Hi Jim,
I'm in the same boat (so to speak) as you this offseason. I've always used spinning gear up till this year. Now I'm planning to go conventional. I wasn't really sure which way to go with regard to equipement, so I checked in with Mike Thomas at M & D's bait and tackle in Wareham. As previously mentioned, you may find yourself closer to $300 than $200, but if you're going to be fairly regular in the ditch, you may as well buy something that'll last. And, from what I hear, the extra few bucks can make a huge difference in quality and durability. Basically, I'm going with what most of the other Canal regulars recommended that I talked to. I don't have the details handy here, but if you want to give Mike a call at (508) 291-0820, you'll find him quite knowledgeable and he'll stear you right. His web site is www.capecodtackle.com. He fishes the Canal and builds rods accordingly. He's building my canal stick for me for roughly $150. The Abu reel I'm settling on costs roughly the same,
but don't quote me........
Good Luck and we'll see ya on the rocks.