What kind of reel and rod should I use.

Question
I have been fishing for a good amount of years now but I have always fished saltwater for blues out in Rhode Island. I am interested in learning how to fish for trout in some local trout ponds but am not sure what kind of reel/rod/bait/fly I should be using. I will probably be fishing from land/boat in some of these ponds. Any help in the direction that I should be looking into for equipment would be a great help.  

Answer
Hello Dan,
 First, allow me to appologize for the slow response. Work took me a way for a week and I was remiss in notifying AllExperts.com of my absence.
 A fly fisherman ! Great...I wish more would ask reguarding fishing the fly.
 I have used many, many different rod/reel combinations for trout on the fly (and money other sportfish as well). I am guessing you probably did not fish the Blues off Rhode Island with the fly and with that, I will jump right in.
 First, understand that most of the rods and reels in flyfishing are designed with a "line" size in mind and typically, work together as a system. The flyline(s) come in a huge variety. They vary in "weight" ranging from 1 to 15. These numbers do NOT represent the strength of the line and but more the diameter. THey are available in multitudes of types such as floating, sinking, sinking tip (with many variations of each available)and a huge variety of colors. I will suggest floating for your first trout flyline.
 In addition to the above features, they are also different "shapes". Level; the line is the same diameter from one end to the other. Double tapered; the line becomes thinner at the ends and weight-forward; thicker on the tip than the butt. I highly recommend a 5 or 6 wight in the double taper as your first line.
 The level line is rarely used any longer but in the hands of an expert caster can provide a VERY delicate presentation of small dryflies. The Double taper is the most popular among better fly anglers because they allow a very delicate presentation and are a bit easier to cast than the level lines and is what I would recommend for most trout fishing. The most popular line is the weight forward taper. These are the easiest to cast with the front 3rd to 1/4 of the line is thicker and heavier and the last 3 to six feet taper down to give you a reasonable shot at lighting a small dry on the water naturally.The average length is 90 ft. and many specialty lines like shooting tapers and mono-tips are also available.
 Cost of the lines vary greatly and can push nearly 100 or more dollars but the average good line costs around 35-40 dollars. I am a bit partial to Scientific Anglers line...high quality at reasonable prices and a large selection. Other manufacturers that are very reputable are Orvis and Cortland. Remember all lines have to be wiped down/ cleaned to ensure their longevity.
 The reel? There are SO many good reels on the marker, just look for a reel designed for a five or six weight line and to start with, try a single action, rim controll reel. (The rim control will help get a feel for fishing the fly and controlling the fish with the reel, line and rod instead of a reel designed to allow a fish to take line off the reel against a drag system). I use fly reels from Scientific Anglers, Loop, Ross, Daiwa, Orvis and a few others as well.
 Onto the reel, you will need to spool some dacron fly line backing of 12 or twenty pound test. THis will allow the flyline to fill the reel nicely and enhance your casting as well as give you a margin of safety if a larger trout is able to "take you into your backing" as he makes a long run.
 On the end of the line...the working end...you will be glueing on a monoloop that will allow you to connect the next item, very easily...the leader.
 Leaders are most commonly used in 6 - 12 ft. lengths and are most often tapered to allow a nice turnover of the tip and a soft landing on the water. The weights of the leaders are sized by a few drunkin fly fishermen and are numbered as follows...( they are also measured in pound-test)...10x thru 1x, with 1x being the heaviest and 10x being the lighter (approx. 1.5lb. test) and 10x being the heaviest.
Remember there is a whole lot to learn about flyfishing, lines, leaders, flies, rods and reels and a bajillion accessories for you to select from.
  
 The rod? I love fast tapered flyrods and would like to suggest an 8.5 or 9 foot rod to start...(Preferably a 2 piece) for long term integrity. I hae fished Fenwick, HMG's, Sage rods fromt he bottom entry rods to the top of the line, Daiwa, G-Loomis, Scott and Powell. They all are goo to exceptional quality and I recommend buy the fast taper graphite rod at the price you can afford.
 Assemble the package and now your nearly ready. What about the flies?
 You will need a good assortment of drys, nymphs, streamers and even some wets. I love Humpies and Royal Coachmen, spinners, midges and so on. I fish nymphs regularly but will always exploit a good hatch of mayflies, mosquitoes and the various stoneflies.
 Select the flies your local shop can suggest for use in the lakes, streams and ponds in your area. He will prove to be a tremendous source of information for you and can localize the techniques. He can also easily inform you of the insects in the waters you fish and help you to have a selection of flies that will enabel you to match the hatch.
 Dont forget to get a few terrestrial designs as well: hoppers, crickets, ants etc. By building a great assortment you will open yourself up to many more opportunities to catch all the trout you can dream of.
 Well Dan, I hope that is a good start for you. Get ahold of a good fly anglers catalog to learn a bit about the different gear and start reading as many books and articles on flyfishing as you can. Just dont fail to get out on the water! The time spent there will give you the BEST education.
  Please feel free to drop me another note if you want to get very , very specific about the nuances of the fly or if you wish to try any other techniques...I'd be happy to ablige with a more rapid response.
          Thanks again- Mark Rimmer- AllExperts.com