Very nice my friend. Looks like it all came together beautifully. I love when that happens.
As for the shock absorption, you hit the nail on the head. Unlike gear fishing setups, fly setups only have a short section of tippet, and my tippet is sized by the shock it will be taking, not just the static pull.
A soft rod is very nice to help in those parts of the fight, especially since our trouts make more darting, headshaking movements and not big long runs. Exact same reason why softer glass rods are preferred for fishing white seabass and halibut in SoCal. Lots of headshakes. You don't want the line to snap from shock, AND you also don't want to yank the hook out.
Let me know when you're ready to build me one. I would love to put a big, bright, gaudy crosswrap on a bamboo rod and drive people crazy on the water.