My father will be living near Rockport for the next few years. I'm planning on buying him a fishing rod & reel to fish Black Drums and reds. He fishes off a pier and uses bait. Would love to get him a rod he doesn't have to worry breaking on him. I have $200 to spend. From previous post I've seen that the Abu Garcia veritas is a good pole to buy. Your help is very much appreciated

Best $200 combo I have is a 7'3 hvy veritas and a lews 5:3:1 speed spool. If you buy from academy or cabelas they have great return policies if one does happen to break.

That Lew's combo sounds more like something for freshwater. I think the Veritas lineup is focused on freshwater, and the Lews certainly doesn't have the spool capacity for a larger fish that makes a run or two. Your first question is "Spinning or casting?" Many saltwater fishermen prefer spinning gear and can't handle baitcasters too well. Which is he? Once you know that, post your question on the saltwater forum and be sure to point out he will be pier fishing. They should be able to help you out.

Can't go wrong with the combo above, but just a suggestion would be a reel with a little line capacity and a bait clicker. Since your dad likes to pier fish and bait fish you might think about a reel like a Abu 6500C. It cast fairly well with the weight of the bait and rigging for this type of fishing. I would recommend a 7' popping type rod in a medium heavy power. Academy would be a good place to check for the rod. They have a H2O house brand that is pretty good and they stand behind it pretty well. As far as the reel, I would shop it online ebay ect. Good Luck.