In my opinion , there is a terribly high number of 6 foot panfish rods that will get it done in style and durability and fit the hand and the wallet in prime fashion .
The same goes for the reel options .
I have a no name 18 dollar reel that is all that and as good as any I have ever touched and that would be a number that defies imagination . I also have a 6 foot Dobyns panfish special colt series that is in that same situation ....
I love shimano reels and the loomis stuff is nice , but in this day and age we are now at a point in time where the name is what you pay for in many cases and not the quality ....my 2 cents if you will
on a quick side note , my 5 6 abu vigilante will stand beside whatever is out there when it comes time to really hammer and they are cheap rods AND really pretty as well ...just saying