If you go w/ front drag reel, you might want to look into an Abu Garcia Cardinal "Trophy Collection" reel. I have the 4000TC model, on my Lami Kenai Special. It's a smooth reel. It's new and haven't put it to the test just yet (got it on eBay). But, it should do no worse than the dozens of other Abu Garcia or Cardinal reels that I've used over the last 45 years.