Angler Anonymous offered pretty good gear selections. MH/F is more than enough. Anything heavier may rip the lure right out of the mouth on hookset! Save the pool cues for muskie fishing. 6'6" for accuracy, 7' for a bit more casting distance and hookset torque.
Personally, I like St. Croix rods. They seem to be made of a tougher composite that has more bend and flex than other makes in the price range. The trade off is they are marginally heavier to hold and have a slightly wider profile, but they are built tough as nails and can still fish them all day. As for the reel, there are good values starting at $100 and up.
Just to give you an example, I have three setups with prices:
MH/F 7' St. Croix Premier, 3/8oz - 1oz, ($120) paired with an AG Orra SX 7.1:1 ($100) for texas worms, heavy jigs, heavy spinners and topwaters through heavy cover
M/F 6'6" St. Coix Mojo Bass, 1/4oz - 5/8oz, ($100) paired with an AG Revo Winch 5.4:1 ($200) for cranks, topwaters and spinners in open water/light cover
M/F 6' Berkely Lightning Rod Shock 1/4oz - 3/4oz ($50) with a Pflueguer Trion 6.4:1 ($120) for lighter jigs in open water/light cover
My first setup was a Quatum combo for $80 and it was the worst piece gear I had ever bought. Never buy combos. You need decent equipment to further improve your skill with. A nice setup can be had for $200 - 250 so you are in the ballpark.
One more important note: match your rod to the line and lure weights you plan to use. Even with good gear, you will get backlashes and/or short wimpy casts if you are using line and lures not properly matched. And always use 12lb minimum as a rule of thumb, although some rods are rated for 10, anything smaller diameter will bind in the reel and cause miscasts and other trouble. Speaking from personal experience! Save lighter line and lures for spinning gear.
Probably more info than you wanted, but hope this helps as a second, third or fourth opinion.
