I've longlined for a while, and pulled cranks for a couple of years now. There's a progression that you will go through, and a step or two down the road you will want to try pushing the things because it takes about a week to turn around when you have the long lines out the back. Point is, you want a rod a bit stiffer than what you can get away with pulling to handle the extra weight. The Okuma's at Northwoods seem to be the reel and the price. I'm set up to fish solo and change it up some to accommodate friends and run my rods 90* to the boat. This allows me to run 6 rods by myself, and it gets interesting at times. I use my BGJP rods that I do everything with in 8, 10, and 12 foot and 2000 spinning reels with 8lb line, and stagger them for length. I use 300 series cranks with good success, and don't forget the deep, almost red, shade of pink. Before you go the first time, buy a plug knocker.