I went out and bought a new reel for salmon on Friday at GI Joe's. I decided on a Shimano Corsair 401 over the Ambassadeur 6501 since I liked the spool release location and it felt smoother to me. I got it home, filled it with line, tied on a bank sinker to play with it in the yard. Within 30 minutes of casting the levelwind quit working. Back to Joe's minutes before closing to get a new one. It was replaced and I was ready to fish Saturday. Went out fishing and towards the end of the day (less than 24 hours from when I bought the first one) the drag went to hell and it wouldn't work. Joe's closes early on Saturday, so had to wait until today to get a replacement. Got a refund this time and bought the Ambassadeur. Got money back and we will see if it is a little more dependable. I couldn't be happier with Joe's refund policy, but what is the deal with the Corsair's. What can you buy these days for $80? I hope the Ambassadeur is better. I can live with a rougher reel and reach for the spool release if it will work. IMO do not buy a Corsair, 2 in a row with less than a full day fishing doesn't impress me.

Tight Lines & Screaming Reels,

TheGamehog