Getting started

I’ve been interested in fly fishing for a while now. What’s a good basic set up that you guys would recommend for a newbie?

What do you want to fish for and where are you fishing?

A 5-wt would be good to learn on, would be suitable for trout and bass. But don’t expect to take any steelhead or medium-large sized ocean gamefish with it. If I remember correctly cabellas has some nice quality house-brand setups that work well and won’t run the bank too bad.

As mentioned first thing is to determine what you will be fishing for. Starting freshwater rods are generally 5 and 6 wt for trout etc. If your more interested in going for stripers you will need something heavier like 7 or 8 wt. Also if you are going to use in salt water spend more for a 'salt water' reel that is more sealed up.

I just started a few years ago and having fun. I went up two weeks ago and drifted the American River for shad. Fished from the yak and would stop and shore fish.

Learn to cast standing from shore rather then trying to learn while in the yak. Also when I was starting i would always bring a spin rod for when I got frustrated or a big tangle in the fly set up.

Good Luck

I would recommend a few in person casting lessons.  I say this mostly because it is easy to pick up bad casting technique and someone else watching you makes it way easier to correct.  It's hard to unlearn bad technique once you get comfortable with it.  Maybe you have a local fly club in your area? 

I'm never in favor of suggesting higher-end gear for beginners - and even mid-range gear gets expensive.  You don't yet know if you're going to like fly-fishing, so get into it as cheaply as you can, then upgrade later.

The Echo Base series of rods are a great option.  I've cast several of them and, at $99, they perform WAY above their price point.  Any reel will do.  If you don't get one with a sealed drag (some of the "sealed drag" reels aren't 100% sealed) you'll simply need to rinse it thoroughly and maintain it carefully, and if you do, they'll last long enough.

In general, spend your cash on the best fly line(s) you can afford, then on a rod that suits you while you learn, and then on the reel, in that order, and you can't go wrong.

Caddis Fly Shop in Eugene, OR has those Echo Base rods on sale for $79 right now.  (I have nothing to do with the shop other than tossing too much money at them every year for fly-tying materials.)