TOP REELS FOR LAU LAU

One of the decisions I had before heading to Suriname was finding adequate reels to handle monster Lau Lau.  For the adventure, I settled on using both Daiwa's Opus 5500 spinning reel and a Fin-Nor Marquesa 30T conventional reel.
The Daiwa Opus is an amazing reel for a very low price.  It features a bite and run ability in which turning the handle takes it out of the baitrunner mode and into main gear.  The 5500 model holds lots of heavy braid and has a powerful drag.  I found this reel to be very great value capable of handling a Lau Lau.  I ordered about 5 of these reels and plan on using them on my next visit to Thailand for huge Mekong Cats at Bung Sam Ran!
The Fin-Nor Marquesa 30T is amazing.  It has an adjustable lever drag which lets you crank up the pressure for maximum stopping power when the Lau Lau takes off.  It has a 6:1:1 gear ratio and picks up 51 inches of line with a single handle turn.  The "T" model comes with a top bar and adjustable clicker which is perfect for live bait fishing.  It has a max drag of 40lbs of which all was needed to stop the Lau Lau runs.
S0 if these reels can handle monster Lau Lau, I would try them on any species which swim!