Hey Rob,
Welcome to FAOL. There?s a lot of helpful info here to help get you started in both fly fishing AND fly tying. Since you?re new to this craziness you might find links on the main page of FAOL helpful:
Fly Fishing Basics, has a ton of info on rods, reels, lines etc and
Fly Tying has links to an excellent series of flies for beginners with detailed step by step photos and instructions as well as helpful info on getting started with tools and materials.
Feel free to post any questions as they come up. Lot?s of knowledgeable folks here that are very generous with their advice.
As far as the site you linked to, I?ve never heard of them, but I checked out the site and it looks like they are decent? but ??. it also looks like they?re in ALASKA!
If you decide to go the mail order/online route, I?d recommend checking out some of the FAOL sponsors. I?ve personally dealt with Hook and Hackle and have found them to have excellent prices, very good customer service and they?re very helpful folks with experience helping new comers to the sport get started. (BTW, I don?t have any affiliation with them other than being a satisfied customer.)
JRA made some good suggestions as far as getting casting lessons. I haven?t dealt with them but Google lists a couple of shops in your area:
http://www.amarbleheadflyfisher.com/Flyshop.htm in Wilmington, DE and http://www.quiettimesflyshop.com/ in Lancaster, PA
BTW, Mason that runs the fly shop in Salisbury, MD that JRA mentioned has an excellent reputation
Another thing to consider is checking out some local organizations like the Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited at http://www.geocities.com/delawaretu/
and Saltwater Fly Anglers of Delaware http://www.sfaod.com/ .These groups usually have fly casting sessions, group outings where you can learn a lot, and tying classes as well as monthly meetings. It will really cut time off the learning curve. If you decide to check out the Delaware Saltwater club, I know one of the guys down there so let me know.
As far as a rod/reel outfit goes, there?s good news and bad news. The bad news?. you?ll probably want two, one for freshwater and one for salt. The good news, is that you have lot?s of options for relatively inexpensive, but very good gear to get started. A 9 foot 5 weight rod and matching reel would be a good choice for PA trout streams, panfish and occasional freshwater bass fishing. But would be too light for throwing bigger saltwater flies in the wind for stripers.
A 9 foot 9 wt rod and reel would probably be the best all around choice for stripers blues, sea trout etc., but would be overkill for trout and panfish (but would be great for small tarpon, redfish, snook, bones, permit in Florida, and large LM Bass, pike, steelhead, salmon). I?d probably get the saltwater one first, since fishing should be picking up for the fall run of Striped Bass which should be happening now through October and November, and perhaps getting the freshwater for spring trout season, if Santa doesn?t drop one off in December.
If you want some make/model suggestions, let us know what you?ll be fishing for in fresh and salt water (and if you?re going to be fishing from shore or boat in salt) and your price range and I?m sure you?ll get a lot of recommendations. It would also be helpful to know whether you plan on taking it on airplanes or not (if so, you?d probably want 4 piece rods instead of 2 piece) For the most responses, post on the main FAOL forum, since fresh water folks may not pop into the saltwater forum. And for advice/questions getting started on tying, there?s some really great folks on the Fly Tying Forum.
Glad you joined the family! Welcome aboard.
peregrines
I myself started fly fishing in June . I started fresh fly fishing first then I began to learn tying my own flies . Of course like any sickness it only got worse . Last month I purchased a 9 wt fly rod and have also started tying my own salt flies. I think its terminal!