Beginner Gear

You said you were looking at a budget of around $200. I was suggesting getting two outfits for that money.

The spinning gear would allow you to fish lightweight baits such as light minnow baits like Rapalas, small crankbaits or topwaters like Pop R. It would also fish lightly weighted plastic baits like 5 inch ribbed worms, tubes and grubs as well as Senco style worms that may be either fished weightless or lightly weighted. You will hear plenty about fishing plastics rigged texas style, wacky style or weightless.   These are all standard finesse baits.

The Quantum Escalade spinning rod plus a Pflueger spinning reel would cost about $110 combined. 

There is a trick to purchasing things at Dicks too. You go in the store and purchase something cheap, lets say a pack of gum, a couple of jigs or a package of hooks. The receipt will have a website to do a survey on the store's customer service.  Answer a few questions and they let you print a $10 off coupon. That is what I do everytime I want to purchase anything from Dicks that costs over $10. Theoretically, you could go in the store and by some hooks and weights. Go home and fill out the online survey. Go back and purchase the rod using the $10 off coupon. Take that receipt and do it again. Then go back and save $10 off the reel.  My store is close enough, I just add each trip to a day i am running errands. 

Anyway, the Lightning Shock rod and the Daiwa Fuego are good pieces and would run you about $100 to $110 also.  That setup would handle your more traditional crankbaits that run down to 10 or 15 foot deep, baits like Rattle Traps and Red Eye Shads, heavier texas rigged worms and jigs with a plastic trailer.  Think of these combos as part of a mechanics tool set.  A mechanic will have sockets, wrenches, hammers etc.  Each does its own job.  If I was going to buy just one to start than I would start with a 7 foot medium to medium heavy spinning combo.  As for the gear ratio I would go with a 6.3-1 or 7.3 -1. Both are very useful