Re: Looking for recommendations

One more thought on 'which rod.' Poppy makes a good point about the 14' 9wt being the '30.06' for spey rods vis a vis length/line weight. That said! DON'T get a longer/higher line weight rod as your 'first out of the box.'

For 'newbie's' bigger IS NOT better.

For 'teaching purposes' I'll rarily hand anyone more than a 7wt from 12.5 to 13.5 foot in lenght. Getting timing, etc., down is far easier on a lighter/shorter rod. Longer/heavier rods tend to reinforce (imho) bad casting habits.
Fred
Fred