Josef and Brian, thank you for the replies and information. Initially it appeared to me the faster I came off the pedal the higher the puddle jumped to follow the arc (I'll have to retest), so right now what I do is come off slow and keep the tungsten moving forward (comet tail shape) and I still get a little "pin point" at the end of the puddle but it is not standing up like it was before. I need to do some testing on cleaner material to see how it behaves vs. the material I'm welding which is relatively dirty by the nature of it's manufacture. I'm welding medium carbon steel using 309L rod (it is art type stuff, not structural or strength critical). I also need to try the drag backward technique as well and see how that works.
My welder is a Dynasty 280, Jazzy 10 w/gas lens, 20 CFH (ball gauge), 3/32 2% Lanth Tungsten, reasonable stick out for the Jazzy 10, and a good ground so I don't think it is my equipment or my gas coverage but I'll do more testing to see if I can better understand cause and effect and levers I can pull to minimize or eliminate it. I'm a relatively new welder and switching back and forth between aluminum and steel it takes me a bit to get re-acclimated to the different material as well.
Again, thanks for taking the time to reply, sharing your knowledge, and the tips! DZ