Craig,
I have no experience with the Catalina, as such, so will not comment on the reel specifically or the rods that you have in mind. It may be perfectly adequate, it may not.
However, I have fished with guys that have tried to catch decent sized GTs with equipment that they thought would do the job, chosen mainly on price. It almost always ends badly.
I'm not saying that the only option is to own a whole wardrobe of Stellas and Carpenters but there is a required minimum standard and that costs a certain amount of money. In my opinion, there is less flexibility in the choice of reels than rods. I've seen good fish caught on averagely priced rods (Brandon gives some excellent alternatives in his Guide to Buying a GT Rod, which you must have read by now) but I don't think I've ever seen a good fish landed on a averagely priced reel.
The attraction of these fish is the sheer aggression when they hit a surface lure and their ability to continue that degree of intensity until they're alongside the boat. Having the right equipment to successfully achieve that without endangering the fish or the fisherman is the goal. Once you've hooked one you'll understand...it's addictive.
Hope this helps a bit.
Regards,
Trevor
