Least Expensive and Shortest Outfit recommendations

Stagger_Lee

Stagger_Lee

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Mar 22, 2012
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for my 5 year old son.

Have heard Eagle Claw but if there are any other recs and where to order much appreciated. Want to get him on the water with me this spring and summer.

Thanks in advance
 
this is my plan for our two(2 and 4 years), you can prob get all the stuff to build it for around $50 maybe less. but i figure a 6'6" 2wt would be small light and perfect for sunnies and gills...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281097684790
 
RC .. I'm gonna give it a shot and hope he just catches some fish which he should. Last year I took him spin fishing BUT considering I never picked up any type of rod since last year ... really wasn't a smart move on my part.

Might as well start him off with what I know.
 
7-7.5' 4wt eagle claw, and a medalist. Medalist won't break, and the eagle claw is more than servicable for $20 from Walmart. I wouln't start my kid with a 2-3 wt. Tought to cast those lighter line weights any distance. Get something that even if he's sloppy, he can get the line out.
 
Cabelas has 6 combos under $100. Good place to start.

don't forget to look on CL. I found this .....

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/spo/3663093024.html
 
DJBerg wrote:
this is my plan for our two(2 and 4 years), you can prob get all the stuff to build it for around $50 maybe less. but i figure a 6'6" 2wt would be small light and perfect for sunnies and gills...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281097684790

A 2wt is probably not a great plan for a 2-4 year old. Most adults can't cast a light line like that very well, how is a young child going to do well with it?

Do your kids a favor and get them at least a 4wt IMO.
 
Penn , personally my thoughts were short, light rod weight wise, and the ony thing it would be catching is blue gills and sunnies. Right here in the lake at home. No stream fishing type scensrois. The other odd obe to that rod specifically why the 4 piece?

Oh and the other thought was cheap and replaceable, yet if it didnt get killed great little family hereloom.
 
Ya but the kid has still got to cast the thing and if you go with say a 7' or 7' 6" 4wt the rod is going to fish a lot easier even if it is heavier.

I don't think anyone should start with a 2wt whether they are 5 or 50. It's just going to be endless frustration.
 
I think my first rod was a 7'6" 8 weight. At one time, that was considered a trout rod. +1 to kev's suggestion. Heavier line will be easier to cast and allow them opinions when it goes to fly choices. 2wt + #10 wooly bugger = kid that won't enjoy fly fishing.
 
"First, start your kids early—and don’t start with fly fishing. The idea is to first get them interested in the fish. How they catch them is not important here, so don’t be a purist with four- and five-year-old kids. A carton of worms and a bobber is a fine way to get started fishing—that’s how most of us started anyway, right?"

That's right. Start them out with with bluegills and worms.

 
I agree with troutbert b/c I can see a 5 yr old getting frustrated.

But, some people are writing about starting fly fishing with 5 and 6 yr olds so I guess people are doing it.

Redington has an outfit for 6 to 12 yr olds for $100.

Redington Minnow

Here's a pic.

kidsflyrod-2T.jpg
 
7-7.5' 4wt eagle claw, and a medalist. Medalist won't break, and the eagle claw is more than servicable for $20 from Walmart.
+1 ..... and it will not break easily !
 
Thank you for all the input gents.

I get that FF isn't the most optimal way to get a 5 year old 'interested' but I never spin-fished. I agree 110% .. no trout fishing and I will go with bluegills and other 'stupid' ww species. I figure, no matter what direction I went, spin or fly, I will be helping him cast when we go out so I might as well go with what I 'know'.

Think I'm gonna go with inexpensive eagle claw (short) to get him started. Very small investment for a lifetime of memories!
 
Here's a good article on introducing kids to fishing.

http://fishing.outdoorzy.com/fishing-with-kids/

The common situation is that parents try to force kids to fish, the kids struggle with the gear, and aren't catching anything, so aren't enjoying it. And it all ends up in tears, frustration, anger, resentment. This is a VERY common situation, and it's heartbreaking to see it happening.

If you are aware of the potential for this problem to occur, hopefully you can avoid it. The most important thing is that the kids are are enjoying themselves in the outdoors. For many young kids, throwing rocks in the water is more fun than any kind of fishing. And throwing rocks in the water is a great activity. Find a place where it won't bother anyone, and let them throw rocks to their heart's content.

And other kinds of just wandering around, exploring things, playing around in the outdoors, is often more interesting than a more controlled activity like fishing for young kids.
 
It's easy enough to bait-fish with a fly rod.

Find a place where there's cicada mania going on somewhere this year.
 
Cabelas catalog arrived today: 5 ,6 and 8 wt Cahill OUTFITS for $39. GG
 

For your five year old?

Waving a stick around with a hook on the end?

Really?

Well, whatever. Your doctor bills, not mine, but I know how much of a fan you are of "ObamaCare" so that's chill.

Anyways, here's my helpful advice:

All your hopes and dreams? Give up. Think smaller. Your kid is 5. S/he has the attention span of a gnat with ADHD, if you're lucky. S/he doesn't care about anything other than throwing rocks, kicking dirt, and an actual fish.

So, what you're going to need to do is find something that amuses teh crap out of them. That's why God invented the Zebco Snoopy combo. I'd suggest one of the 4' combos and not one of those 2' combos at this point.

Then, you buy some sz8 or 10 barbless hooks (coz otherwise an introduction to childhood animal cruelty lurks ahead), a container of bobbers, some cheap splitshot, and a box of worms.

They can be red, or meal, or probably wax or whatever kind you want. Proper Americana dictates red worms in a coffee can, but who gets coffee in a can anymore?

Anyways, take this whole thing down to your local pond, canal, sewer or whereever water has sat for more than three months. You'll find that office parks are wonderful for this is you avoid the NO FISHING signs. Its very Suburban Huck Finn, in its way.

Throw the whole thing in, and for about 10 to 15 glorious minutes your kid will enjoy reeling sunfish in whole have absolutely inhaled the hook (see, barbless, but you'll still cut ALOT off).

At the end of your 30 minutes (becuase you stupidly tried to extend this longer than you should have), retreat to the local playground and wish your kids gave a rat's *** about your hobby while they tear around on the slides.




But... if you're dead set on sticking a fly rod in their hands:
Buy an Eagle Claw Featherlight 7' 5/6wt rod. Why? Because when they smash it against trees, rocks, you, the ground, etc it will be indestrucable. Haven't you ever noticed that Snoopy rods are fiberglass? This is why. It will also cost you $25, so when they do eventually break it, you'll be far less angry than you probably were about the ObamaCare premiums to have a hook removed from the back of his/her neck. You will use whatever reel you have laying around, pikced up from the swap meet, or bought on Ebay or Walmart next to said Eagle Claw. It will be fine. TH eline can be your old one, see, saving money already!

Your kid is five. S/he doesn't care about fly fishing, and your attempts to make them enjoy it will end in dismal failure. They might like catching fish, and for that you might as well make it easy.

Anyways, good luck with storming the castle.
 
Eagle Claw Featherlight. He'll use it when he gets older. You can get a Martin 61 clicker off Ebay for $10 probably. Get a line from Ryan, you're into this thing about $50.
 
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