I've noticed since I came home that there seems to be a "tradition" up here of using ultra-stiff rods. On the south coast no-one would dream of using a TTR, WR300 or even a KompS or new model TT Sport off the beach. This is fishing in strong tides, loads of weed and for fish like Smoothhound where double figure fish are not unusual and even a 4lber goes like an express train.
Fair enough off the rock marks into kelp, but how much of that type of fishing do we do south of the Tyne? For 90% of my fishing my TTLD is first rod out of the bag. Give me a rod that bends and has some "feel" to it any day of the week over a scaffolding pole like my WR300 that does its job very well but over clean-mixed ground is no fun to fish with whatsoever.