The right reel for my Medium rod setup? Personal Conflicts

[pbaum26]

With the ice season around the corner, I have begun like many to get the equipment cleaned, re-lined, and lubed.  Last year I purchased a BPS Extreme Med action ice rod for spoon jigging walleye, bass, small pike, etc. and this year I am looking to find the right rod/reel team for the application.  I have a Abu C101 with 140yd/4lb capacity id like to try to use from my lite action summer rod but am worried it may not balance right and may be too big and bulky.  So i started pondering and looking while I was at Bass Pro by me at their medium combos with their reels and they appear to be UL reels.  I went ahead and grabbed a Wally Marshall crappie reel with a capacity of 120yd/4lb and am now worried it may be too small for the size of fish im trying to target.  Ive tried to find articles from in-fisherman to midwest outdoors and everything in between trying to find a recommended winter setup for walleye and am coming up with nothing except combos from companies.  Ive seen video of Dale Stroschein catch 6lb eyes on a setup with what looks to be an UL reel with braid.  I dont have too many waters by me with 60+ feet of water besides Lake Geneva and i know you dont need a lot of line since you are fishing a vertical column. Very lost where to go with this.  Should I save the money and return the BPS reel and stick with the C101 or keep it and take advantage of a smaller size reel?  Or any other reel suggestions(nothing too pricey)?

[slipperybob]

Choosing the right reel isn't always just about the reel.  You need to ask yourself, exactly what kind of line will you use and go from there.  While most UL reels are fairly comparable in size, it all comes down to what features you want.  To me, many light reels are just about the same size in profile with the UL reels, only that they usually have a larger spool.  That's something that I personally prefer, becuase I just don't like line coil memory.  Smaller spools, will give me more headaches as the temperature drops lower.  Since braid don't coil, any size reel will be just fine, but those lines do freeze easy.

[WYIfish]

I snagged up a hand full of Okuma centrific spinning reels two years ago, used all year round and they stay good. The 20 model is great for ice fishing 6 LB line and the 30 is better for deep water laker fishing with 8-10 lb lines. Worked real well in the 0 temps. Pretty to look at as well. Check flea bay for bargains in the demo reels.