A Christmas gift for me?...

  Hoping that after the dust settles and if Santa doesnt come through I can pick up a left hand line counter reel for salmon trolling.Really cant complain about about my Abu 6501 C3...it has worked great for me this year,other than getting used to the bail release under pressure.
 Am visually attracted to the Okuma coldwater reels,although I have heard enough complaints to want to steer clear of these. Have heard that the new low profile version has addressed the issues and are solid.
 The salesman at Fishermans loves his Daiwa Sealines...like what I hear, but still am attracted to the smaller,more compact reels....would love to hear Spot and Rawkfish chime in here!
 Anybody have an opinion on the best for the money(mid -price ish) for a left hand line counter?

Also , on spooling up with braid...my last reel was a huge line counter. The guy felt it was important to load up a ton of line to keep the gear ratio up...wondering if that contributed to the line catching on the side of the spool,under layers of line....? A total PIA on the water. How much braid do you spool on ...do you use backing?

Thanks everyone! Merry Christmas and Go Hawks!!!

These are nice and just happen to be on sale right now at Fishermen's:
http://www.daiwa.com/reel/detail.aspx?id=643
I too love Sealines, those are a pretty solid way to go.  Whatever way you go, just go with the 20-size models.  I use a Saltist line counter in the 20 size and don't feel like it is bulky.
If you're really looking to go low-profile, the Lexa's are awesome salmon reels but they don't have a line counter.

I start my spool with a bit of 40 lb mono to take up space on the reel, then I fill it up with braid. If you're using a line counter reel, the line counter will be most accurate when the reel is full.  I guess I'm not sure how the line was getting stuck on your spool.  Was it digging into the spool and sticking that way or was line getting caught in a gap between the spool and the housing?  Sometimes when I have to pull on a snag, my line will cut into the spool of line and stick that way.  It doesn't seem to happen that much so I've never really felt it was a big issue.  If it happened frequently it would irritate me though.

Everything that Rawky said.  And, there's another reason to start your spool in mono;  If you don't use a mono backing, there's a high likelihood that the line will slip on the spool.  The mono has the grip to keep this from happening.

I'm guessing the line getting stuck is more a function of not keeping tension on your line while retrieving.  If you get loose turns on your spool, the subsequent turns will often be overlapped.

-Mark-

I have a Daiwa Sealine and have used the hell out of it the last two years including a trip to Mexico where it was exposed to salt water for about 10 days straight without a rinsing. The majority of its use has been in salt water. I love it. I bought it at Fisherman's and let them fill it there.  It is easier and cheaper than buying the line myself. At least, that has been my experience.  I have never had any hang-ups with the line.

Thanks,guys...the Daiwas are gonna stay on top of the list.
Yeah,that particular reel went directly from being spooled up at Fishermans to ocean fishing with a diver...all that diver drag probably pinched it into the looser winds. Very frustrating with the bite on and rough conditions...finally gave up and clamped on the old Abu. Got back to camp and sold it to a bud for $30,...with $20 of PowerPro on it,lol. It was a right hand retrieve and I gave it a shot,but it was awkward enough that it actually took a little fun out it.
Thanks again,guys!

I know other people have had issues with the coldwater, but my 203 has worked flawlessly.  It's dealt with a lot of chinook with no problems. 

I think there have been at least three variations of this reel.  The original that had some drag and linecounter issues, the second (mine) where okuma had corrected the problems, and a third (current) where they eliminated the always on "clicker".

I think okuma was replacing the first gen reels no questions asked. 

The click while retrieving on mine is a little annoying and I'd prefer the nonclicky version they offer now.......or the new low profile.

Drag has been strong and smooth.  I like the handle.  The linecounter window did fog up in all day rain but not to the point I couldn't read the depth.

The fishermans deal on the daiwa looks tough to beat.

 Glad to hear some positive feedback on the Okumas, snopro...yep, the clicker would have been a deal killer. All I want to hear during battle is line peeling out .....sometimes leave the clicker on when in the holder for a signal, but so far this hasn't happened. Don't know why those guys leave them on after hooking up....?
Thanks

Just to clarify,  the coldwater I have has two clickers.

The standard one you use to signal a bite that you can turn off/on with the button. 

A second much less noisy one that is always on during the retrieve is what they eliminated in the current models.  I might try and deactivate this one if I have time to disassemble it this winter.