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i agree w/ others in this thread that the Abu 7000-class reel is about the standard and easiest to master. i've had years of experience on these reels. stick to a "C3" model, which has bearings on the spool shaft and a levelwind. the "CT" models are w/o levelwinds. the 6500-class Abu's are nice, but can be outgunned in some heavy current areas if targeting larger bass. the stock drags used to be junk, but the newer Carbonex drags may be an upgrade. either way, get Smooothies replacement drag washers for your Abu. the 6500-class reels are generally easier to cast and much faster reels than the 7000s.
i have a friend that fished a calcutta 400 for years and had great success with it. i cannot comment on the reel as i never used one due to having good success with Abu's. the few times i did cast a calcutta 400 i found it too slow, but it wasnt my reel.
the newer avet's with spool controls may be worth the look. they are fast reels and require an educated thumb.
diawa makes a couple of models as well that have had good success, but are not as popular in the northeast it seems.
the newells are also fast reels and require an educated thumb. some have had very good look with them.
one piece of advice, i would suggest starting with mono and as you get better with casting move to braid. your window of controlling an overrun using braid is much shorter than if you were using mono. casting lures under 2 ounces, especially if they are not rear loaded like poppers, or eels with braid can take a while to master.
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