I would love to say that the testing of the Century SRE was a breeze due to my brilliant casting skill with the fixed spool reel and that I mastered the potential of the rod, but sadly that is not the case.
This rod is something special in that it is modeled along the lines of the Japanese and European continental rods, being very slim, light weight yet having the power to launch a lead out with ease to very respectable distances. Overall length is an easy to manage 13Â8Â which offers a good medium between ease of use and casting potential.
I have been fishing with the rod over the past two weeks with my Daiwa Emblem Pro throwing 150 gram leads on a simple pulley rig and due to location utilizing a simple overhead thump style cast. It was impressive to feel the way the rod just launched this into the headwinds that have been prevalent along the bayside beaches that I have been targeting trying for a Snapper (Sadly no lucked), but have managed a few Salmon and Flathead.
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( Salmon taken with the SRE earlier )
And whilst this was an enjoyable past time I needed to take the rod out on the field and see what she and I could achieve with more room and a more focused approach to the casting side of things.
Initial casting was once again done with my Emblem Pro and 0.28mm mainline and tapered shock leader throwing the 125 gram lead. Once I get better with the fixed spool I will go up in the size of leads but at this current juncture will be sticking with the lighter 100 and 125 gram weights.
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( SRE with adjustable reel seat that I fitted and Daiwa Emblem Pro )
As you will see in the video the rod has a fast recovery and smooth loading nature making it good at spitting out the leads. What it also taught me is that you do not rush this rod, as its power and speed of unloading will pull the line from your index finger well before you intend to let it off
. I tried a few types of cast for this initial session with a medium high swing pendulum initially with the reel in a high position but also tried a flatter style as well. For me the flatter style was easier to control and indicates that an off the ground style as practiced by a number of casters will see the SRE pushing the leads well out to sea.
I did find the Emblem Pro a little big for the rod and when I swapped reels to my Shimano Albrid found the balance better and the line flow to the first guide better as well. When I sort out a few things with my cameraÂs I will do some close up slow motion footage showing the way the line flows from the various reels and there progress though the rings as well , but that will have to wait for a little while.
As I said it would have been nice to say that I mastered this rod and got the best from her, but no the Century SRE is at this stage a better rod than what I can cast. She fishes well, has good bite detection and feedback when you have a fish on is excellent so I am going to enjoy the next few weeks of testing and experimenting with her.
Till then have a look at this initial video footage to get a better appreciation on what Century have been able to put together for the angler wanting a light weight, 3 piece rod that covers a range of angling situations. Hopefully my casting will improve enough to do this rod justice.
Century Excalibur SRE - YouTube
Also happy for any tips on improving my Fixed spool casting .
This rod is something special in that it is modeled along the lines of the Japanese and European continental rods, being very slim, light weight yet having the power to launch a lead out with ease to very respectable distances. Overall length is an easy to manage 13Â8Â which offers a good medium between ease of use and casting potential.
I have been fishing with the rod over the past two weeks with my Daiwa Emblem Pro throwing 150 gram leads on a simple pulley rig and due to location utilizing a simple overhead thump style cast. It was impressive to feel the way the rod just launched this into the headwinds that have been prevalent along the bayside beaches that I have been targeting trying for a Snapper (Sadly no lucked), but have managed a few Salmon and Flathead.
( Salmon taken with the SRE earlier )
And whilst this was an enjoyable past time I needed to take the rod out on the field and see what she and I could achieve with more room and a more focused approach to the casting side of things.
Initial casting was once again done with my Emblem Pro and 0.28mm mainline and tapered shock leader throwing the 125 gram lead. Once I get better with the fixed spool I will go up in the size of leads but at this current juncture will be sticking with the lighter 100 and 125 gram weights.
( SRE with adjustable reel seat that I fitted and Daiwa Emblem Pro )
As you will see in the video the rod has a fast recovery and smooth loading nature making it good at spitting out the leads. What it also taught me is that you do not rush this rod, as its power and speed of unloading will pull the line from your index finger well before you intend to let it off
. I tried a few types of cast for this initial session with a medium high swing pendulum initially with the reel in a high position but also tried a flatter style as well. For me the flatter style was easier to control and indicates that an off the ground style as practiced by a number of casters will see the SRE pushing the leads well out to sea. I did find the Emblem Pro a little big for the rod and when I swapped reels to my Shimano Albrid found the balance better and the line flow to the first guide better as well. When I sort out a few things with my cameraÂs I will do some close up slow motion footage showing the way the line flows from the various reels and there progress though the rings as well , but that will have to wait for a little while.
As I said it would have been nice to say that I mastered this rod and got the best from her, but no the Century SRE is at this stage a better rod than what I can cast. She fishes well, has good bite detection and feedback when you have a fish on is excellent so I am going to enjoy the next few weeks of testing and experimenting with her.
Till then have a look at this initial video footage to get a better appreciation on what Century have been able to put together for the angler wanting a light weight, 3 piece rod that covers a range of angling situations. Hopefully my casting will improve enough to do this rod justice.
Century Excalibur SRE - YouTube
Also happy for any tips on improving my Fixed spool casting
.
