I learned on the okuma aventa combo and it was fine. The clicker does suck though.. i would keep a hair tie on the rod and hook it to the reel handle when not fishing so you dont get a mess of line coming off the reel.
Also for ease of mobility and quick rigging i recommend a 2 piece rod.. Riversider makes a nice 13' and shimano has the 12'6" convergence which is what i use both on local creeks and upstate for steel.
The main difference between the starter reels and the expensive ones is the startup (how easily they start spinning) sometimes the cheaper reels need a tug on the line to get spinning good in slower water (shouldnt be a issue on the salmon river).
If you want top of the line go kingpin, milner, riverkeeper, canada reels, or paine falls if you can find one for sale. Otherwise for a starter id go okuma or raven. Riversider also makes a starter pin. Check out float fishing central on facebook you can usually find whatever you want for sale on there
