Well, just to throw the spanner in the works here I gunna give you my opinion..
Rod - Something that can comfortably throw an 8 ounce sinker so a stroke 7 or 8. Other thing to consider is your ability to "load" a stiff rod. If you are not physically strong a good technique will save you but failing that you may opt for a slightly softer rod. You mentioned that it was primarily from the surf that you intend to fish so bigger casts are usually required hence the bit about casting ability.
Buy the best you can afford! Loomis Sharkey, Exage 1468,Poseidon 3XH or even a Blue Marlin G3. There are many others but these off the shelf guys offer superb bang for your buck. Rate the Sharkey as my No1 in that list.. Custom built rods will usually set you back a little more but then it will be made to suit you more precisely.
Reel - one that has a good balance of line capacity, build quality, spares availability and cost. The debate of Shimano v Daiwa usually crops up here but buy what you can afford and what you feel best suits your fishing abilities.
The Shimano Torium 30 and Saltist 50 are the 2 forerunners in the mainstream reel battle. Both have around the same line capacity, Daiwa better spares availability, Shimano better build quality (in my opinion) and a few hundred rand cheaper. There are other cheaper very capable reels available like the Daiwa SL50 or Grandwave series and the Shimano Speedmaster or 20/40 series.
Line - very much a personal opinion thing but I have fished most of the lines available and have settled on Kingfisher Giant Abrasion or KFGA as you will see it referred to on Sealine. It has superb handling qualities for non eds fishing and sliding and is also very affordable. (Xalin is essentially KFGA in my opinion but is even cheaper). XX High Abrasion is one of the best but at a price as is the Daiwa Tournament line. The .50 or .55 diameter is what you should look at. Find what works for you and go with that.
Braid - an essential part of any non ed fisherman's arsenal! Affords you the ability to get hundreds of meters more line onto your reel that may well help get you that prized sharkey. A very much debated issue and as yet still pretty much a preference issue. Do you pay for Berkley Whiplash, the best, in my opinion, or the save money and get the Kingfisher braid. I use the Kingfisher due to its overall affordability and performance. The 45 pound Kingfisher is the one most guys I know use and in the Berkley the 50 pound is favored. I had Berkley 80 pound on my Trinidad 50 but that was in case I wanted to swim a bait with the reel.
So, buy the best you can afford, what you feel best suits your fishing abilities and style or just what you like..
Hope it helps a little.. PM me if you got any questions - happy to help where I can.
P.S. Check the Buy/Sell/Swap section regularly as you can often pick up some real good bargains there..
