fly fishing rod

There are a lot of pack fly rods or spin/fly combinations out there…Generally the more sections the poorer they cast unless you through lots of rectangular pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents at them.
The reel,line, and rod should be matched,most rods have the line weight printed on them.
Since you are just starting you can teach yourself to cast but a half an hour with someone who’s adept will put you way ahead.
If you are just fishing streams you can get away with a much shorter rod length then if you are fishing rivers and lakes,it is an absolute gas to catch a fish on really light weight gear.
If you are mostly fishing high lakes both wind and brush will be your enemy,serious high lake fishermen carry float tubes so they can get away from shore but…it can be down by roll casting and/or bow and arrow casting,any serious fly fishermen have just fainted.
I don’t carry a packrod, I carry a 2 piece rod and built an ultralight tube out of a fluorescent lamp shield, you need a length of shield,they typically come in 4’or8′ lengths,2 ends, and 2 plastic film can snap covers. Cut it a little longer then the broken down rod and silicone the 2 film can lids into the ends. This gives your rod enough protection… a standard rod will always cast better then a pack rod at a much greater discount in cost. Any electrical supply house has the shield or if you know anyone who works in food processing there are always some laying around.
There are lightweight waders that you can wear with sandals,wading shoes[felt bottoms], or tennies but I just bite the bullet and wade on out a bit, stuff only can get so numb anyway…