I would think that 65lb test is a little much. I have a few large spinning reels and they are loaded acccording to how much line they hold. 30lb test is good for most large (shore) fishing. I have braid and mono. You fit more braid on because of the diameter and it cast further (for me). It can be rough on cold fingers when casting. As far as bottom fishing I think it's better to fish than mono in some cases. Mono seems more abrasion resistant. There's less stretch in braid and it's thin diameter doesn't seem to move as much with waves (when bottom/live bait fishing). Mono is 1/2 the price for twice as much. That being said, you don't need 500yds of line either (for shore fishing). The idea situation would be to have 2 spools (or more) for your reel. That way you can load braid on one and mono on the other....or use one for "inshore/on shore" fishing and load the 2nd for fishing off of a boat.
What you fish for would basically determine your rod (something light enough to detect spots or heavy enough to land a huge drum). I would go with a med-heavy 9 or 10' if from a pier....10 to 15 from shore. I have a preference for the 13' rods because they are 3 piece and easily fit in a car. The 10, 11 and 12 footers are 2 piece rods. The 10' will fit in some trunks, but those 2pc rods mainly end up on the backseat...which means you gotta worry about where you stop at (like a trip to get bait might cost you a car window and your gear). I would suggest Amazon or Ebay for your rod...you might find one in Cabelas "bargain" area. That's where i've gotten all of my rods at lately. I have a large spinning reel (for jigging) paired with a 15 footer for shore and plan on getting a 6 or 7 foot jigging rod for Tuna or other offshore fish. Lately, nice rods have gotten rather expensive. A limit of $50 will have you searching hi and low. Tsunami and Hurricane is where you should start.
