I've been a fly fisherman for 30+ years. A comparison you can make between fly fishing and pipes is that you can spend a little, you can spend a lot, largely at your discretion. Some caveats for yez:
You need to match your equipment to what you'll use it for. I use a #5 wght line with an 8'6' rod for most of my stream fishing. For the salt, I use #8, 9', and for small streams a #4, 7'6". I also sometimes use my old fiberglas rods, and enjoy doing my Rip Van Winkle imitation when some know it all sez I oughta try the new graphite sticks
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Honestly, some anglers have no sense of humor.
Your choice is affected by where you live. I've found Eastern anglers who ply smaller streams prefer a moderate action rod. Western anglers for whom distance casting may be called for may prefer something faster.
Many fly fisherman love fast-action rods, but I cordially admit to hating them. I like moderate action rods, because I still cast mostly by feel, mostly with double taper lines which I learned on fiberglas rods. My preference is not based on "better than," it's just what I prefer. A fast action rod encourages a spinning rod type of casting stroke. A moderate action rod gives an action that looks more like what you see in A River Runs Through It. But really, it's up to the user's temperament.
More expensive doesn't mean better. There's a sweet spot in any manufacturer's lineup at which you're buying a perfectly satisfactory rod, one that hasn't been made to the cheapest possible price, buut you're not paying a premium for hi-tech materials, hand craftmanship etc. I like the value choice in rods. I own St Croix, Orvis and L.L. Bean sticks.
A fly fishing anecdote: Sage is a well known manuf of high-quality rods and, for quite a while, went overboard on fast action sticks. At least, they were way too stiff for my taste, and it was easy to spot a Sage owner by his/her frenetic casting stroke. Under load, the rod stopped bending just below the first guide, it seemed.
Sage then introduced a line advertised as "made for today's fast action rods." The reason was that the avg fly caster couldn't get enough speed going to flex a Sage rod using standard lines. Other line manufacturers followed suit. The little secret was this -- the new lines were manufactured to be half a weight heavier than the rod called for. So the line for a #5 rod was actually a #5.5. Old timers knew that the way to calm down a stiff rod was to "overline" -- i.e., use a #5 line on your #4 rod, for example.
Sage now offers a wider selection of actions, so anglers can find something in the lineup that matches their preferred casting stroke.