have not fished since I've been a kid. Looking at getting a rod and tackle box to start doing a little fishing. I live in Indiana and will be mostly fishing from the shore of small lakes. Typical fish probably bluegill catfish and bass. My biggest local shop is a gander Mountain. Not wanting to invest a lot of money but wanting decent rquipment to get started.  suggestions on rods and reel.   Are there any good books out there to read for my type of fishing.

Fishing is just like guns...

different eqpt for different situations. I fished the FLW Collegiate bass tournaments and started the club at my college.

The most versatile rod/ reel in my eyes would be a 6'6" - 7" MH baitcasting combo. It will handle bass and catfish.

For Bluegill (brim), or crappie I would get a medium light spinning combo. 5'6"

You could technically get a 7' M spinning combo and call it good, but it limits how much weight you can use for catfishing, and limits how small you got go while panfishing.

you can find nice little baitcasting combos for around $50-60 and adequate ML spinning combos for 30-40

Good luck!

Skip the good books and find a friend that is an avid fisherman. You'll learn more that way than any book would teach you. It WONT be hard to find a friend to fish with.

Gander is not a bad place to buy tackle from(guns another story) I would maybe go with a 6' or 6'6" medium light rod for a all purpose rod, the guide series spinning reels are a nice reel at a reasonable price, then just go and pick out some tackle, hooks, weights, a few floats, maybe a few odd lures here and there and just so where it goes, it can be just as addicting as guns though...at least for me.

I agree with the previous poster. I also fish mostly from the bank and almost exclusively use a 6'6" spinning (open face, the one that hangs under the rod) reel setup. Like I said it'll do 99% of what you want just fine. Also I like going with the ML (medium light) action rod for sensitivity. You can usually get a combo (rod and reel together) just as described at Wal Mart for well under $100.00 that will serve you just fine. The rod info is on the rod just above the grip that states the length, weight of lure range that rod is designed for, and the type of action. MH is medium heavy, M is medium, H is heavy etc. I tend to like the ML or M rods more than the Heavy (stiffer) action rods. Also you don't need 30 pound test line to catch a 20 pound catfish. Something in the 12 pound test line range is about the best all around setup for what you want.