For rod choice I like a stand up tuna rod, two reasons, the butt is shorter which gets the reel in closer to your body which along with the long fore grip gives you better leverage and control plus the shorter rod lets you get the fish in closer to the boat when you are trying to gaff or harpoon it. I have gotten away from the roller guides for two reasons, they require a lot of maintenance and the new super braids are so small in diameter they can slip down between the roller and the guide, the new super briads also do not wear out the guide rings like dacron did. Bushbear made a very good point on the rod belt, I like a rod with a gimballed butt that locks into the rod belt, there is a lot of torque generated when cranking on a fish and the rod will have a tendency to turn if it isn't locked in. Gear ratio and spool diameter can be countered with either a power handle or electric reel, I like the electric reels, there are a couple of options, electamates and precision auto reels, I've owned both, the electamates are noisey and will require alot of expensive maintainance if you use them alot like I do, I have gone to the Precision auto reels which are a little more expensive to purchase intially but they are quiet and vertually trouble free, I own several and finally had troube with one that I owned for five years, the factory took care of it for about the same price I was paying to maintain my Electamates each year, what I saved in repair bills has paid for my precision auto reel.