I am all in on Ugly stiks. I have a couple different lengths -- the older ones (are 25+ years old) and a little heavier which is great for salmon. I have the lighter 9' rods which aren't going to break with a salmon but it is a little more exciting. 2 have Okuma cold water, 2 have Okuma 30D (heavier rods), and I have these old shimano reels on another set.
For fun I have 30 year old Ugly Stik Tiger Stick with a big Shimano real and lead core that runs off the back and catches the most fish.
I have been looking at the white combo walleye rods... for $125 they come with a counter and seem great for Erie.. a little light for a bigger salmon. But I am going to have to avoid the rod fetish this year and focus on getting a planer board set up to run off my hard top.
My dad always tried other rods but for the price and given I broke all the other rods (he broke a few too)... the Ugly Stik wins every time. Also really like the Okuma reels -- i know not everyone does and yes, the counters on the cold waters must be watched as they stop working some times.
The oldest ugly stick I have is a medium action spinning rod with a shakespeare reel that lived on the bottom for a year in Lac Des Miles Lac after my dad dropped it in. My grandfather caught it a year later. It is ~33/35 years old.