Not having a shot at you Robfish1 but I nearly spat my jimmy over the keyboard when I read that bit ^^^ I don't think I ever botched a cat
I prefer shorter rods but the principle is the same the rod has to suit the lure weight and your style
I always start with the spool tension so that the lure can pull the line easily and when I have a couple of casts I loosen it off a bit more
there is no substitute for time spent casting same as anything else you have to do the hard yards