I bought the father in law a 8kg t-curve for xmas last year.......it's paired up to a curado (older 200b).......it's a top little setup....i have a couple of gl2's and the t-curve is a fair comparison for that price point......it has better guides than the loomis also......the only thing i don't really like about it as the reel seat nut is attached to the fore grip so the whole lot screws down to secure the reel......it's proberbly not an issue but i had a Daiwa heartland with the same set up a few years ago and the whole fore grip cracked in half and broke away leaving a half decent rod un-usable.
The t-curve has handled barra up to around 90-95cm no worries on the troll so it can handle a decent hit for sure.
I can't remeber the exact model but from memory it's around 5'8'' and definatly 8kg....I bought it from Ronald at fishing and outdoor world he has a good range in there.
You may want to check out the Live fiber gear aswell their newer baitcaster range is pretty impresive and i would compare it to the shimano on quality and dollar value also.
Dan