Did some lawn casting this morning. I'm using a 5wt WF SA trout taper. I think that line works better on the Med to med/fast rods. But I was able to adjust and make it work on the Recon.
First impressions - light and responsive. After 15 minutes of casting, I could see that the swing weight was possibly heavier than some higher end rods - but still much better than my budget rods. Will definitely be a nice quick and accurate shooter with minimal back-casting needed - water load and let it fly.
Action is fast but forgiving.
Was effortless and laser beam accurate from about 25-50 feet.
Handled my big ugly test streamer (steelhead size) better than the other rods I tested the other day. A normal bh woolly bugger similarly will cast really nice.
Hitting 60 was no problem, but I think the line just wasn't optimal for being accurate from 55+. Probably just me though. Reviews said it had trouble beyond 60 feet. I could definitely see that. It stubbornly seemed to reject the idea of going much beyond 60... But some of that was me and some of that was the line. I'll adjust both and see what happens. But as-is, it will be a blast for an all-around trout rod. SRC, moderate to larger rivers, and lakes - tossing everything needed. For my favorite small creeks and small wild trout waters - i'll stick to my 2-4 wts.
Bottom line - mission accomplished. Found a rod that definitely stands out from my quiver and I'm excited to get it out on the water.
Oh, and the Mirage reel is also super nice. Probably my nicest reel (being that I like fishing old school medalists, battenkills, and similar - even on my salmon and steelhead rods) and will certainly be overkill for 99% of what I fish for. But might be fun to get a gnarly carp, humpy, summer steel, or beach salmon and let that nice drag do its thing. Will pair nicely with the Recon. Now I have to go find the perfect line to complete the package.