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2 rods is plenty to start with. I'd recommend one bait casting setup for bass and shallow rockfish, and 1 conventional for bigger stuff and deep water rockfish. Load both with braid and adjust the top shot/leader dependin on what you're doing that day.
As to the specifics, a lot will come down to personal preference, but as you mentioned you get what you pay for.
Reels: Daiwa Lexa is really tough to beat for the bait caster. Awesome reel for a pretty good price. For the conventional reel I'd recommend the Daiwa sealine series. Not as pretty and shiny as some stuff, but it's got plenty of guts at a good price. There are plenty of options, these are just a couple examples.
Rods: personally I fish everything 8' and longer but I also do a lot of fishing off private boats and like the length for getting around the outboards. I'm so used to 8'ers that anything shorter just feels awkward. I'd say something in the 12-25 or 10-20 range for the bait caster and 20-40 for the conventional. Tons of options. Spend some time at a tackle shop and pull on some to feel the differences.
Those 2 very versatile setups. You can use the lighter one to catch bait too once you start targeting big stuff.
I know this is pretty vague, but it's a big question that I could go on forever about. Hopefully it helps some.
I fish up your way quite a bit, hit me up if you want to fish. I've got extra yaks too until you get one.
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