I checked out those Kastking options!  Some of the reviews weren't too great.  Curious to hear how they hold up for you.

I do have a light Stradic that I got a few years back for freshwater, complete with extra spool.  That's a great reel.

Though I grew up using spinning reels, I've made a pretty solid conversion to level-wind setups.  They just seem better for jigging deep and trolling and so on, which are things I'm doing more these days.  My current favorite is a Shimano Tekota with a line counter.

Still, for shore casting and such, a spinning reel is nice to have.  Last year I had a good solid Shimano reel and one spool for mono, one for braid, but I gave it away to some Mexicans who helped me out of a seriously mud-mired truck.  Damned if I can remember the type, but as far as I can tell Shimano no longer makes it.

And now, I'm flat-out amazed at how hard it is to find a decent, fairly heavy-duty spinning reel with a spare spool.  I have searched and shopped online a couple times, and I just get worn out after 20 minutes of that and give up!  Does anyone have a recommendation?  I'd really love two spools, on a rig appropriate for heavier lines like 20 pound mono and braid for saltwater use. 

Greetings from Santa Cruz!

I posted and read on this board many years ago when I lived in Berkeley and fished mostly in SF and San Pablo bays and the delta.  My inbox still has some emails from those days, but I guess my account lapsed.

So here I am again!  Fishing in Monterey bay now, along with various traveling programs.  I have foldable kayaks, so that can work well.