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Are you planning a first trip to BW Ryan? What kinds of fish do you usually fish for when you fish your "home" waters?

this year will be my second year.  The first year  my dad was sick the whole time so we didnt fish at all.  I mainly go for small panfish here.  I get the occasional small mouth but thats about it in my area.

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I like the Ugly Stik as well. I think for a reasonably priced rod, they're pretty hard to beat. Not equal to the high-end rods, but will take a beating and if you should manage to break or lose one, it's no big deal.

I take a 7' medium action, and 2- light action 7' rods.
I take 2 reels, each with spare spools with a different weight line.
This allows me to utilize all the rods for any species in the event I damage my rod of choice. The more flexible your gear selection is, the better you can deal with whatever comes your way.

I also take some spare rod tip guides for each size rod along with some rod tip glue/super glue and little emery paper in zip-lock repair kit.
I'd bet broken rod tips are probably at the top of the list of rod mis-haps

If you do a search on this site you'll find lots of discussions about carrying rods for backcountry canoeing.  Some folks like to use a 1 piece rod and keep it protected with golf club tubes and all manner of clever rigs that allow for good protection and maxiumum ease of access.  Some go with an ugly stick or the like and not worry too much about it since the investment is pretty minimal.  Myself, I prefer to use 2 piece rods which I can load up and have ready but at the same time stored in a rod case.  For spinning I pack a Shimano Compre 6'6" M F and like it just fine.

for the baitcaster i use the gander mountain classic IM7 6" medium action. the best rod ive ever owned. its a one piece rod. quite inexpensive, however, i think they discontinued that model.

for the spinning rod i use a 5'6" gander mountain competitor series light action. its a two piece rod. i think its a discontinued model as well.

ive owned everything from the cheapest shakespeare rods all the way up to st. croix stuff and i am a huge fan of the gander mountain rods. they are quite inexpensive and are durable, sensitive and everything you want out of a rod. definitely a great value/performance mix. i highly recommend looking into them.