I have fought stripers who peeled off a fly line and 75 yards of backing on old school Click & Pawl, standard arbor reels and had no problems fighting them. Granted it take two hands if you are gonna hold the rod and palm/pinch a reel's spool, but it is a whole lot more exciting BEING the drag mechanism than merely just one handing a hot fish until he quits running. It ain't the reel, but rather the fisherman who completes the fight! A softer rod; ie old school, low modulous graphite, fiberglass or bamboo put the fight to a fish, and absorb much more of the pressure. Besides, nothing sings like a Hardy LRH and a hot fish peeling line!
US Veteran and concerned citizen