Looking for help picking saltwater gear

Hey gang. Im just this summer getting into saltwater fishing for the first time, I was hoping you folks could help point me in the right direction. I have a few friends who surf cast down in long island sound a few times a month after work, but we also have a river below the dam that's brackish with resident largemouth and stripers and i have a buddy who now has a boat on the sound. About the biggest fish in these waters is stripers and blues. 

I had a zany idea... to grab the daiwa BG5000 spinning combo with the 9 or 10 foot MH surf casting rod (well, that's what they call it, it's a shorter handle) to use on the brackish river and from the beach throwing circle hook bait rigs and jerk baits, then just getting a more stout shorter rod for when we head out on the boat hunting blues and stripers. 

Is a 5000 sized reel up to the task do you think? Is it a stupid idea to try to do both with one reel? I've saltwater fished only a handful of times and from a party boat with rental gear. Totally out of my element!