I don't know how long of a rod he can cast but if he can Cabelas sells the Cahill series rods for 29.99 and the Three Forks series for 49.99. I don't know about the Cahill rods but my first rod was a Three Forks rod that my dad bought for me and it is a exellent buy for the money.

Hope that helps
Marko

Edit: willisjj
I just looked at the Three Forks combos at Cabelas.com and they now come with a Medalists 1494 or 1495 depending on the length of the rod, and they also come with 150 yards of backing and a leader. I know they also use to come with a free beginners dvd, I don't know if that option is still available might want to look into it.

[This message has been edited by xisintheend (edited 02 October 2005).]