go to KMART and get yourself a nice 6-7' heavy duty rod and reel combo
you can get yourself a good Shimano reel and rod for a $100 - $150
stop by the local tackle shop and ask them to pick out a couple of lures to troll or even some live bait
Fishing from the AI takes some practice and you need to simplify your gear and approach. When I started I took everything now I am down to 1 or 2 small tackle boxes. It has also made fish me fish the stuff I have harder
I also find myself zig zagging around to slow myself up so that I am not trolling that fast with the AI. I have also brought the sail in to make it easier in the cockpit. With the sail in half way you can also achieve a better troll speed
When I hook up my plan of attack has been to pull in the sail and work the fish to one side as I keep the boat turning in a fairly big circle
By circling around I have been able to keep the fish in the middle of the circle and also work him to the back of the boat to unhook
So far sailing, fishing and cruising around has been lots of fun