Having bought one last fall, i can say i do not recommend above reel. I have already replaced the drags because they failed after one use. And lost fish because of. I am really impressed by my Shimano Corsair, around the same price and the drag works way smoother and ive caught numerous salmon without fail. They had defects a few years back, but have fixed the problems. As for rods, i use Okuma Celilos. Great rod for the money. $40 bucks or so. Lots of sizes to choose from.