I like the president reels you mentioned. Line twist and line memory has a lot to do with the quality of line you are using and how long it's sat stationary. Spinning reals are very popular for spider rigging. In most cases the reels only purpose is to hold the line but having a quality reel like the president has a lot of positives. The drag system, smoothness of the reel, and the overall life of the reel are a few that have me sold on them. In my opinion i would rather have my eyes on the pole down than I had up. I know jigging you can feel the bite better with the eyes down and that's the way I have fished my whole life. The rods sensitivity is one of the most important things crappie fishing. You have to see that bite. There are so many different opinions on this I hesitated to even respond, but as I stated it's only my opinion. Good luck and have fun