Hi Matt
Its quite a subjective question as it depends what you like in a rod.
Personally if i were building another 9ft 5 wt for the river i would use a Winston B11x blank again
They are just so sweet. However if you can pick up a Sage SLT 9ft 5wt blank/kit (
http://www.guidesnblanks.com/product.php?product_id=305 Just ask for 9ft blank instead of the 8ft 6" no change in price) for a decent price then it should be well in budget as it is now a discontinued product (but still fantastic)
Then you would get an awesome rod for the budget (you may pick up a factory one for the price in question if you look around)
I would also suggest you have a try of the Barrio 4wt or 3 wt
I don't care if i make them, or had a big hand in creating them, they are really sweet and were designed for use on the Don.
And they are really good value
I have 4 weeks till i go overseas now, and if i get the time i will try to make some rods before i go, otherwise they will be available from Mike as kits.
I have made a full set of instructions (illustrated) to go with the kits and there should be epoxy kits too (all you will need is some araldite) Give building your own a go, it will save you a lot of cash and be very rewarding as quite a few people on the site will testify
As Rob say lines can have a dramatic effect on the way a rod works and how it feels to you, but if you have a favorite line then take it with you to try on the rods you are looking at. The Barrio rods were made to suit Barrio Lines, and it works
Greys are well worth a look, the X-flites are really nice for factory rods and good value, Guideline LPXE is probably the best off the shelf rod in the price range IMHO, Hardy Demon a close second, but everyone has preferences. I love the river
Sandy