that's a lot to answer in one go, but I'll try to get you aimed in the right direction. I just hope it won''t look like a Chihuahua trying to eat a fried turkey in one sitting.
You need to ask yourself what kind of fishing are you going to do most - pier fishing, shore fishing or boat fishing?
If it's fishing from a boat - are you going to be fishing backbay, nearshore or offshore?
If it's offshore - are you going to be trolling, surface drift fishing or bottomfishing?
If it's going to be bottomfishing - are you going to be shallow water bottomfishing (0-100 feet), bottomfishing (100-300 feet), or deepdroping (300 feet plus)
Look at it as a decision-tree, making cold hard choices in a logical progression that will get you to the answer(s) you need.
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I'm not trying to be a smartass with my answer - I'm merely trying to explain that there are many ways to spend your time fishing. Perhaps before you spend a lot of money on tackle that you may never use much, ask some of the forum regulars if you can hitch a ride - splitting fuel, bait, ice expenses. Then you can try various types of fishing and see for yourself what type of fishing will fit your temperament and budget best. At that point you can spend a lot of money on tackle, rods, reels like the rest of us have
, buying gear that best fits your style of fishing.
hope this helps,
Catch