My First Fly Rod

I was inspired to line up my first ever fly rod today. A question was posted on one of the fly fishing forums about tackle recommendations for someone interested in learning to fly fish. I recommended a $20 5wt rod and reel from the flea market and a fly casting book. Learn to cast first and invested in better tackle when you know how to use it. The pros recommended the very best tackle the local fly shop had to offer. I decided to test my flea market recommendation by stringing up my fist fly rod. I bought the rod from my Dad's hardware supplier in the spring of 1981. It's a 7wt LA Garcia 2638-A fiberglass "dry fly action" rod. I didn't have a 7wt line so I used an 8wt bass taper. I cast the rod for about an hour in the front yard with a non stop 10mph cross wind. I found the sweet spot somewhere between 50ft and 70ft of line. The rod is definitely heavy for an hour of non stop casting, but it was actually a lot more fun to cast than my 8wt graphite. That old Garcia might bring $10 at the flea market or $20 with an old reel and line. I wouldn't recommend a 7wt rod to learn with, but that's exactly what I did.