Doc, the 600 will put itself in gear if you turn the handle, it just doesn't do it immediately. One of my fishing partners let me use his 600 with the line counter last summer during B10, and I think it is the perfect reel for the job. He got hooked on it while fishing with another fishing addict that was using one with the new Lamaglass herring rod. I shudder to think of all the money B10 is gonna cost me next year. Buying fishing gear is like eating Lay's potato chips you can't buy just one.