The Right Rod for Kids

[Wild One]

For those of you who have kids and/or grandkids under the age of 5 what rod weight and length would you recommend. Obviously a lighter wt like a 3 or less would be desirable due to the weight (lbs) difference. What is the maximum length you guys would suggest? How 'bout action. Do you think faster is better or slower? Those of you with experiences here please share them. thanks

[Clarkii]

hey wild one-

my son is five- he is fishing a st. croix avid 6' 3wt. w/ a orvis 3/4 battenkill. fits him great-

i bought him this rod when he was three. i figured that is when i began fishing and sooo-

last year- at four years old- he was actually gettin' a feel for casting to some bluegills at a local pond- it was really cool to watch him hookin' into those fish!

i can't wait to get him on some water this summer!
++ santa brought him a vise for christmas++

enjoy,
,
Clarkii.

[flyster101]

I bought my 7 yr. grandson a St. Croix Avid 6' 6" 4WT for his fly rod. Little to fast of a rod, and you have to load it to get some line out. He just was not experienced to load the rod properly. For nymphing it was great but not for drys. The Line would just pile up every cast. We have to fish with light tippets (6x 7x) where we fish and with the fast rod he would brake off fish while setting the hook. So I let him use a fiberglass 7' 6" which helped him slow everything down and pay more attention to his casting. He also had less brake off's while setting the hook. He is 11 yr. now and with his own 7' glass rod and Medalist 1492 reel. When I call him up to go fishing and he asks which rod should I bring I answer "old school". You can buy some pretty cheap glass rods from E-bay ranging from 15-40 bucks. Or if you like my grand mybe be willing to part with his Avid 6' 6". I concider myself very lucky to fish with my grandson. We both learn from each other.

[Clarkii]

i should have mentioned... i overlined that little avid w/ wf4. loads nice.

,
Clarkii.

[flyster101]

Why didn't I think of that??? Thanks Clark.

[Wild One]

i should have mentioned... i overlined that little avid w/ wf4. loads nice.

,
Clarkii.

Good thinking. That hadn't even occured to me. Nice. Do you guys think 6'6" is about the max length you'd suggest?

[flyster101]

With a longer rod the kids will end up sooner or later hitting the tip of the rod with the forward or back cast on the ground. The shorter rods are also lighter in weight. So 6' 6" should be max lenght in my opinion for a 5 year old.

[nympher]

hey wild one-

my son is five- he is fishing a st. croix avid 6' 3wt. w/ a orvis 3/4 battenkill. fits him great-

i bought him this rod when he was three. i figured that is when i began fishing and sooo-

last year- at four years old- he was actually gettin' a feel for casting to some bluegills at a local pond- it was really cool to watch him hookin' into those fish!

i can't wait to get him on some water this summer!
++ santa brought him a vise for christmas++

enjoy,
,
Clarkii.

So when are you going to buy him a 6 foot 8 weight for steelhead and salmon

[nympher]

For those of you who have kids and/or grandkids under the age of 5 what rod weight and length would you recommend. Obviously a lighter wt like a 3 or less would be desirable due to the weight (lbs) difference. What is the maximum length you guys would suggest? How 'bout action. Do you think faster is better or slower? Those of you with experiences here please share them. thanks

Albright makes a special series just for kids. Rods and waders