Sometime back my son saw a commercial for the Rocket Rod. I believe it was Roland Martin who was the spokesman for the product. Has anyone used this product? Is it suitable for a 3.5 year old? He is driving my wife and I crazy lately wanting this thing.
I believe I have seen this product in use at my local lake more than once…
Shotgun looking thing with a reel and a permanent “bobber” (bobber is around 4-5 inches long and about 1" around). Then accompanied worms and whatnot is somehow connected to the bottom of this “bobber”. Bobber is reeled up to plastic rod and pushed inside where the “bobber” gets spring loaded and then you pull a trigger and the “bobber” and accompanying tackle shoot out about 25 feet if your lucky. (at least the ones I’ve seen.) The bobber and tackle land in the lake with a nice big loud KOOSH! ( I think it would scare the crap outta the fish.) The kid then waits for whatever takes…Bluegill is mostly what they are set up for around here.
When a fish is hooked it looks like no fun though because there is no rod to bend…
Anyways they have been used for trout at my other local lake and I have been fishing in the area…The guy casted this thing out and it scared off the school of trout upon landing and killed the bite for a while…
Overall, I think it would be fun for your son. They aren’t too expensive,So no BIG loss if the thing totally sucks… 
I have three grand kids all fishing. Trust me do not go for toys. 3 years old kid is big enough for small rod and Zebco 33. Or you can get him started with a small fly rod… Toy is a toy it will be fun to shoot and nothing else. Once your kid feels the fish at the end of the “regular” rig he will be hooked for life… Not to mantion the coordination and balance skills he will develop casting.
I agree with Mikie…if he wants something that shoots a foam bullet, get him a Nerf Blaster or something…he’ll enjoy fishing more with a fishing rod.
I agree - don’t purchase it. I’ve seen it at Wally World and I’ve seen it in use at a local pond that I frequent. It launches “literally” a bobber about the size of a hot dog and when it lands you can imagine the splash. Every bluegill in the pond headed straight down (I swear I heard the dive claxon).
I started both my sons at about the same age with zebco 33’s. I think you can still find them on the shelf, if not I recommend the Red Rhino version (and don’t overlook the ultralight trigger spinners either).
TyroneFly,
I will not tell you to buy or not buy it for him because I do not know the facts behind this. I guess I would try to determine if he wants it for fishing or playing. If he is really interested in fishing, I would try and convince him that the one is a toy and not for real fishing and would really just scare all the fish away and he really needs his own rod and reel like the “big boys” have. He still may insist on the “toy” and if you are like myself and all other grandparents you will probably buy him the toy and that is just fine. After all, he is only 3.5 years old and still has plenty of time to get interested in fishing. If you buy him his own fishing rod and reel and he was only interested in the TV advertisement on the toy, he would not use the fishing rod and reel and would continue to “hound” you about the toy and you will have spent twice as much.
Just thoughts…from a grandpa
Thanks all for your replies. Some great food for thought. My son is more interested for the toy factor which he has tons of. I bought him a nice Diawa setup when he turned two and this year he fished it several times, but his attention span is about a 1/2 hour at this point. He would rather drive the boat which I can understand. My hope is that someday he will (and my daughter) take to flyfishing. Right now he enjoys holding my reels and picking up all the tying tools. It’s a start in the right direction as far is dad is concern. 
6’ spin rod,Zebco 33, Crappie jigs, FISH ON !!! Kid is hooked for life, Almost a guarantee.
Worked for me with four nephews, three nieces, three great nephews, three great nieces, one fine son, two lovely daughters, and two granddaughters ( I once bought 6 Zebco rigs at one time for the kids) Later, they all want to fly fish, My son is now 18 and swingin’ an 8 wt for Steelhead on the Rogue tomorrow, He’s got more gear than I do… The rocket thing is most likely pretty lame after the first few minutes…ModocDan
ive gotta say i wouldnt advise getting it. ive seen the commercials and ive seen people use it, and i even asked one person i know at the lake to let me try it, and it was ABSOLUTELY NO FUN!!! its like lifting up a stick with a pully. you cant feel the fight and it obviously doesnt bend when you hook the fish. and also me and him together messing around with it caught 2 small bluegill. it makes a huge splash and scares the fish away. i swear just the hotdog-bobber hitting the water gave half the bass heartattacks. so id say stick to the regular stuff. way more effective and way more fun.
If I remember my math correctly,
That thing + 3 year old = that thing + 2 adults + 6 beers = eye patch
peregrines
Thanks,
Doug
Doug,
I just hope none of the guys I fly fish the surf with comes across this gadget. They’d be shooting each other off the rocks at Montauk in no time. Just like paintball, only with scuds.
peregrines
you know what, whatever brings a smile to their face is worth it. whether they get ‘hooked’ on fishing …who cares! So long as they’re having fun! IF it takes a ‘rocket rod’ or a $6,000,000 rod from Orvis or wherever or WHATever…so long as it’s an excuse to spend time with the ones you love…who cares?
I saw the ad, NOT… 3.5 is TOO young! He will hurt himself and/or others. My 2c.
My boys saw the commercial some time back, and of course all heck broke loose. I convinced them it was merely a toy, and wouldn’t work as advertised. They believed me, and saw the futility of trying to land anything bigger than a 4 inch sunnie with it. Two words convinced me to stay away. “Roland Martin”
My youngest grandson just turned 4. This past spring I took him fishing several time to a small pond near our home that is filled with small sunfish. For several years I had been saving a 3 foot spin cast rod for him for to use, and I had been letting him practicie cast with it in the basement during the winter, so he was “experienced” and ready to go when the weather turned nice. I tied some small chamois San Juan worms on barbless hooks, and rigged his rod with a bobber and a split shot, and we were ready for action!.
On our first outing, he caught lots of fish all by himself on this outfit, he didn’t want to leave the pond when it was time for dinner, and he’s asked me to take him back there fishing every time he’s come here since then (and we’ve since gone there multiple times). I know he’s “hooked”.
Then, sometime during the summer when my wife and I were away to Montana, he saw the Rocket Rod advertised on TV. He wanted one, for sure, and asked me several times on the phone when (not IF!) I was going to buy one for him. So, my wife bought one at Target, for under $15.00, one we gave it to him on his 4th birthday several weeks ago.
I wouldn’t call it a practical piece of fishing gear – it’s just a kid’s toy. And, I definitely wouldn’t want to put any type of hook on it, because then that toy could be turned into a dangerous weapon! However, a couple weeks ago, we took our grandson to a small outddor park/playground several miles from our home, where there’s a small stream flowing through it, and we took the Rocket Rod with us (with no hooks of course).
Our grandson really enjoyed launching that bobber 20-30 feet, watching it splash in the stream, reeling it in, and shooting it out again and again. He might have had more fun if he’d have caught a fish or two – I don’t know. What I do know is that he was having fun, and to me that’s what it’s all about.
John
This is another one of those inventions that I have to ask “WHY?”
Most of us learned to fish as soon as we could hold a rod (age 2-4), and used a cane pole. Later, we’d upgrade to the venerable Zebco 202 with a 4’ or 5’ medium action rod. Generations have learned fishing this way. I see no reason to change, especially to a potentially dangerous, and ridiculous looking contraption such as this.
Stick to the traditonal methods and guarantee your toddler a lifetime of happy adventures.
Semper Fi!