Before I go crazy and jump into the baistcaster market buying a $200 setup, I figured maybe just buy a nice reel for now . I have an old Berkley powerpole  (with the  neon tip) that had an old Ambasseduer 1022 caster on it. Well the rell mount broke on the reel so its junk. Looking for a replacment reel for this rod. The rod is only 5'6, lure 1/4-5/8,  10-17 lb,  med action, super strong. Very new to the baitcaster craze and dont know what this rod should be used for or if I should just junk it and get a combo set?  I would prefer a setup that is versatile that I can pretty much use for soft plastics, stickbaits. spinners etc. bascially a good all around setup

We need a budget to offer pertinent advice. For $170 this would be something to consider:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_74456_100003001_100000000_100003000_100-3-1

If I can get away with using this rod for the applications mentioned above and just buy a reel, I would like to keep it around $100-$125. If I have to scrap the rod to get what I need and get a combo then under $200 would be nice. I have been looking at that combo RW what size rod and action would you suggest for my needs?

For an "all around" rod, 6 1/2' or 7' Medium Heavy Power/ Fast Action.

Under 200 bones...ebay a new Citica for $100 and then buy St. Croix Premier rod of your choice. If you have a Cabelas close by, you could save about $30 by cherry picking out a good St.Croix Triumph.

I have no problems mail ordering reels but feel very uncomfortable doing the same with rods.....rods are just to easy to mess up in transport wether to the retailer or your house IMO. I live withing 30 miles of both a Cabelas and a BPS and I've seen many jacked up rods on their rod racks that I wouldn't even consider buying....bent guides, nicks in the blanks and so forth.

Shimano Curado 100 and a good 6'6" medium heavy rod.

When spooling the line on the reel, run it through a wash cloth sprayed with Kevin VanDam's Line and Lure Conditioner or pure silicone. This helps stop backlashes.

Good luck.