i am working on upping my gear too. trying to get rid of the walmart junk that worked like crap.
hmmm a nice but certainly not super amazing set up is, 11' ugly stick ($50-$85?) or tsunami rod ($100-$120). and an okuma baitrunner avenger. ($60-$70) with 20lb or higher power pro braid not sure on the price around $30.
it's a decent all around set up. i started this year with the walmart crap. and i have quickly learned it's not worth it. by watchign others with custom setups and talking around, and from using this set up. it's a great set up for the money. spending the extra $100 or so is well worth it. it makes a big difference in quality and usability. this get up can cast pretty damned far. on practice casts with the weight i would estimate i have seen around 75-90 yrds (under estimating) on the casts. it goes FAR. how ever far it goes. it can out cast a lot of set ups. and i've seen it land keepers. so it's strong enough to handle the big boys.
you can find used ugly sticks relatively easy. i love them. i no longer swear by them, but they are work horses. you can get better distances with the tsunami though. and they are lighter. some guys like bigger rods (15's and what not) highly unnecessary for most applications. i used to think (liek a month ago?) they were needed for fishing the beaches. now i am perfectly comfortable with a 9-11' on the beach. i like the 11's because they give a bit more of a fling when casting chunks. a 9' might be better if you plug more than chunk, but i wouldn't go any smaller than 9' if you plan on chunking more than a few times.
the reel is really up to you. but if you plan on chunking a decent amount i will say DEFINATELY get a bait runner. even if it means skipping out on a pricey rod. they make hook setting so much easier. i am working on getting my own now. but while using my friends i hooked 90% of the fish while chunkin.g as opposed to a non bait runner where i'm averaging below 50%. due to having to grab the spool and not being able to really get the slack out. then, even after setting the hook, you need to fumble with the drag for a bit. which has cost me a few fish. baitrunner all the way when chunking. don't need it for plugging but if ya have it it doesn't really effect that. i am not sure how well they take a dunking, but if you don't plan on dunking it any time soon get one.
that's my two cents. from what i have learned here and from the local guys. (not the weekend walmart warriors, but the guys who are out every night till dawn) i learned a lot so far this year about setups. i would like to even get better gear than that. but then you are talking $400+. and that could be for just the reel.
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