My first fly rod was a fibreglass 7/8 weight coupled with an 8 weight WF fast sinker.
Bit extreme at first glance but I started fly fishing on Walthamstow Reservoirs and lure pulling was the way to get the fish.
The glass rod, being soft and easy to cast, plus the fast sinker that cut through the wind meant I could get a reasonable line out pretty much on the first day of trying. When I bought my first floater, a WF Cortland 444 in #8, I struggled a bit as the cast "felt slower".
For a big, wind swept reservoir, I reckon that set up was a good starting point.
A majority of modern stillwater rods are made for distance casting, and I believe this hampers beginners. I also believe there is a big difference in the often quoted "7/8 weight for stillwaters trout" from 20-30 years ago to a modern, fast taper, powerful 7 weight of today. Things change slowly in fly fishing and modern gear can be "stepped down" and used for stillwater fish. This can be seen at Mikes every week. Modern 3, 4 and 5 weight rods can land big fish quickly.