My personal preference for gear is a 61/2' to 7' medium action Shakespeare Ugly Stick with a 3000 series spinning reel. Dollar for dollar Shimano is hard to beat.
Ask 5 people to what rod to buy and you'll probably get 20 different answers, go with what you like. I use a 7.5 Medium rod with a fast action...great sensitivity and strong enough to put the stop a good redfish the run.
I'm getting ready to buy a new rod and I've been looking around and was thinking about a medium rod 7'/7.5' for inshore fishing. The rod will be used for trout & redfish using some top water lures and jigs like the gulps, cajun thunder and shrimp.