How much line do you really need?

[taggermike]

I've been checking out new reels and pondering the amount of line that they can hold. Specs like 500 yards of 20lb mono or 700 yards of 30lb braid just sound rediculous. I'm talking about LJ fishing not off shore or gulf coast deep dropping. My kelp cutter reel is a Newell 533 about half full of 65 lb braid. That seams plenty for kelp fishing. I might half fill a reel with heavy mono of even way old school dacron and load braid on to the top half. Why pay for all braid when you'll never even see it come off the reel? Smaller reels are another option. The little lever drags are too pricey for me though. Are there "low capacity" large diameter spools to let you use a bigger reel with larger gears/drags/cranking power with out spooling way too much line? What are you guys doing about line capacity, particularly when it comes to braid? Mike