General advice

[RiverSlabber]

I was actually looking at one of their Vortex rods this past summer. Ended up going with a BnM BGJP instead only because the Vorex rods werent on sale anymore when I finally bought and the BnM one was. Seemed like a really nice rod, may pick up one next year.

The sales guy there told me that the Gander reels are actually made by Pflueger, just with a few less bells and whistles. They'd probably sell more of them if they werent priced exactly the same as the Pfluegers!

[Crestliner08]

As far as rods go, you might do yourself a big favor and take a look at the B n' M rod line-up. They specialize in crappie rods and have an excellent reputation. I have 3 of their rods now myself; two are the 7' SHSS model and my latest one is a 9' SHSS. I have Shimano reels on two and a President on the newest long rod. Great rods in my opinion. Reasonable pricing. Wonderful service. The slightly longer 7' model (you were looking for a 6' length) will work well for you I'm sure.