Just learning for trout myself but I would guess a 6wt rod, match your leader to the conditions, (snags or lack thereof)and to save leaders while you learn how not to put a knot in them, a matched tippet. Maybe popping bugs and a sinking fly or two. once you get the hang of casting maybe go with a dropper rig, off your popper or a bright high floating attractor fly of some sort with a dropper. Perhaps a green weinie. Heard tell that Clouser flies do well for the biggins but you might want to switch to a sinking line for those. Like I said just learning myself, that's the best I can give ya. Good luck!
I've probably caught more trees than fish with a fly rod so I'm no expert. At least on catching fish, but any low end fly rod will work including the cheap flies they sell at Wally Mart as a last resort. I'm big into supporting my local bait shops rather than corp giants as they usually have fishing nuts there for advice. Also if you do a search at UTube under: beginning fly fishing, they have a few good starter videos. My only advice is find a really big area with no banks or bushes behind you. Biggest mistake I made was not letting the line straighten out behind me before I cast forward. Carp are a BLAST on fly rods. Huge thing in Europe and catching on here. Good Luck!
I agree with all the above input, except for one thing. If bluegills is what your after, I would think a 6wt would be a bit overkill. That rod would work great for bass or carp, but gills around these parts rarely go much over a pound, and a 3wt or even a 2 wt handle them perfectly. As for flies, most any fly will catch gills, however I seem to have the most luck with the "spider" types with the rubber legs. Their especially good to learn on, because of the weight they are.
I would agree with the last post that a lighter weight rod would be better suited to gills (like a 3 wt). But if you want to stay versatile, go with a 5-6wt. This is a perfect (IMHO) size to be able to go from gills, to trout, to bass. My first rod was a 5wt (8 ft.) and I think it may be more forgiving for learning how to cast---I just got a 3 wt (6 ft) this winter and am itchin to try it out. I mostly fish a small stream with lots of trees and such with smaller fish, so I wanted a smaller rod and lighter weight to give me more action. When I head to the lake---or bass pond, I will take my larger rod. hope this helps--
Opinions vary based on personal preference. When I started out, it was suggested to me that a good all around rod to start off with is a 5 or 6 wt that is 8'6" to 9' long. I would tend to lean toward the 6wt if you plan on casting some of the bigger bass bugs as well. It's easier to throw a smaller fly with a heavier rod that a bigger fly with a lighter rod.
Look for a local fly-fishing shop. Most of those have rods you can try out. The action of the rod is more important for a beginer than for an experienced angler. A good fly shop will let you try out a medium, a medium-fast and a fast action rod. Once yhou find the action that is easiest for you to use, you can buy a rod that duplicates it. Just remember, one model's medium-fast might be anothers fast and yet anothers medium. You have to try out the rod to be sure it fits you.
I suggest a 5-7 wt size but be sure to start with a weight forward floating line. It is easiest for beginners to learn with. I generally use 4-6 lb tapered leaders and 2-6 lb tippits, depends on the target fish. Start with floating bugs, they're the most fun.
i would say a good setup for gills would be a 4wt rod with a 5 wt fly line! there are alot of other fish that well be around the blue gills so if you get one of those other fish you want to be able to pull them in!
