I fished the tail end of the season(August-Oct) with this reel attached to a Veritas 6.6 rod. Typically slopping with 50lb braid. I litterally beat the hell out of my rigs from my kayak and Its performed flawlessly. the only issue is the handle gets loose. from time to time and I have to tighten it. I bought this reel specifically because of the brass gears. All the other baitcasters ive owned (cheap ones) had shoddy plastic gears that shredded.