Thanks for both replies...
I was thinking not more than $200 for a reel should get me a decent one. Two that struck my eye were the Curado and the Pfleuger Patriarch, both of which were mentioned above.
It's been a while since I've been fishing, but I'm looking for bass mostly. I'm going to have to say that I'm mostly familiar with some of the old fashioned baits... jitterbug, hula-popper, crazy-crawler, and spook... some rapalas.
Also very open to the latest stuff out there. Like to learn the newest and best baits, as well.