Looking for some good recommendations on a high quality Rod and Reel Combo/Line strength for long casting slabs/sassy shads and deadsticking for Hybrids/Stripers. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Year-round other than deadsticking: 6 foot medium action rod. St. Croix or Temple Fork Outfitters model FWC 604-1 are high quality and I love them both.
Use a decent bait caster reel spooled with 14 pound mono (I like green Trilene smooth casting) for general hybrid/sand bass fishing. Anything smaller than 14 pound test may get you more bites but will cost in many more lost lures.

Deadsticking- 6 foot 6 inches medium to medium heavy rod. I personally don't like braid but it is best in setting the hook. Braid because you are fishing 25 to 45 feet deep and you want less line stretch during the hook-set. The downside to braid is that braid takes longer to untangle mess-ups and it cost more to replace. I keep my spool at the full level at all times on all my rods.

Academy's H20 brands have produced good results for a number of years with a lot of wear and tear. We fish year round, three and four times a week using the 6'10" H20 mini not {micrp} eye pole and the H20 bait caster. Medium fast rod with the reel @ $125.00. Academy has the break and return policy, no questions asked, provided you are exchanging with out a receipt.

For that type fishing, those H20 Rods at Academy are hard to beat. No need to spend what you don't have to. I have several, including some of the inshore versions and they have held up well to weekly use. I also like the TFO rods and Falcon rods, and have had excellent luck with those. I use nearly all Lews BB2 Reels with a few Diawa's and a few ABU's in the mix. The Lews are my favorite. All good reels though. I run 30lb braid on some, 15lb mono on some and 20 lb mono on others.

I have been fishing for stripers for 35 or 40 years. Caught up to 20# and have never spent more than $40 for a rod. Never broke one trying to land a fish. Broke several by stepping on them or slamming the lid of the trunk on on a few. Lighting rods are what I like best. My grandsons will argue with me, but that is what I think. I have one Lew's super duty baitcasting reel and love it. I have some ABU reels that are not quit as good, but worked for a long time. I use 6500 and 5500 reels to troll with. Deadsticking or bait fishing I use 30# braid with a 4-6' 17# mono leader. I used to fish a lot with a guide on Texoma that used cheap rods and reels and 20# Andre mono for everything. (trolling, down rigging, casting, and live bait). We always caught fish. That was back when flashers where the depth finders. If I had to start over I would use all spinning tackle with braid line. Just my opinion and you can take that to the bar and with $4.50 buy a beer. LOL

I have 4 Black Max reels on Cabela's 17 pound medium rods. I let friends and family use them when I take them fishing. All around good setup for any kind of fishing. I have 2 Silver Max reels on same rods for jigging. I use any of the above for live bait fishing too. My favorite setup for casting, jigging or any other kind of fishing is Lew's speed spools. They rank from 5 bearings to 11 bearings I believe. I have a combo from Cabela's that was 70 bucks with a 6.5' medium light rod rated 2nd and My all time favorite is the Lew's with a 7 bearing system ($60) on a 7" Ugly Stick ($40) rated at 17# to 20#'s. That is a 100 bucks. Plenty to spend on a rod and reel. I can't pay 2 or 3 hundred for a reel. They are very smooth, fairly heavy duty for hybrids and decent striper. I use 20 or 30 pound power pro line only. I have hauled in one 20 pound striper and bunches of hybrid from 3 to 12 pounds. I outcast every body that goes fishing with me. I can cast light weight lures for sandies too. I am no expert so I fish for fun. Have used a lot of different rods and reels. Lew's has a great reel to offer. Even the cheap ones work good. I like the cork handle Ugly Stick because I have large hands. The bigger handle feels nice to me. I have fished with guides a lot and have had the pleasure to try out many different brands. So here is some FYI for you fellow fisherman. What feels right and works good for me may not be the best for you. Different strokes for different folks. So I pass my knowledge to you.

I like a 6'10-7' Medium fast action rod. Sometimes I'll use a MH if I'm throwing heavy sassy heads for better control. I like Falcon rods mainly but they'll all pretty much do I'm sure. Braid for most (I like braid, usually use a 5' mono leader), mono for topwaters. I like Shimano Citia 200E's. May try the new ones soon. I use a Duckett 6'9 M quiet a bit too. I really like that rod.

I have about a dozen ugly stick rods of different lengths and actions. I think they are great for the price. The most expensive one is only about $49. I team them up with Tekota 300 lc and tekota 500lc reels and also Penn Clash 3000 and 4000 reels. Since these reels can double as my striper rods to fish any method and the line counter reels give me repeatable depth control, they also double as my salt water reels for bull reds and trout. I like 20-30 lb power pro or 832 braid. I feel that I saved money buy using reasonably priced rods and put the money into higher priced reels that can be used fresh or salt . Hey all I can say is my wife went for it!

I'm another advocate of the Lightning Rods for the budget concious fisherman chasing whites/hybrid/striper. Good rods for the money and durable. I run spinning stuff and have always had good luck with anything Shimano at or above the Sedona series price point.

Academy has some very nice Lew's combos that will fit your needs nicely. Availability might be an issue right now as the new 2017 models have not been released yet. If you are not in a huge rush waiting might be a good play here.