With the right rod and line there is no repetitive whipping back and forth. 90%85% of the time I use a single stroke.

I tend to fish for steelhead with a spinning rod and salmon with the fly rod. For salmon I use a 9wt sage. Not the most challenging but I have had many pull me down to my backing. I am far from knowing much about fly fishing but casting and controlling the fish are things to look at. They are controlled by where you are fishing.

I would get the best trout rod you can buy and practice on them. If you like it and would like to go after steelhead I would a heavier weight rod. It will make landing them easier.

Jerry Jr.

I would not start with a bamboo rod. Of the rods I have, I like the St Croix IV the most. I build it many years ago and fish with it probably about 75% of the time I fish. My Sage is pretty close, but I think they are overpriced.

Some great advice has been given already. When I started out I went with a 5 wt for WV trout. I used to make several trips to the Erie tribs every year. Used mostly a 7 wt up there with a large arbor reel. For the money keep your eyes open for a Cabelas Three forks rod they can be had very reasonable. I own one in 7wt and 1 in 10 wt both aren’t bad, but are used for economical backup rods or loaner rods for the newbies on the trip that want to try out the fly rod. I went to Alaska two years ago for Salmon and fell in love with the Echo Ion XL in a 9 wt it took everything the salmon had to offer. On the same trip I broke an Orvis Clearwater 9 wt after 3 fish and probably 75 casts. I am returning to Alaska this summer and I purchased another Ion XL in 10 wt to go with my 9 wt.
I had a buddy fish nothing but a 5 wt in the Erie tribs. He lost a lot of fish due to not having enough backbone especially on the fresh ones.

I typically trout fish western PA once a year as part of trip to see friends. Much of the water reminds of some of the smaller tight quarters I fish here at times. My normal trout rods are 3, 4 and 5wts. My 4wt is just under 8 foot and gets the most use; it's a good choice for what I picture you might encounter. My 5wt is a nine & half footer and more useful in open places. Recall some wide open water around oil city that lets such a rod shine. Not that you can't learn to use that much rod in tight quarters it'll just be more of a challenge. And generally I find a 5wt to be lacking when fishing steelhead (at least in these parts where we fight lots of woody debris).

I'll repeat some of what others said--don't pour alot of money into rods and reels until you have fished long enough to know what you like, how you fish, what action type matches up best, etc.

for smaller trout streams, I use a 7'6" 4 wt
larger trout streams - a 9' 6 wt

for bass i have a 8'6" 7 wt

for anything bigger, 9' 8 wt

most of it sits in the garage most of the time

the 4 wt gets the most workout, b/c I enjoy dry flies on small brookie streams the most.
the 6 wt gets out a few time here and there when i get to go to a bigger trout river

I haven't touched the other two in years

Again Thank You All, some great info here. So is it possible to get a decent complete outfit for a beginner for around $100.00 or would that be cheap junk. I feel this is something I will stick with because Trout fishing is a passion that I truly enjoy. I will be learning on lakes, ponds, and larger streams but most local trout streams are fairly small.Now thinking 5wt 8'.

take a look at Cabelas and Redington combos in the 100 to 125 range, or a st croix if you can find one in that price range

I found some complete outfits at Bass Pro here and bought a white river 3 wt that is really good for the small stuff. I always had off brand rods from Walmart and decided to buy a good rod a while back. I looked at new ones but couldn't make myself spend the money and decided to look on ebay. I found an excellent Sage 5 wt and only paid $180.00 for rod that was $700 new. The cheap kits are not always junk- see if you check out the rods for the action. It's not a bass rod so the action is closer to a piece of spaghetti compared to a walleye or bass rod. I have used my 5 wt for all kinds of fish. There are more types and styles of line available for the 5 wt than the smaller rods plus you can typically cast further with the 5 wt than a 3 wt. That can help with spooky fish. The biggest thing I caught so far was an 18' brown. I don't have big water so that's probably the biggest thing I will ever get around here. Large arbor reels are nice. Blue gills are great fun on flies. Here's a couple pictures of my 5 wt Sage.

Spend the money on the rod and a GOOD LINE-save the money on the reel. And learn to tie your on leaders(they cast alot better than the knotless ones)

I tie my own flies, but the are websites where you can find some for around 50 cents a piece which would be the way I would go when srating out.

What are some of the streams you fish in west PA. I fish many of them in the NW, NC, and some in SW and SC.

When you get into the steelhead the drag on the reel gets real important. I suggest cruising the fly shops around Erie tribs and talk with those folks. Buy some "basic" flies there too.

Amen on the drag. I have flyfished for trout for over 20 years in WV and have only put a handful of fish on the reel where drag was needed, but up in the tribs you learn to get them on the reel fast and learn to appreciate a quality drag.

Look into thrift stores, pawn shops and flea markets. Some of the best fly rods are 40+-yo now an many never got used past the first two times.

Read up on fly line mechanics, what makes it all work. The line may be the single most important factor in your system.
There is not a fly rod made that won't cast a line far enough to catch good fish. My favorite bass rod came from a barrel in a big discount store 40 odd years ago for less than $10. Fiberglass 8' 9wt. The graphite Orvis 9' 5wt only got sweet for me after I used a 7wt line on it. Another rod rated for 6wt likes 5wt line better.
Your height+arm length+dexterity will cause your casting stroke to be a bit different than any one else and this means any rod will act differently in your hands than in mine.
The half or 60% of the cost of the famous brands goes into the guarantee fund to fix or replace forever. Say you are a manufacturer producing a product that can retail for for $50 but by adding in a lifetime or forever guarantee you can sell more at a higher price, you may find that the guarantee will cause customers to buy your product for $150-$300. Rod makers understand this.

Just a side thought on reels---I started chasing tiny brookies in tiny water where reels were not much more than something to hold the line when it wasnt in use. But when I started spending the nights seeking big browns learned that you had better master the use of a reel and making myself use the reel was somewhat of a challenge after having spent years not doing so. If you are chasing ordinary stream trout at first, I wouldnt worry about spending much for a reel as I think most any, even those in the starter packages, will work for you BUT I would learn how to get a fish on the reel and then use it even if it isnt needed for smaller fish. If you move to chasing big fish and steelies you will probably find yourself wanting specific reel/drag system to get the job done but you will at least know how to use it.

And you never know when you will hit a big fish in small water and wish you had some experience with the reel. I remember a 24" PA brown in a big pool below an old trestle that took me all the way into the backing.

A cheap fly rod will frustrate you. Get a decent one to learn with. It's not difficult to learn a couple of casts that work about all the time in small streams. I have the same weight/length rods Shawneeman has. Really like the three in small streams.

I've caught a bunch of Steelhead in Ohio's Rocky River with a 6wt Orvis. Never felt a need for anything bigger.

I have caught a couple hundred or so steelhead. The only drag I use is my palm on the spool.
If you want practice fighting really big fish, you need to find somewhere to catch carp. They are very wary and tough to get to take a fly, but they will often take you into you backing.
The only reel I ever burned up was when a carp took off and got into a long riffle in a river.

I started my sons with 8'6" or 9' 6wts.

Do you fish Big Sandy or Little Sandy? Think those are the two they take me to most of the time when I'm there

Been there yet Marty?