hey sharkgirl, i read your post and all the replys along with it. they are offering good advice for upper-middle line stuff. turner's is a good place to buy stuff, but i wouldn't buy a california series rod from them. they are made with a penn powerstick blank. i have had bad luck with them. i would however recommend a shakespere tiger rod. i have a 6'6" that i use for albies. great rods for the money. also i would put the penn 500 series jigmaster with that rod, or an okuma, although the penn will last longer. or if you shop at wal-mart look for a shakespere tidewater casting reel. they are a good buy and pretty durable. but again, the 500 jigmaster will last longer. penn reels are a meat and potatoes reel with no frills. they are inexpensive and probably the best reel you will find for the money. that's why about 90 percent of the fisherman use them. a good rule of thumb to not buy any combo's from your "mart" stores. they are usually made for the occasional fisherman and don't stand up to much use. they are made to catch people not fish because of the small price tag. think of this, if you spend $40 on a combo, you are getting a $20 rod and a $20 dollar reel probably with one ball bearing and a crappy drag. the rod probably only has five guide including the tip. check out gofishin.com they have lots of gear at awesome prices. you will probably find what you want. but the set-up i would use, which i do is a 6'6" 15-40lb class tiger rod with a penn 501 jigmaster reel spooled with 30 lb test line. the great thing about these penn reels is they are very easy to upgrade later with accurate aftermarkert parts. it turns a good reel into a precision piece of equipment. let me know what you decide.

monster