For your spinning gear some of the best reels out there are Pflueger President, President xt and Supreme. You can get them starting at around $50 for the president model and the supreme is at the upper end of your range, but they are well made, smooth and nice finish. I have two Pfluegers a president and a templar(which is like a president xt). You can also watch ebay, sometimes you can snag a new in box for less than store price. If your targeting bass, walleye and larger game fish recommend getting a 35 or 40 size. that way you can have 8 to 12 pound line with no worries. The setup I use is a 35 series Templar with a Bass Pro Shops Carbon Lite 6'-6" MH rod and 8 pound stren megathin.Like Dave just said I have heard great things about the Shimanos but they are a little pricing and not my style. As far as rods, the Abus have nice ones the veritas or villians I hear good things about. Their new Inshore rod is only $99 and looks nice too. But the Carbon Lite is deffinitely my favorite rod I have owned and best for the money IMO. I have only thrown spinning gear my whole life, so don't worry if you like it stick with it. There are tons of people that do the same, baitcasting isn't a must. There are pros and cons to both. I have considered and still might get a baitcasting setup in the future but am happy with my spinning gear for now.