads that it is rated too and having a bigger bait with hopefully a good sized fish to show for my efforts.
The location that was chosen for this activity was ThirteenthBeach on the west cost of Victoria, when the fishing is on here you are in with a chance of getting some big fish so it was with a bit of excitement that Graham and I headed down this afternoon to meet up with members of the Footscay Angling club who were holding a small comp down there.
What greeted us on arrival was a rough 2 meter plus choppy swell that had very little clear water in it.
( Allan and a few of the guys setting out baits on Thirteenth )
I had the 12' LDSM set up with my Penn Squall 12 and casting 150 gram gip leads on a pulley rig and the 13' footer with my Penn Torque 100 also casting 150 gram leads and Pulley rig loaded with 5/0 circle hooks and salmon fillets.
(Century LDSM sister 13' and 12')
In these rougher conditions I was intrersted to see how the rods performed but I was quite confident that they would shine and I am happy to say that they came through with flying colours.
Casts were initially pushed as I was hoping to get away from the broken water and weed that was running along the shore break so was pushing the rods. They handled everything that i asked and more with clear bite detection and no unwanted bouncing of the tip just a nice even load.
( Yours truelly and the slim sisters :D )
The fishing was slow but we did manage a few small salmon and Pinkies out of the area but will have to head back down later next week hopefully with better conditions.
(Allan with one of the small Pinkies )
( Graham with one of the Pinkies taht he took from the beach )
All in all the new 12' rod has shown that the Century are at the forefront of rod design and via there modern technology and start or the art computer cutters have been able to accurately scale this new rod to perform like its bigger sister in nearly every respect all be it with less weight and length making it ideal for fishermen wanting the convience of the 12' model. I also feel that a lot of anglers in other countries will find favour with the rod as it still retain the gearbox design butt and low down power to handle fish much larger than what I have currently taken.
Just to show you guy's what the beach and conditions were like have a look at this video as it then allows you to see the rods perfoming where they were designed for - on the beach.
( Video of the Century slim sisters in action )
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ItLHbHBlyWs
I will be running a number of additional test on the rod and in particular will be trying it out with my fixed spool reels ( Shimano Albrid and Daiwa Emblem Pro in the coming weeks as well as hitting the field where I will see just how far the rod will throw the lighter weights i.e 50 gram, 75 gram and 100 gram.
Hope this has provided people with a good overview of what is coming from Century - Fishing rods designed and built by fisherman .
Based on the performance of that rod I wanted to also have a shorter rod in the line up that would make it easier for a larger number of fishermen that perfer a shorter rod but still retain the characteristics of the long rod. In a lot of developments when a shorter version is produced it isn't as good as the original . Well I must say that in this instance that is not the case.
I received the rod in my latest order and was very happy with the initial defelction testing of the rod and found that the tip has retained the performance of its longer sibling. The butt section feels stiffer but as this is the natural impact of reducing the length there were no supprises there. The overall feel of the rod is very nice and the reduced weight is also noticable.
As you would expect i was quite excited about getting the rod and decided to take it down for a short casting session straight after work and wasn't disapointed with the way it performed sending the 100 gram lead away nicely from the Penn Squall 12 which is loaded with 12 pound Ultima Powersteel line .
The is the initial video footage that I took .
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XWqrriI0xc8
On the Thursday after I wanted to see how the rod performed fishing side by side with the longer model and therefore headed down to Port Melbourne which is a usual haunt of mine . Once again my luck was out with the weather but the rods still showed why they are so nice to fish with.
( Sister TTLD SM 12' and 13' )
It was good to see that the rods sat well in the tripod and even though there was a strong cross wind there was no lifting of the rods from the rest and the loaded the tips very well agains the 5 oz grip leads.
( The tips of both rods loaded well and registered bites from the small fish that were active in the area)
As I noted in the caption the action was slow with only little fish hitting the baits , but as is a great feature of the LD SM the bite detection was very good.
As with any test it needs to cover as many options and situations as possible to ensure that you make a decision based on fact and not assumptions . Therefore I headed out on the Friday afternoon/evening to do more casting test with the rod. This time I was throwing the heavier 125 gram lead but as was expected the weather hadn't got any better. As a matter of fact it was worse than the previous session with a strong headwind that was probable what more rod evaluation should be done in, that which is what the average fisherman has to contend with.
I was in luck this evening as young Mike was having some practice with his Tip Tornado Sport and therefore was a good candidate to have a cast with the lighter LDSM 12 '
Well the smile on Mick's face told me that he liked the rod but I'll let you see for yourself as I also videod this one as well.
Day two casting Video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OvQdnIt_FOU
Well the next test that I wanted to put the rod through was that of casting the heavier leads that it is rated too and having a bigger bait with hopefully a good sized fish to show for my efforts.
The location that was chosen for this activity was ThirteenthBeach on the west cost of Victoria, when the fishing is on here you are in with a chance of getting some big fish so it was with a bit of excitement that Graham and I headed down this afternoon to meet up with members of the Footscay Angling club who were holding a small comp down there.
What greeted us on arrival was a rough 2 meter plus choppy swell that had very little clear water in it.
( Allan and a few of the guys setting out baits on Thirteenth )
I had the 12' LDSM set up with my Penn Squall 12 and casting 150 gram gip leads on a pulley rig and the 13' footer with my Penn Torque 100 also casting 150 gram leads and Pulley rig loaded with 5/0 circle hooks and salmon fillets.
(Century LDSM sister 13' and 12')
In these rougher conditions I was intrersted to see how the rods performed but I was quite confident that they would shine and I am happy to say that they came through with flying colours.
Casts were initially pushed as I was hoping to get away from the broken water and weed that was running along the shore break so was pushing the rods. They handled everything that i asked and more with clear bite detection and no unwanted bouncing of the tip just a nice even load.
( Yours truelly and the slim sisters :D )
The fishing was slow but we did manage a few small salmon and Pinkies out of the area but will have to head back down later next week hopefully with better conditions.
(Allan with one of the small Pinkies )
( Graham with one of the Pinkies taht he took from the beach )
All in all the new 12' rod has shown that the Century are at the forefront of rod design and via there modern technology and start or the art computer cutters have been able to accurately scale this new rod to perform like its bigger sister in nearly every respect all be it with less weight and length making it ideal for fishermen wanting the convience of the 12' model. I also feel that a lot of anglers in other countries will find favour with the rod as it still retain the gearbox design butt and low down power to handle fish much larger than what I have currently taken.
Just to show you guy's what the beach and conditions were like have a look at this video as it then allows you to see the rods perfoming where they were designed for - on the beach.
( Video of the Century slim sisters in action )
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ItLHbHBlyWs
I will be running a number of additional test on the rod and in particular will be trying it out with my fixed spool reels ( Shimano Albrid and Daiwa Emblem Pro in the coming weeks as well as hitting the field where I will see just how far the rod will throw the lighter weights i.e 50 gram, 75 gram and 100 gram.
Hope this has provided people with a good overview of what is coming from Century - Fishing rods designed and built by fisherman .
Re: Century TTLD SM 12' trials
Sat Mar 26, 2011 9:24 pm
Great looking rods jps, they are being well put through their paces, great report
Re: Century TTLD SM 12' trials
Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:03 am
do you think a 14ft or 14.5ft version will be made or developed?
Re: Century TTLD SM 12' trials
Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:55 am
Phil ,
That hasn't been considered at the moment but a few people have asked , the problem that you would get as the length increased though is the change in the way the rod loads as you increase the leverage point. the current configurations woul need to be rebalanced quite a bit to accomodate thse changes .
There are a number of projects on the drawing boards at the moment so I would say it will have to wait a while.
Regards
That hasn't been considered at the moment but a few people have asked , the problem that you would get as the length increased though is the change in the way the rod loads as you increase the leverage point. the current configurations woul need to be rebalanced quite a bit to accomodate thse changes .
There are a number of projects on the drawing boards at the moment so I would say it will have to wait a while.
Regards
Re: Century TTLD SM 12' trials
Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:12 pm
thanks Jeremy, have a TTM and TTS myself, but i honestly seem to like the slightly longer rod, and there isnt much from the century stable between the TT and SRE/BB lengthwise, i find some 15/16ft slightly too long and 13/13.5 slightly too short, hard to please i guess! losing a bit of weight and stiffness for fishing purposes would suit quite a lot of the century fishing rods i think.