I wasn't going to get my son on a fly rod until he was a few years older - he's six, now.

However, this summer we saw a little girl and her grandfather down at the local kid's fishing pond and she could cast a decent loop about 15-20', which is plenty for the local trout and panfish ponds. She couldn't have been more than a year older than my son.

I've also seen an article for teaching youngsters that emphasizes learning a two-handed roll-cast. I'm thinking of starting my son on that method once the ponds thaw this spring.