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I am talking ages 3 through 6. I often bought my combos from Cabelas (brand-name reel on house brand rod) and I always had great success with most. But I am seeing that our local Walmart has the same combos for the same money.
Suggestions? I don't care for the children's rod/reel combos out there.... want something a little more heavy duty that they will appreciate for years to come.
I welcome your responses.
For kids that age, I wouldn't even consider spinning tackle -- canepole all the way!Quote:
Originally Posted by captn160
For kids that age I would be buying them a spincast reel with a 5ft rod. Crappie are not known as tackle busters. Keep it simple.
I've have two boys under the age of 10. They've both been fishing with me for several years now. Most of our fishing is for eating sized bluegill under a float or for crappie under a float (and we land the occasional channel cat while fishing the floats).
I've had good results with the Abu Garcia "Cardinal 101" (thats the model to the best of my memory). I use 4-6 lb test, and the 6lb will straighten out lightwire hooks pretty good (as it seems snags are plentiful with the little ones). I think these reels can be bought for well under $30 apiece.
For poles, I don't get real brand specific. The boys use 5' to 5'6" poles with ULTRALIGHT action. I much prefer a pole with a tip that is less than 1/8" diameter and has a very slender tip section. The limber tip section makes casting ALOT easier and I won't buy a stiff pole because the kids will fight it when trying to cast light baits. The poles I buy are under $25 apiece as well. We do get some broken pole tips and I usually glue on a new tip if the break is right at the end of the pole. Otherwise, I may get a new pole (hence buying cheap poles).
I buy most of the poles and reels (sometimes as a combo and sometimes separately) at our local Dunn's or Wal Mart. Good luck with whatever you buy and I hope your kids haul in a good mess!
My boy (5 years old) has one of those spiderman push-button spincast jobs, and seems to like it. For no more than he actually fishes, it's good and it's something he is excited about using. He actually casts a spinning rod better, though. It's easier to explain to put the line under your finger then just point at where you want your lure to go.
If I had to choose something without cartoons on it, I'd go with an Ugly Stik ultralight and a Zebco underspin. Tough as they come, and at his age it's more of a watch-the-bobber experience until I hook something, act like I'm bored or hung up and hand him the rod.
Fiberglass all the way. Ugly Stik Lite or Cabela's Whuppin' Stick. Cheap, decent quality and tough as nails. I have an Ugly Stik Lite I use when fishing for cats. I was fishing off an earth dam with concrete slab sides and accidentally stepped on the rod about six inches from the tip. Didn't even scratch it. They are a little bit more than the Ugly Stiks with the EVA handles, but they're a bit more sensitive and I think the cork feels nicer in the hand.
I would go with a regular spinning reel instead of a spincast. The reason is if a spincast reel gets tangled (and they will get tangled), 9 times out of 10 you're going to end up wasting a huge amount of time taking the reel apart to fix it. If a spinning reel gets tangled, you cut the line, pop the spool off and put on the replacement spool. Keeps the kiddies from getting bored.
Wally world 5 ft shakespeare UL combo. 25 or so bucks, and I have used it for 5 years, from trout fishing to shooting docks to roadrunners. rig up with some 4 or 6 lb line (since the stuff it is spooled with is frustrating even for me to work with) and they will be good to go!
Spincast.... kinda forgot about them. Sometimes I think they are under-rated in the fishing community. I should ponder that option a bit longer!
The spincast reels of today are underrated for a good reason. Most are very poor quality. (I was weaned on the old Johnson Century, which was a great reel.) So, be careful if you go the spincast route.Quote:
Originally Posted by captn160
I was taught to cast a baitcast reel at 5, dad made me learn, and wouldn't let me fish if i couldn't cast that. Made me a better fisherman as I grew and progressed. Spincast is simple enough, with a little back yard practice, they will be casting a slip bobber very well