[Saltheart]

Both the penns (704 and 706) are big heavy reels. They are great reels but Are you sure you want a reel that weighs a pound and a half? If you do go with such a big reel , you really need a long rod to match up so i would get a 10 footer to match one of those monster reels.
You will have your share of backlashes with a conventional until you get good with practice and then you will get almost none. You will be better off to learn to use a conventional now. They are simply better to fish with and are lighter.

If you must go spinner , I suggest you get the 5500SS.


As far as rods go , I think a good rod for you at this stage would be a custom rod on an 8 foot Pac Bay , Sabre , Batson (all the same (967) Its 8 feet and will throw 1 to 3 OZ . I think it would be an excellent rod for someone 5'7and 115 pounds.. It will match up well with the abu6500 conventional or a Penn 5500ss. It will also be a good rod to use on a boat (I believe I remember you boat fish with your family? ) . Its a very versatile rod which is what i think you need for your first rod.
Someday when you grow bigger , you can go for a longer rod. being a younger person and rather small , I think you would hate fishing with a 10 foot rod and a pound and a half reel.

I'll Pm you some rod prices. i guess i'll give you a good deal on a 967 to help you get started. I'll also quote you the price of a Rainshadow 1088 built spinner or conventional but that will be my normal price.