That is a hard decision to make but, I would probably go for the 40lb King. Steelhead go totally mental when hooked, but I love the initial run of a King. It is my favorite sight seeing line melt off your reel at blazing speed, and the they pull a 180 then you are reeling as fast as you can to gain the slack. When people cast off the break walls here most of them use spinning reels. I have seen countless people spooled by Kings, I love it.