get a squidder and learn how to cast like a man!
seriously, you can't go wrong with a 6000 or 7000 class abu. i have tried most of the others (shimano, newell, penn, etc...) but i always come back to my abus. only when i feel like throwing something different for a trip or two do i change. even then, i only take out the squidder for at most two trips.