i gotcha.. i never move the rod.. it stays in a designated swivel rod holder... so i would never see that problem.. but i definitely understand the reasoning for the handle in your situation. when i was in the keys we caught one 231 on the MP. My brother fought it stand up in a
harness for like 2 hours. he tried to do it manually but was only able to find his groove with the electric. especially after the first 45 minutes.. if you used the other reels he wouldnt have been able to fight it stand up.