I bought a nice one for under $30.00 at walmart and caught alot of trout the following day.

There are many good outfits made in emerging markets now. Many stores will give you across the counter guarantees on breakage, or a convenient warrantee against mfg failure. Make sure it is a medium to preferably, a medium fast action. They are the best of all worlds..the most responding without continuing to flex when you stop the rod, to the forgiveness of preventing your tippet from breaking during the fight. An 8.5 to a 9 fter is fine, and in a 5wt as you stated. I have problems with reels. A click drag reel is my preferred reel, but the industry has moved to all disc drag reels. Some drag settings do not remain set, the nob is easily moved. But the key move in most hook setting situations is to begin retrieving line by stripping, not by using the reel, so that isn't a major problem. Anyway, I expect to pay around $100 for a decent rod/reel/line outfit. Cortland makes a kit that is exceptional...good on all counts, and they give you their best flyline in a kit that costs around $100

That Cortland outfit? I worked for a large sporting goods store part time, and taught their fly fishing schools. I musta sold a 100 of those Cortland packaged outfits. I was really sold on them. Cortland bought out and own the STH reel co. They put in their $79 STH reel. They put in the $45 444 fly line, and a good 9' 5wt graphite fly rod for less than $100. We had them on sale for $89, and I couldn't put them in students hands fast enough. I think they now retail for $99