What type of fishing method are you going to be using? I like a nice stiff pole with a soft tip for jigging or drifting live baits. Open faced reel for jigs and baits (6# line). Bait casting reel for trolling with 8 or 10# line. While trolling lures I like a stiff bait casting outfit, a bass outfit would work. Line diameter and visiablity are a concern since the water will be much clearer than you may be accustom to. 6-7 footers are a good lenght for the poles.