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.