Newbie needs some help deciding on a setup

[Greg V]

Hey everyone- newbie to the forum and to fly fishing in general. I'm looking for some help choosing a rod and reel setup.


I live in Westchester county, but plan on using this setup mostly in the Catskills. My family has a place in Grahamsville, so I'm within a short drive of the Willowemoc, Beaverkill, and Neversink rivers- looking to fish mostly "medium" waters with this setup since I already have a smaller 4wt for tighter spots. I'll be casting both dry flys and nymphs, so I'm hoping to get a rod that will be good for both applications for a beginner. I'm also not quite ready to go searching for a monster fish either- just trying to learn to cast, how to read the stream and how to pick my flys.

My questions are:
I'm thinking I need a 5wt rod- do I go 8'6" or 9"? Does it matter?

Looking to spend in the neighborhood of $250-$300 for the rod and $100-$150 for the reel- any recommendations on something that would be easy for a beginner to learn on would be great.

Also, I've casted some slower action rods, and had difficulty with them- assuming I should be looking for something with faster action.

Any other advice would be welcomed- thanks!