when i bought my son his first rod last year (he was 5), i bought him a "real" fishing rod. a 4 foot Ugly Stik and a small Shimano reel. he was buggin' me when we got it to get him the Scooby Doo rod and reel combo and still kinda bugs me when we go to crappy tire today. i figured that since i grew up with a real rod and reel that you could actually cast and not crows nest the heck outta the line that he should learn the "right way" to fish from the beginning. this is strictly in my opinion though.
here's the question... how many of you have succumbed (sp?) to your childs wishes or decided for yourself that buying them the fancy "looking" kiddie pole was the first step to get them into it?
i am not sure if those kiddie rods are crap or not. i know they were when i was a kid. i just remember me fishing with my uncle with my real rod and catching fish hand over fist while the other dads were messing around with their kids rod because it backspooled for the umpteenth time. this could put a real damper on kids accepting fishing as fun if they are constantly having to mess around with their gear.
kind of a catch 22. kid doesn't like fishing cause he has an Ugly rod (pardon the pun). or the kid has the good lookin' rod and gets frustrated because he can't do anything with it.
thoughts?
question for those with kids?
-
Flipper
- Bronze Participant
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:48 pm
- Location: Crown Point - Ottawa River
- Contact:
I started my son with spincast and 5' fibreglass rods (just $20.00 combos) and now at 7 years old he uses proper spinning and baitcatser reels with 6' composite rods.
RJ is 100% correct, the character combos are crap and may frustrate a child. It can be hard to keep a young one motivated if they aren't catching fish so being able to cast a long way helps.
RJ is 100% correct, the character combos are crap and may frustrate a child. It can be hard to keep a young one motivated if they aren't catching fish so being able to cast a long way helps.
-
SALMON
- Diamond Participant
- Posts: 2142
- Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2002 12:43 pm
- Location: Cambridge , Ontario
- Contact:
i started Jonathan out on 4' ultra light rods when he was three. A small spinning reel. I would cast and he would retrieve. At 5 years old I upgraded to a 5'6" ugly stick with a 6 ball bearing abu garcia reel. He was getting fish too big for the other ones. Now at 8 he can cast like a pro and the reel can handle the fish he gets..lots of 12-16 lb carp. It worked well for him on rainbows and channel cats as well. I will get a longer rod for him as he grows , but I found spending the money on the good reel was the best investment. Teach them from the start and skip the kids stuff. They will outfish you by the time they are 7.. -
wolfe
- Diamond Participant
- Posts: 7588
- Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2004 11:04 am
- Location: Marietta, NY & Wolfe Lake, Ont.
My older son rec'd some kiddie poles as gifts when he was 3 or 4. But then his Pop gave him what looked to me like an ice fishing pole, with a decent closed-face reel (push-button) on it. This sufficed nicely for a year or two. But last year, (I even posted about it) we got Tyler a lightweight rod, length 5' I think with a spinning reel. He had practiced previously with our reels and seemed ready to handle them. It was a good decision, and last summer this set up served Tyler nicely.
I would skip the kiddie poles, as most seem to be advising. Don't overshoot with a long or heavy rod, though, as I think that'll frustrate the kid(s) as much as a crappy rod/reel will.
Shane, my newly 4 yr old, is graduating to that psuedo-ice fishing rod this year. It's getting a workout!
Good luck.
W.
I would skip the kiddie poles, as most seem to be advising. Don't overshoot with a long or heavy rod, though, as I think that'll frustrate the kid(s) as much as a crappy rod/reel will.
Shane, my newly 4 yr old, is graduating to that psuedo-ice fishing rod this year. It's getting a workout!
Good luck.
W.
Thanks, Dad, for taking me fishing when I was a kid.
-
fishforfun
- Gold Participant
- Posts: 1408
- Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 2:45 pm
- Location: Georgetown Ont.
Couldn't agree more with what everyone is saying, my 2 always fished with decent rods and reels. I think Dad gets frustrated fast when he has to constantly untangle and fix junk, that makes the outing shorter! My nephews have the kiddy rods and reels, last year I took them out and told them leave those at the campsite your using big guy rods and reels this trip, guess what they wanted for Christmas!
I'm with RJ on this one, my 3 boys ALL started with the real McCoy....no charcter stuff....had a buddy who went the Scooby Doo route and told me he spent more time fixing them then his son spent fishing with it. I'd say go with a pseudo ice outfit atleast...when he gets a bit bigger..graduate him to the full size outfits...by the time my youngest was 10....he was fliipin and casting as good as some of my fishin buddies hehehe!! 
My daughter dropped hers over the side of the boat last year and I immediatley figured I could go get her a "real" outfit. However Dora was spotted floating a few mintues later, much to my shagrin 
-
Scum Frog
- Silver Participant
- Posts: 854
- Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2003 1:34 pm
- Location: Carleton Place
- Contact:
Here is my experience. My daughter is our oldest, soon to turn 7. I bought her a zebco rod and reel combo ( not a character one) when she was two. She still uses it today and we have never had any problems with it. She will probably use it for years to come. My son, soon to be 5, I fell into the charachter rod trap for him. This thing didn't work a darn, the reel face always fell off, didn't spool line, etc, etc. He became mad every time we fished with this junk. The easter bunny gave him a similar model to his sisters this past Easter.
Get them something they can actaully use the first time. it save on money and frustration.
Get them something they can actaully use the first time. it save on money and frustration.
-
grumpy7790
- Bronze Participant
- Posts: 493
- Joined: Sun Jun 15, 2003 8:23 pm
- Location: SE PA
Rod
Hello,
Those characters rods are fine for dock fishing when your kids are very young, say 2 or 3. Actually they are good when the child really can't cast by themselves. It helps keep their interest, that and the dead Senko's you give them to put in their Scooby tackle box.
Once they learn to cast and you have them out on the boat it best to upgrade to a 4'-5' rod, usually a spincast. This is when they are 4-5 years old. In my case sibling rivalry takes over as the one with a bigger rod can cast farther. So they actually ask for a bigger rod.
Once their 6 I'd say its time to try a spinning reel.
Overall its more important to take a kid fishing, any kid, rather then worry about what's the right gear. Get em hooked and then they will burn a hole in your pocket with all the gear requests.
Good Luck,
G
Those characters rods are fine for dock fishing when your kids are very young, say 2 or 3. Actually they are good when the child really can't cast by themselves. It helps keep their interest, that and the dead Senko's you give them to put in their Scooby tackle box.
Once they learn to cast and you have them out on the boat it best to upgrade to a 4'-5' rod, usually a spincast. This is when they are 4-5 years old. In my case sibling rivalry takes over as the one with a bigger rod can cast farther. So they actually ask for a bigger rod.
Once their 6 I'd say its time to try a spinning reel.
Overall its more important to take a kid fishing, any kid, rather then worry about what's the right gear. Get em hooked and then they will burn a hole in your pocket with all the gear requests.
Good Luck,
G
-
Three Bouys
- Participant
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 2:18 pm
- Location: Ingersoll
- Contact:
Save your money and the headache, buy the better equipment. My 2 boys went through it and i was thinking will they really like to fish or will they just hang out on the boat to play. They actually wore out their reels in less than 3 mths. This is their 3rd season coming and with their Shimano equipment the only thing I have had to replace is the fishing line.
How many people have had this happen?
Everyone knows how much you love fishing and the one thing you want to do is get your kids a decent rod and reel, something special from you to them so they can enjoy with you all the great things that fishing is, conpanionship,outdoors, on the water early, morings together, quiet and laughter.
And low and behold some relative gives them a crappy character pole that they're so in love with and it doesn't work worth a damn. So instead of the quiet mornings goofing around and fishing you spend half the time cursing under your breath while you fix the rod that they only want to use.
It's happened twice to me and I haven't been impressed.
WK
Everyone knows how much you love fishing and the one thing you want to do is get your kids a decent rod and reel, something special from you to them so they can enjoy with you all the great things that fishing is, conpanionship,outdoors, on the water early, morings together, quiet and laughter.
And low and behold some relative gives them a crappy character pole that they're so in love with and it doesn't work worth a damn. So instead of the quiet mornings goofing around and fishing you spend half the time cursing under your breath while you fix the rod that they only want to use.
It's happened twice to me and I haven't been impressed.
WK