Ed,
I hear ya on the slooooow retrieve. Sometimes you gotta do it painfully slow and force yourself. Trust me, I hate it too. But, the good thing is once you catch a fish or two, rolling that thing really slow is actually exciting, cause you just know somethin's about to whack it. Man, when it gets to be spring/summer, you can start throwin buzzbaits, and I know you'll love those things.
-Brian