Thanks for the report RichS. I'm glad you like the rod and got some fish on it.
That is one of the prettiest rods I've ever made. That's the one with the crested "fade " pattern. Wait till you see how beautiful that pattern t gets after a couple of seasons exposed to light.
The 1265 is rated 3/4 to 3 OZ and will just kill 2 OZ. Might very well be the absolute best casting rod around for 2 OZ. Guys in hatteras call it the "Spanish Buster" and throw 2 OZ sting silvers a mile with it cahsing Spanish mackeral.. John M says its his favorite casting rod and he has lots of rods!
A word of caution. I would recommend against dead lifting any size fish with any rod. That's how they break. Use a long leader and pull the fish up with your hand on the leader. I see more rods broken on the West Wall in the spring than anywhere else. Its guys dead lifting fish only 14-16 inches long. I see a few every single year despite the miniscule size of the fish being caught. .
As the angle you have on the fish changes as you lift it up , even a two pound fish can suddenly apply force to the rod in the wrong direction and snap it. The other thing that happens is a small fish kicks while the line is tight. This raises him up and unloads the rod. Gravity pulls the fish down again and the momentum of the falling 2 pound fish breaks the rod!
Anyway , that rod is just too pretty to take any chances.