all i can say is starlo stix rods are ok, as for mojiko reels..... maybe look for a reel to fit the rod at the higher end of you $100 budget.

Like Righteo said, I'd spend more on a better quality reel. Honestly that Mojiko is probably going to fail after one or two decent fish. Mojiko is just cheap stuff made for Anaconda & really shouldn't be expected to last. Personally I'd look at an Okuma Hardstone HS-55 which will set you back just on $100. I picked up a HS-30 for my young bloke & have tested it thoroughly on some pretty decent fish & I've got to say I'm very impressed with it. Very smooth to use, sealed drag, ultra smooth drag, good (& effective) line roller with a lifetime warranty, pretty hard to beat for the money. There are plenty of Shimano Sienna fans out there to so perhaps that would be another reasonable option for your budget. As for line I'd go with 15lb, braid or mono either way depending on what styles of fishing you favour.

Yeah, I know Mojiko reels aren't amazing, this one was on some super sale and it was only $20 so I picked it up for something to use at the beach if I wanted to go in the next couple days, honestly it doesn't even look that bad. That Okuma Hardstone HS-55 looks nice, thanks for the tip. I'm just worried is the 55 size still going to be too big for the 9ft rod?

As far as the Sienna's go, my brother has a 2500 Sienna he got in a combo with a 7ft Shimano Bream rod for only $80, super cheap, it looks pretty good quality wise, but as far as I know its biggest size is 4000? I already have a 4000 size reel. (Penn Applause) I really love the Applause, such good quality, it's still the smoothest reel I have thats after years of zero maintenance and being dropped in the ocean.. but I think that's still a bit too small for the 9ft rod, not by much though which makes me think that a 4500-5000 size reel would be perfect. It's too bad the Applause doesn't come in a 4500-5000 size, I'd buy that right up asap.

The HS-55 will take around 300m of 15lb mono & I reckon would be just about spot on for that rod. Of course the best test is to take the rod with you, bolt on a few different reels & see how they feel to you. Yes the Sienna only goes up to a 4000 & IMO would be a bit too light for that rod but there's heaps of people that reckon they have taken good size snapper etc on them & that they are up to the task

Ok cool, if you think it'll fit I'll definately look into it more. I live pretty far from any tackle store and the one closest to me doesn't have a huge range of reels, so it's hard to choose a reel and taking my rod in to see what fits isn't really an option. I probably have to buy it online which kinda puts me at the mercy of other peoples knowledge. Thanks for your help.'

On a different note, does anyone know if my Penn Applause 4000 will fit a Shimano Raider 7"6 Snapper (5-8kg)?

 Not sure of the size difference between Penn 4000 and a Shimano 4000, but I have a 4000 Symetre on the same rod and its a good match, do like the rod, caught everything from herring to stingrays on it and its still going strong!

Cheers Pob, that's good to hear. I plan on buying that rod pretty soon, I figure it'll be a pretty good general purpose rod for using on a Jetty or Rocks or even targeting Herring in the surf or something, not to mention the obvious use of targeting Snapper, I dunno but it should be nice, thanks for the info.

PS: What kind of line do you use on it? I filled my 4000 with a full spool of 10lb braid (4.5kg), is it too light or is it fine? Sorry for all the dumb questions, I lack experience. :(

No local store definitely makes it alot harder to know what's going to work for you. Do heaps of research then before you commit to buying anything & check the return policy of wherever you order it from. It would be good to know if you can return an item if it isn't quite what your after.