Some of the big classic reels I use with my spey rods. Left to right: JW Young Beaudex 4"; Sharpes of Aberdeen 4", Hardy Perfect Wide Spool 4", Martin Thistle 4.25" (made by JW Young) and Modern Arms Company 4.5" (made by JW Young). Love the old Youngs and Sharpes reels. They have the heft to help balance a 13' Sharpes Bamboo spey rod and the capacity to hold plenty of backing and a 9-11 weight mid or long belly spey line. One drawback is that they have reel feet which are too long for some modern spey rods. My Hardy perfect has a 2.5" reel foot which fits my 14'4" CND spey rod. The Sharpes and Young's reels have feet of 3" to 3.25" and are too long for the CND. Not a prob, however, with my Sharpes Bamboo rod which has a large sliding ring reel seat.