Inmho they have only added a foot to the butt, this will not alter the action of the rod, it will still cast like a 13;2 standard wr, the reel still works best mounted in the same position its just you have a foot more to play with when you cast down the butt, I tryed one a couple of years ago and they are not that stiff, it seemed quite a tippy rod fare enough the butt was like a scaffy bar, quite a nice rod for ground casting but not a out and out tournament rod or an out and out rock rod