HI Brian, One of my fishing buddies has switched over to those for Salmon. We fish Lake Michigan and he has told me no problems at all with them. I have used on his boat and they are a nice reel. The drag system operates smoothly and withstands the long runs of big (25lbs+) Salmon. I think Shimano is again putting out qaulity reels and you should be happy with them. Those 7000’s are nice reels too, I know how hard it is to switch when you find something that performs well for you. Good Luck.