Wouldn’t hurt to see if there’s an Orvis store near you and sign up for one of their Fly Fishing 101 classes they run on Saturdays. They’ll cover rod setup, flys and their uses, casting basics, and you get some pretty hefty coupons on purchasing an outfit at the end. Your experience will vary based on the staff, but Orvis really tries hard to keep a decent level of quality / service with their fly folks. Usually will have a certified instructor available or tied to the store.
If you go to purchase anything, their redesigned (all new tapers) Clearwater series that came out this year are fantastic rods for the money, and Orvis has a great warranty program. They just released a new Clearwater cast aluminum cassette reel that’s getting fantastic reviews, and should be all you need for freshwater. They should be offering a big discount on that setup, and they’re typically the best sale you Orvis offers on their gear.
Another inexpensive rod option is a Fenwick Aetos in a 905. It’s a Greys rod, relabeled, and the blanks are rolled in the same factory Hardy produces their stuff. Top notch rod for the money, and will perform as well as many rods running over 500.
If your son likes it, the most important thing to do is buy a quality rod that meets whatever budget you can spend, try not to cheap out on a Cabelas or Bass Pro kit. The cheaper rods will make learning to cast more difficult, and you run the risk of it sitting in a closet, never getting used. There really is a difference when you pick up quality stick. Don’t blow your budget on a fancy reel, or super high end drag, the reel just holds line. A more expensive fly line will paired with a good rod will make things much easier, too. Rio is alright, but they don’t label their lines. Scientific Anglers is what I use most of the time, and they have welded loops on each end, and are labeled. Orvis lines are all made by Scientific Anglers now, so the quality is there, they just have some of their own tapers vs what SA makes.
I’ve learned a lot through mistakes and just lots of reading and research over the past few years after picking up the hobby, and those are some of the biggest take aways I can offer for getting started. It’s a hell of a lot of fun and opened up a different level of enjoyment of fishing for me. Hope this helps.
