OK...so I bought a Cardiff for $92 and mounted it to my 40 year old musky rod. Next spring I'll update the rod. I stopped at R&H on the way up for line, leader, Boga Gripper, one "must have" lure, and a tee shirt. I had R&H load the line. They were great and offered lots of advice. After a few hours of short casts w/o any backlashes I started throwing harder. I was able to cast relatively well with only one minor backlash. At the end of the week I was satisfied with the distance that I reached. Next spring I'll work on a little more distance. I didn't see a musky all week, but was satisfied with what I bought and the distance that I was able to cast. So....how long is your average cast with a medium weight lure?