Pflueger Medalists have one of the smoothest, widest range, and most dependable drag systems ever placed on a fly reel. This 1498 Medalist, the largest size offered, is 4" in diameter with a 1" wide spool, dates from the late 1950s and holds an 8-weight line with 225 yards of 20 lb Dacron backing or a 10-weight line with 175 yards of backing. This reel operates smoothly. Grading this reel as VG+ (ORCA grading A8/M10) due to some finish loss, which does not impact functionality. A vintage 1498 Medalist is still my standard while fishing for big pike and steelhead. It has the drag and line capacity that give me confidence that nothing will break me off of run me off. The relatively large spool diameter allows for pretty rapid line retrieval when fighting fish off the reel.