Im sure there will be alot of threads popping up asking opinions on what equipment to buy in the next week as people spend their christmas money, so I am wondering how should a relatively new fisherman begin to form a technique specific arsenal?

For me personally I fish a Citica E on a MH/F Compre and a cheap spinning reel on a M/F rod.  I mostly fish plastics, cranks, and jerks.  I got a Curado E7 for christmas and I'm looking for a rod to complement it.  I don't want to have my only 2 quality reels be for the same thing so what should i get?

You can answer my question   or just the general question to help noobies like me out.  

I got a Citica E for Christmas and a Powell Max 704CB rod to go with it and I must say this is a SWEET setup! I love mine ;D as far as building an arsenal (I'm in the process) I started out getting a set up for my favorite technique(s) which is a worm or jig (7' MH fast) then I got one for spinnerbaits/buzzbaits (6'6" MH fast) and lately Ive been getting into crankbaits so I got the Powell crankbait rod and I think I'll be buying more Powell rods in the future! The next one I want to get is a spinning rod for drop shotting ;D

This should help:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1196114229

I no longer buy factory rods since I build all my rods now but if I were a new angler looking to get a good arsenal going, I would definately go the way of Danny1991 and start buying powell rods. They are the best bargain out their IMO. They're high quality, modern, and reasonably priced (around $140 I believe?) and they come in a variety of sizes and actions. Down the road if you want to upgrade a few you could always get a loomis or two to complement your powell arsenal.