Pinstriper nailed the whole shebang in a single sentence. My experience agrees with what he said, 100%. I am guessing you are fishing for trout, since this is where you posted. If you are just starting out and will be fishing mostly from a boat for trout then I would get at least 1 baitcasting rod and reel, and 1 spinning rod and reel. If you will be fishing mostly from the bank I would go with 2 spinning rods and reels and get a second rod stamp. I fish one with bait and let it sit, while I cast spinners, or jigs, or a fly and bubble with the other. The spinning rods are also more amenable to teaching a youngster to cast and fish on their own. If you will be taking kids out I would start with spinning setups.