Just go back into fly fishing full time and have purchased lots of new gear from these guys!

http://www.maxcatchfishing.com

Yes it's from China, but most stuff is! Very good prices, and great quality! The fly line is great, don't let the price scare ya! $ 50 reels are top shelf and the rods ($ 100), great! I own 11'6" 4 weight switch, 10' 3 weight nymph, 10' 4 weight nymph, and four 9' 5weight! The only draw back is ship time. 5 weeks to get gear.

I know I'm late to the convo, but thought I'd throw in my 2 cents in the event you hadn't already taken the plunge!

Depends on how much you want to get into the sport, the species you want to target, etc...but, I'll say that you'll be hard pressed to beat a good 6wt rod. I have just about everything from a 4wt up to 9wt varying from single hand, switch, to spey (2 hander) and they all have their strengths and weaknesses depending on what you're trying to do.

I'll be honest though, I have a boat rod from cabela's (5wt) that I've kept through the years and has caught thousands of fish and it does the job! The more you get into the sport the more you will appreciate different actions and features and I feel like that is dependent on the individual. Myself...I like Medium Fast action, more forgiving, and feels best in my hands, but I have plenty of friends that swear by fast action. To each his own.

My personal weapon of choice in a single hand is the LOOP S1 Cross Flatsman 6wt 9' 4 piece. Turns over flies and rigs effortlessly and is dadgum sexy AF! I've caught carp/trout/salmon/bass/etc on it and it is hard to beat. If you don't wanna spend $900 on a rod to start off with though, I really like the LOOP Q series for the money. Of course, there are other manufacturers that have great stuff, but I would stick to a brand with a well known and good reputation. I could recommend Sierra Trading Post for picking up good deals. Be sure to sign up for their weekly/daily letter as they often do 25% off already discounted stuff. Most of the time they sale reputable and quality stuff and you can get reels, rods, line, tippet, leaders, etc there. I've yet to see backing on there though. But. *shrugs* Lemme know if you have any questions and I'm more than happy to give you the skinny on whatever I can.