The majority of my fishing equipment over the last several years has been ultra-lite and ultra, ultra-lite. I have gone from those short 5 foot rods up to 9 1/2, 3 fly weight and I wouldn’t consider anything now shorter then 7 feet. Rods is another topic.
Reels to match whatever your rod choice is so important. I have owned those cute tiny little ultra-lite reels that fit in the palm of your hand. However for my fishing, I have found them not very practical and somewhat troublesome. That small size defeats the purpose. First and foremost, line capacity. These little guys just don’t hold all that much line. I found myself breaking off because of snags, thus my capacity went down in a hurry. As soon as your spool gets low, lets say down by about 30%, your castability suffers. That and you are just having to fill up more often, usually when you just want to go fishing and not mess around with filling the spool again. Regardless what size reel you use, if the spool isn’t full, then casting distance will be affected.
Next wind knots. Hate them. Remember those small spools wrap your line in very small tight circles, thus creating memory. Those loops coming off contribute to wind knots.
Then of course one of the most important features in any reel, the drag. It has got to be smooth, easy and free. Has to have a micro adjustability so there are no jerks. The little ones don’t have the stamina and can burn out quickly.
Lets not forget the gear ratio. The smaller the reel the more you have to reel in order to retrieve.
When picking a reel, I look into all of the above, but also, I like balance on the rod.
I have started using Okuma’s, both the Trophy Pro TP15 and the Metaloid MD 15. These are lite to medium weight reels that balance and accomodate issues decribed above.
Those small ultra-lites still have a place though. I have three tiny Tica Cetus reels, both silver and gold. They are great for ice fishing. No casting and not much break offs icefishing. I like their drags for as small as they are.
I am just starting to get my two small nephews into panfishing and I have opted for larger reels, so they don’t become frustrated and discouraged with equipment problems.
Just my years of observation and spending all kinds of money to find that perfect match. 
Are you are implying that those reels could not handle some of those fish? I think the 60 inch 
I have also seen last week someone catch a 30#+ FlatHead Cat on 6# Line. 
