My personal opinion would be for a 6' Shakespeare. There are nice rods on the market. I haven't seen a 6'6" Tidewater, but they may be out there. The extra length will probably give you a little more sensitive tip, but halibut aren't known to be light biters.

When loading the braid on the reel, make sure the dacron base is put on tight and the braid is loaded tight, too. If it is put on loosely, it will cut down into itself and is a bugger to get fixed.