Still poaching. The term here in CA is "Take" which by def. is to harass, harm...or attempt to...Just by wetting a line with terminal tackle it is Take. That is why they can write you a ticket for fishing even if you don't have fish in possession. I can assure you that in most states the fact that you were fishing barbless would get you nowhere with a Game Warden. Also just because you use barbless flies doesn't mean you haven't harmed the fish. There is a certian amount of mortality associated with catch and release. It's called hooking mortality. In waters with mandated C&R and barbless regs it is assumed approximalty 2-5% hooking mortality for Rainbow Trout. Obviously higher for some species and lower for others.

As to the OP check bass pro shops or Cabela's for a nice medium weight 3-4 peice 7 foot travel rod and a 2000 series reel. Their house brands can be very nice for the price. Something in the IM6 range should be affordable and give decent performance for a travel rod. If your mostly going for bass you probably just need some bullet weights, darter heads, a couple different sizes of hooks, a few different colors of plastic worms (Aarons magic and margarita mutilator are my go to's) and of course some Senko's.