I want to first say that I am in no way an expert fly fishermen, but what I do know is that I am a product of my experiences with fishermen that have decades of fly fishing under their wading belts.  With that said, lets get started talking about equipment and what exactly you will need to get started as a fly fisherman.  Obviously, you will need your state's fishing licence with a trout stamp otherwise anything I suggest to you will do nothing but get you a fine if you fish illegally.
The next thing you will need to figure out is the proper rod and reel that you will need to get started.  I typically fish smaller streams or rivers and the trout that I tend to hook into aren't monsters at all.  With this said, I like to suggest a 5/6 rod and reel set up for any of you beginners out there.  A helpful hint would be not to spend as much initially on a rod and reel setup because you can upgrade later and honestly, you can catch a trout on a $50 setup just as easily as you could a $800 one.  Just keep an eyes open at your local Bass Pro, Cabelas, or Dicks for a great deal on a 5/6 combo if you aren't going to be fishing big waters full of what I would call pigs or huge trout.  So many people think that an expensive rod makes a better fisherman, but I have buddies that can out catch anyone with a basic rod a reel setup.  Believe me when I tell you that while you are learning, you will not want to have an expensive set up.  There are so many things you need to learn before a high dollar rod will make a difference.
For today's blog, I just want you to make sure that you get a rod that matches the water that you are fishing and that the line that you have on your reel matches your rod weight.  Example: 5/6 rod needs a 5 or 6 weight line and to begin with you will want a weight forward line to help you with casting.  We will get into that topic at a later time because the cast is overrated anyway.  So for now, go out and get a rod and come back and read my next blog which will talk about rod set up and also tackle the question to wade or not to wade.  Stay tuned!