I have several short rods, anything from 4' 8" to 5' 5" is what I mainly use simply because I do a lot of kayak fishing and it's a heck of a lot easier to land/net the fish with the short rods.

With boats/pontoons it's mainly 6' 0' to 7' rods
Bank/shore fishing gets 7' to 9' rods

Nothing big name with most rod/real combo's costing $100 to $150. One of my absolute favorites is the pflueger president spinning combo. A 4' 8" rod paired with their small #20 reel.
Pflueger President(R) Spinning Combo | Pflueger(R)