sounds ok to me as you will usually find shop owners helpful, but not always, so stay awake and don't get taken advantage of. if i was looking into a good first salt outfit, then i would look into temple fork outfitters, who is a sponsor on this site. they make affordable rods that cast well and they have GREAT customer service. i broke my 9 wt. ticr and sent it back to them and had a brand new rod on my doorstep in a week, all for $25, which is just for shipping. now a reel is where you will want to spend a little more. i have an ll bean orion large arbor that goes for $200. i know it is a lot of money, but definitely worth it. for the salt, you will want a reel with a good drag and good backing capacity. with a 9 wt. you will probably want 30 lb. backing and at least 150 yards of it. good luck and welcome to the addiction!