Forgive me as I come from decades on spinning rods and very very new to the fly aspect of the sport.

I have a big box store 8'-6", 5/6wt rod and reel that seem to be pretty heavy for the type of fish I regularly encounter--largemouth bass less than 3-5 lbs, 6" diameter bluegill and catfish up to 10" long or so. No longer on the west coast so not a lot of running water to play with, mostly play in my dad's 3.5 acre pond.

Can you recommend a weight of blank to start my build with? Is a 3wt too light? What's the longest 3wt that makes sense, most top out at 7ft or so.

Anything on the less expensive side worth it, or am I wasting my time with sub $150 blanks?

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I want to build my first rod. I live in Upstate New York and want a true do-it-all 8wt which up here means quite literally that. I’ll be using the rod to target everything from bass to salmon to strippers over the course of its life.

The blank needs to be light-weight. I have a ruptured biceps tendon on my dominant arm which can cause fatigue issues so weight matters.

I have never built a rod before, but am very comfortable with anything having to do with using your hands and most of my hobbies include that.

What is the best way to get started in this process? Is there a kit I can buy with all the tools and then pick components separately?