Hi mate, I have an old stella 8000SW-PG and a monster mesh max rod. You can pick up that reel for about $800 now second hand (or find a retailer with old stock) and the rod is $350 new.
The reel is suited to jigging (the power gear setting) however is still a good option for stickbaiting. I actually have a stella 10,000 spool with casting braid that I use for stickbaiting as it fits on the 8000 reel, and keep the 8000 spool with rainbow braid for jigging.
Overall I'm not sure I'm hugely impressed with the action of the monster mesh but haven't tried a whole lot of others to compare. In terms of grunt it has heaps and is a good option at that price.
You could pickup a similar setup within your budget
reel $800 (in fact there is one for sale on this forum somewhere)
rod $350
spare spool $150
Braid $200
Total $1500
I use the shimano ocea stickbaits which seem pretty good although I have changed out the trebles for doubles and singles on some of them and de-barbed the trebles. You can pickup high end stickbaits such as carpenters or maybe hitters but these are $100 - $300 a pop. The ocea stickies are $40 ea.
It's an exciting way to fish when you get a good day!