Those reels ought to work just fine. I have one of those myself and it's been a good reel. I bought a couple of new reels this year as replacements for reels that were 20 years old and wore out. I bought the Shimano SLX-DC and it is a super smooth reel. Although it does cast much better and it greatly minimizes backlash, I've found you still need to adjust it, like you would, or close to that of any bait casting reel.
I've had a hard time with the sand bass this year, mostly at Bridgeport with my granddaughter. We are planning our next trip to RR so, going to follow your thread as I've been on the lake but have no knowledge of where to start.. We've done a lot of fishing this year, ready to do a little catching... lol.
Keep your lines tight!
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/shimano-slx-dc-baitcast-reel