I may be the wrong person to give advice on these, I don't really like using them. I am trying to get into a habbit of using them more. I learned on baitcasters and that is all I used until several years ago. I have two set up's now and really like both of them - didn't spend too much on either. I have a shimano spirex with a 7'0 bionic blade rod I use for shakey heads and I love this set up. I also have an Okuma reel - that I really like, on 6'4" gander mountain brand (upper end guide series) that I use for weightless plastics - usually senko's or trick worms. The rod is a Medium with an extra fast action. The soft tip really lets you fling those senko's, and with the shorter rod you can skip it a little easier. That is my favorite with senko's - they will skip forever.