I was always told if you’re gonna do something do it right, and buy the Very best you can afford
Remember quality doesn’t cost, it pays
I love my St. Croix LT Muskie Rods, best sticks on the market next to a predator
If you don’t want to pay retail, there are online forums where you can pick up a very nice used one at a great discount
As far as reels go, I had a Tranx and I hated it. The handle caused the reel to engage on the cast, so I started stripping out gears My go to reels are my Shimano Calcutta 400TE’s and Abu Revo Toro Winch’s