Best bang for your buck that’s out there now.
Excellent reels smooth a silk with great drag and line capacity… Highly recommended!!!

Seriously can't wait to get this thing out on the water. It feels great and it holds a lot more line than i have on other reels. Going deep sea fishing out of Ciscos in Ventura this week and then for some yellowtail and tuna over the summer out of H&M. Let's see how this holds up. Will update later

Update: just got off my 3/4 day trip. Getting used to a reel without a level wind is super quick and easy. I've never used a conventional reel for casting before and with only 2 brakes I only got a backlash once. By the end of the trip, I felt like a pro. I'm sure with more practice I can even take those breaks off and cast over mountains. I HIGHLY recommend this reel to the person that wants a great casting reel without the huge price tag. This reel is great at taking in line quickly. When I'm fishing down to 300 feet, the boat isn't waiting for me to get up anymore. Im waiting on them. Couldn't be happier with this reel!!!

Bought 1 as a gift from my brother. Liked it so I bought one for myself. Pole is a one piece which is not clear in the description. Using mine for pier and beach fishing in SW Florida. This combo easily handles pompano, perch and small sharks (Blacktip & Bonnetheads) up to 2ft long - haven't caught anything bigger yet other than unwanted catfish.
Smooth casting and nice action on the pole. I'd say worth the price tag.

I ordered this rod a while ago, and it came quickly. To my surprise, when I opened the box there was no bubble wrap securing the bottom half of the rod (grip and reel seat half) which was disappointing, but I didn’t even get the whole rod! I ordered another with the money from refunding, so I hope it comes all together this time. Other than not getting the whole rod, I know these rods are good quality, and would recommend them to others if you can get your hands on one! Just be cautious with this supplier.

I got this combo specifically for Red Snapper fishing here in Florida. We just had one of our Federal Red Snapper fishing weekends and I got to try this new Squall II 30SD (star drag) out. The rod is very light, stout at the butt and a fast tapper to the tip. This is preferred for live baiting with the fast tapper so the bait can pull on the rod tip without exhausting the bait, keeping him lively longer. This is also allows me to track his movement and predict a strike by seeing him get nervous simply by watching the rod tip. A stout rod tip is tougher on the baits movement to feel or predict as well as weakens them to a shorter life span. The Squall II reel feels so much lighter, well balanced and so easy to manage while fishing. The spool is braid ready so you do not have to add mono backing then add a line to line knot which eliminates another failure point. With 7 bearings and the HT-100 drag system this reel fights bottom fish so smoothly without skipping or jerking making it a smooth retrieval no matter how hard your retrieve. together this is the best snapper bottom combo I have in my arsenal.

Fishing