I am planning on fishing for stripers from the beach in NH and RI this summer and want to upgrade my rod.  I want a longer surf rod for better casting and am not sure how long is ideal.  Cabelas has surf combos that go up to 12 ft.  For mostky fishing bait with the occasional artificials, what rod length (or specific rod) would you suggest.  I am hoping on spending less than $200 on the combo if possible. Also, what type of line is best for this type of fishing?  Thanks for and help.

12' is a lot of rod to handle, don't forget the longer the rod, the heavier it will be.  I say 9' is good for the occasional user.  Don't forget to buy or make a rod spike (rod holder), your worst enemy is getting sand in the reel.

I spend alot of time surf fishing off of sandy hook and crooke's point around ny/nj for stripers and blues and have found a 10ft to be the best balance for me personally. I'm using a daiwa beef stick 10ft with an okuma avenger 80 series baitrunner with a backup of a shakespeare alpha 10ft and shimano baitrunner as a backup rig. I have played around with a few 11 and 12ft rods and honestly I didn't see any advantage. I may update to a shimano surf pole this year instead of the beef stick, as its starting to show some serious wear hehe. But as far as length 10ft is definately my reccomendation

I fish sand beaches in New Jersey mostly.

I use 9 10 and 11 ft rods with one 12ft rod. 10 is my vote for the best general purpose length. If you are fishing more than 4 ozs with bait it does help a little to have that extra length. 9 is fine too.

12ft is definitely a little much for your main rod. You can cast farther with a longer rod but if the combo is heavy/awkward enough to impede your casting speed or form it won't matter. Casting is about technique and balancing your rod/lure/line/reel combination more than rod length and muscle.  

I use 14lb and 17lb monofilament for most situations. I fish bunker heads/ big chunks on 20lb sometimes. I use braided line on some plugging rods but I find it to be a little too unforgiving for casting heavy bait/sinker combinatons. I use 40-60lb leader. If fishing around rocks you can go a little heavier.

Casting distance is overrated in most situations. The most productive water is not necessarily the furthest away. Having the ability certainly doesn't hurt though.

Since you're on a budget, I would recommend the Tsunami Airwave rod. My cousin has one and we spend alot of time "rock hopping" R.I. together. I personally fish an 8' St. Croix Premier and a 10'6" Loomis. But that's just me. The 9' Tsunami can be had for around $100. If you're sold on the idea of slinging bait then yes, I would say something that can handle up to 5, maybe 6 ounces. Not my cup of tea but the longer rod will help for sure. My dad throws a Lamiglass Ron Arra (11' one piece) and the rod is a beast.

As far as line, I prefer Power Pro, but others like Ande Back Country and Big Game (both mono) . Depends on how rocky you are fishing. If you go with braid, I would recommend a heavy mono leader. I prefer 60lb big game. I spend alot of time in South County fishing the boulder fields and the braid has a tendency to self destruct around the rocks.