I am on the road with my wife visiting our sons, their wives, and our granddaughters so I am following you on my cell phone and iPad. Even though it is not in this thread, I am aware of your good visit with Joe Schuster and NC Tribute’s response.
First, whenever possible, support a local fly shop and make friends with the owner and staff. Any extra you pay for the products (if any) will be more than offset by the wisdom they will share with you. You can’t get that on-line or from a big box store.
Second, I have a batch of TFO BVKs, and couple of TFO Pro II, and a Mangrove (8-wt.) as well as an Impact 9-wt. So I have a lot of experience with TFO. I have so many of them because of their price and casting. I stuck a Pro II into a fan blade so it is now a 8’9” and not a 9’ rod (a 7-wt. 2 piece that I love). I helped a friend make a TFO BVK 8-wt. that he broke by high sticking. TFO had a replacement part back in no time flat. I often think their reputation for breaking is based in no small measure because so many guides use them because of their price and TFO’s quick service. In the hands of less experienced anglers, they will tend to get broken. I have loaned two nice Orvis rods to friends who broke them. Who knows?
The BVK was designed by Bernard V (Lefty) Kreh while the Mangrove was designed by Flip Pallot. I remember reading that Lefty once (at least) said than any fly rod that costs more than $200 is better than 95% of the anglers who will use it. So try them all out and see what fits better. It may be hard to tell. But that is OK. None of these rods are duds.
I will say about the reel the same as I said about the Orvis Clearwater, it is a stamped/pressed reel so can bend or crack when dropped. I have the Lamson version of this type of reel, have dropped it once, and have a 1/4” section of the rim of the spool missing. It has sharp edges where it broke that will make it hard to hand brake. I do like machined reels. But Redington’s reel has gotten rave reviews and the price is right. Again, get it and use it as a back-up or practice reel once you decide you like fly fishing and Mama says you can put a bit more money into a machined reel.
Intermediate line is really good line. Several experts have written that if they could have only one outfit, they would get a 9’ 9-wt. with intermediate line. Intermediate line is very slow sinking. It is great to use in the surf since it will sink below the surface. It will work in the wind since it is a bit heavier than floating line. But two things to remember, cast it a bit differently from floating line. I can it a horseshoe cast since you start with a side arm back cast that you turn into an overhand forward cast. Like with sinking line, you don’t want the line to have to stop before moving forward- that puts tremendous stress on the rod. By going sidearm to overhand means that the tip of the line never stops and changes direction. It moves in a giant curve and never stops. Second, with floating flies, the line will sink so you will have to get the line to the surface before making a cast. You bring it up by stripping and then use as many roll casts as you need to get the line and fly to the surface before making your horseshoe cast. Bottom line, get a second spool with intermediate and your primary spool with floating line. But then Joe Schute has caught more fish with a fly rod than I have caught in my dreams. So don’t ignore what he says. But I still use floating line 95% of the time.
By the time this is over, you are going to have a Ph.D. In fly fishing. The main thing is to get an outfit and start using it. Then read all the articles you can find, watch YouTube Videos by the score, and get some good catalogues from Feather Craft and other fly shops and begin to see what this sport is all about. But your own experience will be the best guide to what you need. The point is, you don’t need to cast like Lefty or Flip or Joe or Whitefish 115. You need to cast the way that suits you and works for you. You can learn to cast well enough to catch fish in 20 minutes but it will take a lifetime to make you an expert. Lefty, in his 90s when he died, still said he learned something new every day. So welcome to the club of the hopelessly addicted to a marvelous sport. The best part is it’s better than golf unless you have figured out a way to cook a golf ball.
And I will say again, the hardest thing for me about fly fishing is remembering how easy it is. If some part of your body hurts when you practice or it you get sore from practice, you are doing it wrong. TRying to figure out what you are doing wrong will take some time. But a fly rod will let you know if you’re not doing it properly.
Tight lines.