Bulldog sent me over to this board (I had to delete my local whirpool account/user name; thus a variant whrlpool for the global account to use this board also) to peak at the reel discussions because we seem to have a common interest in the excellent blue-collar Martins. He may not remember that I'm also the only guy I know who kept fishing fiberglass rods all these years, taking a lot of ribbing for it in the late '80s and early 90s.
Anyway, the Korean MC 3/4 and 5/6 aren't bad, especially at the prices these days. Being a fan of double taper lines, especially in the lower line weights, I find that modern capacity designations are usually geared to WF lines, so a 5/6 reel is usually a 4/5 to me. If I remember correctly the Korean MC 5/6 is the same diameter, just a wider spool, as the MC 3/4. So a 5/6 is the most versatile all around size for lots of trout fishing, and its slightly greater weight would be desirable on many rods, fiberglass in particular.
If anybody is interested, I have a new, unused Martin MC 5/6--same as the reel shown except for size--that I'd sell for $26 delivered. I bought two of these by accident and only need one. Just use my ez-in box if interested.
The single-pawl Martins as referred to above are USA made reels of better quality and design, with a polished line guard and full frame polished reinforcement rings. This is the cam-operated, coil-spring powered click drag that, to my knowledge, is unique to Martin and dates back to at least the model 67. I like the last USA made Martin Classics, which are very strong for a pressed side plate reel, with riveted cross pillars. Earlier versions, a little classier, used machine screws for the pillars, the construction dating back to the 67s.
The last USA-made classics are still pretty commonly available, especially in the 5/6 size. I've had one of these for years, used with a DT 4 line, so as with the Korean reels, it's a more versatile size. I couldn't resist a USA made 4/5 size, though, that was as new with a DT line on it; paid $15 for it on Ebay within the last month or so. Neither of these reels have the catchet of the MG3 or MZ 3/4 and 5/6 that bulldog and I both like--but they are just as functional and have the identical coil-spring adjustable click drag. Anyway, the Korean or USA reels are still pretty common on Ebay; if somebody wants my Korean MC 56, just contact me. Or if you have to have the 3/4 size, here's one on Ebay:
cgi.ebay.com/Martin-Class ... dZViewItem