Shakespeare makes pretty good budget fare. You should be able to get a decent spinning combo for 30-40 at Walmart. Looking at your target species a medium combo with 8# mono would be ideal.

Most of the other suggestions are more expensive. I would start with a solid jack of all trades then begin buying more expensive rods and reels later. Then you'll have a better idea of how you want to use the rod and for what.

Shimano Sienna, there's a red and black one and a fully grey one. I own both and can't complain for the price is a really good reel.

Kastking centron and the pflueger mentioned by another post.

The rod is not designed for a spinning reel. It has small line guides and a spinning rod has larger guides. Plus the handle has the trigger grip that will be a issue when holding. It was made for spincast reels.

Look at a spinning versus baitcast/spincast rod at a store. There are differences that will effect the use and performance. If you want to go with aspinning reel. Buy a spinning rod.

You will find old glass rods are heavy and have a lot of flex too. They get more flex with use. This can affect hooksets. A modern rod is much better for fishing.

Pflueger President. Great low medium priced option.

Okuma Ceymar HD. Shimano, and Daiwa, have stuff in that price range also. And then go and practice with your baitcaster with a simple weight in your yard or other open space.

Daiwa Regal size 2500 is the perfect beginner reel and it can be had for about $70.

I saw some other thread that Walmart has Shimano Sedonas for super cheap.

also, you will have to get a new rod because baitcast rods are not meant for spinning reels.

Can’t go wrong with a Daiwa Legalis LT.

If you could possibly add $10 to your budget, you can get the Fuego LT. Amazing reel for the price.

The Phluger President is the classic "best $50 spinning reel". The Daiwa BG used to be all over ebay for like $75 and was an insanely good reel for the price, but it looks like it's closer to $100 now.

In any case, wait for the 4th sales to start and see what deals you can find.

Dick's has the Okuma Stratus VI on sale for $30. That's what I picked up for my first reel. My next will probably be the President or a baitcaster.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lews_Mach_II_Metal_Speed_Spin_Spinning_Reel/descpage-M2S.html

Well, you're not going to learn how to use a spinning reel until you get one. Imo they're super easy and FAR superior to spincasters, which I really dislike.

Spooling sounds confusing at first but totally isn't. Making a peanut butter & jelly sandwich sounds complex if you describe every step of the process, but I defy you to get it wrong. Spooling a reel is the same... it's not an exact science, pretty hard to screw up, and easy to fix if you do. Just pick a video and follow it. Using any halfway-dencent brand line (a $7 spool of Trilene is totally fine) will avoid most of your line-twist issues.

Feel free to ask any specific questions though when you get to that point.

Nothing wrong with a spin cast. It's the exact same shit as a spinning reel except it is an inny instead of an outy.

Hopefully it's for fresh water. I have that same rod but the saltwater version, it's great. I have it paired with a Pflueger President 35

Shimano Sedona

If salt water, diawa fuego. If fresh water the regal. Now what size is the question. Usually a 2000-3000 is pretty middle of the road.

JDM Daiwa 23 Legalis 2500

People might roast me for my advice, but I'd look into a kastking sharky iii for a jack of all trades reel. I've got a 3000 size on my ugly stik elite 6'6", and it is the smoothest reel I've ever handled. Stainless bearings (10+1) so it's rated for saltwater. Even if you never fish salt, it's good for people like myself who procrastinate maitenance. The drag goes up to 33.5lbs, and I've never had to take it that high; but I'm confident it could handle it. Watched a guy land a 70lb alligator gar with one, bought one that same night (about 6 years ago) and haven't looked back. It's even smoother now than it was brand new since the bearings have broken in. At 50-60 bucks I haven't found a competitor in features from any of the big brands. I have no affiliation with kastking whatsoever.

I've been in the sporting shops, I've handled 2-300 dollar spinning reels, and none of them are as smooth in hand. None of them come close to the drag rating.

It's to the point that recently I bought a river/catfish pole, and when looking at reels to pair it with, I wanted something new. I researched almost every night for like a week, comparing specs and pricing; and ended up finding that I'd be in the ballpark of 240 bucks to buy something that MIGHT be better than the sharky. I decided to save myself the nearly 200 extra and grab a sharky iii in the 5000 size.

My biggest worry when first getting one was that it was just chinese mass produced garbage. Well it may be chinese and mass produced, but the quality actually blew me away for what I'd paid.

Diawa Regal is my favorite reel for under $100. The Shimano sienna or Sedona are also good options.

i've had good luck with shimano, pflueger, penn and daiwa reels. mostly using them with 4pound mono for catching trout.

Pflueger supreme is under $100.00 great reel

I’m using the penn pursuit . Cheap but solid . I’ve had double figure coalies and cod in Norway with it . Bargain

I love my sienna, i use it over some of my more expensive reels. Sixgill also makes some good budget reels

I’m sure what you are targeting or how you want to fish.

Bass pro has spinfisher 3500 & 4500 rod and reel combos on sale. I use the 3500 for wading the TX coast targeting redfish and trout. I also own the 4500. Both reels have are sealed but not rated for dunking.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/penn-spinfisher-vii-inshore-spinning-combo

You want a longer pole and bigger reel with some line capacity so typically around a 5000 sized reel and about 8-10’ pole.

A big box store like Academy or Basspro Shop will spool you up for free if you buy a reel from them. You can pay for braid, or they will usually put mono on for free. I would get 20-30 pound line.

Get some Pyramid sinkers 2-5 oz variety for different conditions, and circle hooks 1/0 for smaller fish, and 7/0 for bigger fish that you can target using the small fish you caught for bait.

Get a Penn Pursuit or Fierce combo. Around 5000 sized reel, and 9-10’ rod. The combo (they are sold as a set). About $100 for the Fierce combo, around $80 for the Pursuit. These are very good beginner setups that you could continue to use as long as you take care of them and rinse with freshwater after fishing.

You can also go really cheap with a Walmart combo if you are planning to just use once and throw or giveaway the set after your vacation.:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shakespeare-Contender-Spinning-Reel-and-Fishing-Rod-Combo/49156928

For beginner saltwater fishing in Destin, Florida, I recommend starting with a spinning rod and reel setup. A 7-8 foot medium-heavy rod paired with a 3000-4000 size spinning reel would be a good choice for targeting a variety of saltwater species such as redfish, snapper, and trout.

Some popular rod and reel combos to consider are the Penn Battle II Combo, the Ugly Stik GX2 Combo, or the Daiwa BG Combo. These combos are affordable, durable, and versatile for a beginner angler looking to explore saltwater fishing.

In addition to the rod and reel combo, make sure to pack some essential saltwater fishing gear such as various sizes of hooks, sinkers, swivels, and artificial lures or live bait. Don’t forget to check the local fishing regulations in Destin and obtain a fishing license if necessary.

Lastly, don’t hesitate to ask local anglers or fishing guides for tips and advice on where to fish and what techniques to use. Enjoy your fishing experience in Destin and have fun exploring the beautiful waters of the Gulf Coast!

What species do you want to catch and where?

Ugly stik gx2 rod paired with Penn pursuit reel. Is my favorite sub $100 spinning combo.

Yes, watch a couple YT vids and learn how to cast before you go fishing with a BC. That being said, you should get a spinning reel. Most folks that go for their first time use someone else's gear...if not, just get something at Walmart for cheap.

If you eventually want to go into baitcasters, a spincast might be a good option as it gives you an idea of how they feel. Ideally you can have a setup of spinning and one for baitcasting since for panfish you generally want much lighter line and baits. Otherwise, most modern baitcasters have many braking systems that greatly prevent backlashes. If you set the brake strong enough it's almost impossible to backlash but your cast distance wont be very good. As you get more comfortable you can back off on the brakes to get more distance.

Spinning reels are much easier to learn and master.

I am mainly going after bass and other sunfish in lakes.

Start out with a spinning reel. Baitcasters are much harder to master and if you start it on those you will have trouble casting out to where the fish are. I would highly recommend starting with a spinning reel, and once you feel comfortable with that try out a buddy’s baitcaster before you make the jump on one. In terms of long term durability, any reel that is maintained (rinsed after fishing, cleaned and regularly lubed) will last a long time. Maintenance is key :)