As far as reels go weight is a big factor and the way the drag is built. With a little maintenance they will last forever. If something does break on them they are worth fixing and not trashing. I've run pflueger trions, lews speed spools, shimano curado's, ardents, browning, and quantum baitcasters. I use the left hand retrieve which are hard to find and usually a few dollars more. The shimano,lews, and pfluger are what I am currently using with the shimano and lews being my favorite. Those reels just seem to fit my hand better.
As far as rods go look into the St. Croix Bass x line. MH fast or extra fast is my liking. The fast will load up better with the xf being a tad more sensitive. I run some Croixs and scheels rods for this. I definatly wouldn't go any lighter then a medium fast and then only if you don't pull a bouncer over 1.5 ounces. I like the rod in the 6'8 to 7'1 for bouncing also.
