Good morning Sam the Bass Man
I'm fairly new to fishing but have done a bit in Portugal ( going there myself in May), so I'll try to help.
Bottom fishing is reasonable if you get a decent skipper, cost around 45 for 4 hours. There is also game fishing available, but this is more expensive.
Shore fishing is mixed, some clean and a lot of rocky. By observation the locals seem to stick to the rocky ground, so that's where I tend to go.
The west coast just round the corner from St Vincente is good but usually has a strong on-shore breeze, so no good for travelling gear.
At the moment we don't have a base in Portugal, so as I am carrying my gear each time we go, I am fishing light. That's like Miller Lite but even more relaxing.
I looked at the Exage but on the recommendation of Roger at Veals, went for a Shimono Beastmaster spinning travelling rod, with a Okuma Eclipz reel. Fladden and Shimono Exage do cheaper models which seem to get good reports, and I understand there are some good telescopic rods around.
Now for the good bit. At the moment I am spinning and next trip intend to experiment with floats. On my last trip in March I was fishing from Praia da Luz, just west of Lagos. Strong on-shore winds prevented me from fishing until the last two days. I only caught one fish Kevin, but it was my PB, a 3lb bass. I was fishing from rocks using a Rapala J13.
I hope this has been of help, but please come back or send me a PM if I can be of more help.
Fred