Anyone using liveliner/baitrunner reels

[BigAppa]

I've been using Shimano bait runners for years now, even before I got into kayak fishing. Currently, I use two Shimano baitrunner 8000D for trolling, one for live bait and one for artificial. I tried with my conventionals, but I could never dial the drag to exactly what I wanted, even with the lever drags. You can dial that secondary drag on the bait runners precisely, and they're silky smooth. Plus when the fish is on, you give the handle a half turn, and you're ready to fight the fish without having to worry about clickers, levers, or knobs.

A few drawbacks on the kayak though: 1) If you're planning on the 8000ds, they're fairly big reels. Heavier than most conventionals. 2) Dropping an 8oz weight 200 ft is not the smoothest thing. Line loops all over the place. Using the secondary drag is smoother, but I'd rather not wear those out 3) It doesn't hold much of 60lb braid compared to most conventionals. Recently, about a hundred yards of braid broke off, and that reel was done for the day. Couldn't even reach bottom with the line remaining. 4) It takes high maintenance. I maintenance my conventionals once a year. The bait runners, at least twice a year. Speaking of which, they're a pain in the ass to clean. It usually takes me over two hours, almost three, for one bc of that secondary drag. I asked one local shop, and they won't even service them. They'll send it to Shimano. Another one charges almost double.

Having said that, I'm planning on picking up a 6000d for trolling closer inshore. Maybe a Shimano Thunnus 6000Ci4 if I can talk myself into spending the extra 100$.