Re First rod - TSmithwick

Dewey - You could do a lot worse than Bill Warra's 7 1/2'  5 weight for your 
first rod. this is the taper used for the "Grand Experiment". A lot of people 
think it's a great taper, including me. It's a fairly husky 5 weight, which 
is good for a first timer. I would stay away from anything too light until 
you have built a couple rods. You will likely have trouble believing how thin 
the tip strips get.

tip: .072 .092 .108 .124 .140 .158 .170 .184 .196 .210
butt:.210 .220 .230 .240 .250 .280 .306 .325 .325 .325