I don’t own a Sam that short, mine is a ten foot dipping rod, so I’ll reserve comment on that. I’ve been using small reels for a long time and I’ll talk of those some. I was 4lb mono on everything in the beginning and Stren of different colors won my vote. The trilene had a different personality I didn’t care for. Then braid refined some and got lots better. In open water for long casts nothing is better and a leader does well. The smaller reels like the President 20 do well with braid, no memory to deal with. Larger reels work better on rods with larger guides and the bigger drag will work a little better IF you keep them maintained. Mono worked better on 1000 series and larger due to memory more than anything else. I have a Browning Airstream 6’6” ul with very big guides and all things relative, it will cast longer than any other UL I have, very nice rod but hard to find. Braid tends to behave better with smaller guides and I’d like to be the guy that solves the tip wrap issue so common with braid, just nature of the beast. What I use that has me impressed is the Japanese braid in the smaller sizes. The Varivas braid in 4 lb strength is deceivingly strong for its size but being small it is not abrasion resistant. Some are coated different and behave better but a leader is used and eliminates the majority of these issues. The drag on your reel being smooth and set light makes a big difference. The line isn’t in the same price range as domestic but soooo worth the try if you pitch little baits or just enjoy the challenge. Most of my small rods wear it in 4 or 5.2 strength and I don’t lose many fish. I’ll also add that I’m not shy about throwing my jig at the base of a cypress with trash all around and overhead. All of the domestic braids have more resistance due to their size and won’t allow the same cast with a light jig. Sufix Nanobraid in 2lb is as good an option as I’ve found but mine was in dark green and hard to see for me.
I know I ramble but I hope this helps when you’re putting together a rod that will stay in your hand most of any given day.