I am looking to re-gear this year and want to put together a nice spinning outfit for casting off my Whaler. I was thinking about a medium action 8' - 9' rod.

I was looking for suggestions on a solid, durable spinning reel that I can use to load braid and cast plugs mainly. What rod/reel combo would you go with? Mainly a striper/bluefish set-up.

What gear ratio is best for producing a nice "pop" with plugs?

Nicest spinning reel I own is my Shimano Stradic, unbelievably smooooooth, Not sure on the gear ratio, but its loaded with 20 lb. braid.
I have it on a 7 1/2' Tica they make a nice setup for the boat. 9' might be a bit long especially in a smaller boat.

Nicest spinning reel I own is my Shimano Stradic, unbelievably smooooooth, Not sure on the gear ratio, but its loaded with 20 lb. braid.
I have it on a 7 1/2' Tica they make a nice setup for the boat. 9' might be a bit long especially in a smaller boat.
i agree with van , stratic is a good reel for the money i have several , and 8-9 foot rod is a little long i use 7-71/2 foot rods on my boat , good luck

7 fotter all the way.
You could even go 6 1/2.

8 is too big and 9 is crazy.

For reels I like the 704Z, i also have 706Z, and 7500SS.

i caught sbft on 706Z with no problem.

Was thinking about getting some baitrunners next year.

I think rod length may depend how tall you are and what you like to use. I have several 8-footers that I use in my small boat, and thats my preferred length for casting plugs or eeling from the boat. For the rod, I suggest looking at the Loomis SUR965. This is actually a "surf" rod, but has a shorter butt (nice cork handle) and works well as an inshore rod. Has a fast tip with serious power in the butt. For reels, I'd go with a Penn Slammer 460 (I use one), or Shimano Stradic or Spheros (dont use myself)

I think rod length may depend how tall you are and what you like to use. I have several 8-footers that I use in my small boat, and thats my preferred length for casting plugs or eeling from the boat. For the rod, I suggest looking at the Loomis SUR965. This is actually a "surf" rod, but has a shorter butt (nice cork handle) and works well as an inshore rod. Has a fast tip with serious power in the butt. For reels, I'd go with a Penn Slammer 460 (I use one), or Shimano Stradic or Spheros (dont use myself)

I'll second the SUR965S. It's one of my baby BFT sticks in addition to throwing big plugs from the boat.

It is rated only to 1.5 ounces, but it's a 2 ounce rod all day from the boat.

I'm a big fan of the Spheros but I'm on a Quantum kick right now too. The Boca and Cabo are also reels you should check out. Well built and tough reels, especially from the boat. Good surf reels too, as long as you're not regularly dunking them.

I have the Baston 967 with a Quantum Boca (Mid range Quantum) PT40, you might want o move up to a 50 if you want more line capacity. So far the 40 sized reel is plenty big enough with braid..

I like the penn slammer med / heavy 6' rods with 4500 baitrunners, low cost good quality, third season with no problems and you can plug, chunk and live line all with the same set up. Anything over 6'is just asking for trouble on a boat, If you need to cast that far, put her in gear and motor closer.