I wanted to purchase a Fly rod and reel to start fishing the ponds and lakes around my house. I will be mainly fishing for blue gill and bass. I would like some advice on what kind of setup and where to get it. I dont mind spending a little money on it, but I am unsure of where to get a good quality setup!

If you're in the Fort Worth area, try to attend the Fort Worth Fly Fishers outing on June 13. That event is designed to help people to get started.

I live about an hour north of Houston!

Hmm... Lots of quality outfits out there, depending on your budget. Depending on the size of bass you plan on throwing for bass, a 4 or 5 wt might suffice. It'll work for gills to, but I'd prefer something in the 2-3 wt range for that.

TFO rods are quite popular here, and can be had in lower budget price range of $250 or less. Personally, I prefer Echo in that range. Here's a link for an Echo Solo Outfit for $140, comes in 4-8wt. http://www.theflyfishers.com/fly-shop-products.asp?id=166. I bought the 5 wt outfit for my buddy last year, and he's been quite happy catching trout and small bass on it.

TFO, Echo, St Croix, Sage, Winston, Orvis etc all make quality stuff with lifetime warranties. Really just depends on how much you want $$ you want to spend, and what casts best for you.. I think Basspro and Cabelas carries TFO rods. I've also have had good experiences ordering from http://www.stillwaterflyshop.com/ for everything else I can't get locally.

This is the type of question that could fill pages of answers.

What I recommend is going to a store (Bass Pro, Cabelas), and casting several different rods. Tell them what you are looking for and they should help you in choosing a good rod brand. There are so many to choose so cast them, and buy what you like and can afford.

If you are wanting a versatile rod that can do several things, stick with a 4-5 weight. The problem is blue gill and bass are two entirely different fights requiring different rod weights. I always suggest to err on the heavier side so you don't find yourself outmatched.

a 4 weight may not be super fun for blue gill but it'll handle mid sized bass, plus you can use it in a trout situation if you ever travel.

Well the lakes that I fish in have bass and bluegill so that is the reason I listed both species. The closest Cabelas or Bass Pro is about 2 hours away. I will try both stores and see what looks good. Its funny because I was at a Estate sale about a month ago and they two 1960 era St. Croix fly rods for sale and no one bought them. I kick myself now for not looking at them more closely.

Cabela's RLS Combo

I've had this setup for over a year and really like it. The reel is great. It's on sale now (is about half of the time).

I have the 4wt 8'6" and use it for bass, bluegill, and trout. It does have trouble throwing anything with much weight or bigger that a size 6, but its not designed for that. A good sized panfish will put a nice bend in it. I have caught bass up to 3 pounds and it handles them well, anything bigger and maybe not so well. Oh and if you go to a Cabela's just ask for the internet price and you will get it.

thank you so much, I really appreciate everyone's input and welcome further input as well!

You could also go to the Orvis store in The Woodlands. They only sell their products but I am hearing RAVE reviews about the Recon.

I wanted to thank Brad for his advice. I went to the Orvis Store in the Woodlands and registered for their Fly Fishing 101 intro class. The class was 2 hours long and I had a blast. We had about 12-14 people in our class and we started out by practicing casting in the parking lot. We went inside after that and was introduced to the art of tying knots. Jerry and Jose did a great job and made everyone feel right at home. I ended up buying a nice 5 Wt. rod and have really enjoyed it so far. Thanks to Jose and Jerry for taking time out of their day to do this. If anyone is interested in getting into Fly Fishing I urge you to go into the Orvis Store in the Woodlands and talk to Jose. Great people and great experience!