rod/reel matching

Question
Boris. i am reiring from the Marine Corps the end of July.
Have been fishing sanibel captiva since before the causway.
I have a quantom 50pts series reel line caps are260-10,225-12 and170-14. this is agreat ,last for-ever reel. but other rods that match those line caps are dwarfed by the size of this reel. i have a quantum ble runner 80 and a 60 with reels and it looks and feels more balanced there.
Mostly fish between sandbar troughs
; snook spec trout permit and if any sharks,prefer b-tips.
any suggestions on a good-quality rod match.
I have a st croix avid as66mhf. 8-17 suggested lin lbs. but rod fells and looks goofy lke a grown man riding a kids bike...knees all stuck out etc.
If you can suggest god,quality reel thanks.
but thank you for your time regardless.

DJ Allen

Answer
Hi:
I too fished the same area before the causeway, and it would be nice to once again have it like it was.  I'm not going to be much help on either a rod or reel choice as I understand what you mean but don't know what to suggest without trying out various combinations.  That is what you could do: take your equipment into a store like Wal-Mart or Sports Authority and try out some combinations.  Once you know what works, make certain if you buy that, once line is on the reel they will take the reel back if you feel it doesn't balance.  What I have done is have 2 rods custom made: each is about 8.5 feet, one for a spinning reel and the other for a plugging reel.  I do have some doubt about the great amount of line you have on the reels, which means you could get by with smaller reels and less line for the type of fishing you mention.  Only rarely will a fish require that amount of line and then it would be when you are trolling and have a lot of line out in the first place. Casting really doesn't take much line; when was the last time you were lined out?  Boris