I still consider myself a beginner at fly fishing, realizing I really need to master casting and delivery before I can expect to convince a real fish that my fly is close enough to a real one that he ought to eat it.

I would have to say that I think the most important part of a basic fly fishing setup is the rod.  I’m sure the reel plays a larger part down the road, but the rod is really the critical piece in casting, getting good action on the delivery and having a realistic retrieval.

That said, for a beginner, getting a combo kit is probably the best way to go as you’ll get a rod and reel that are matched for each other.  My only advice is to pay for quality here, avoid cheap rods if you can. Investing in a great Sage or Orvis rod will really pay off.

Here are a few fly fishing rod/reel combos that are offered at a great price through Amazon:

Twitter Talk on Fly rod combo