I started at age 8 with an 8.5 ft glass rod. Didn’t have any trouble handling it and I never broke it. Still use that rod exclusively for fly fishing. For the vast majority of kids, I’d choose a rod composed of a material and rated at a particular weight that is more forgiving when the inevitable whack on a tree limb occurs.
Grandson wants a flyrod
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HopBack
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I think you did well with the Redington cross water setup. I like it better than the orvis encounter and cabelas 3 forks. Redington rods tend to have a more forgiving action and thus easier to cast. I had an encounter 7 wt and it was like a broomstick. No idea how a 5 wt would measure up but it’s the same material so I would expect it to also be a stiff rod.
PennKev
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For those of you looking for a kids rod (or just a decent starter rod in general, Check out this outfit:
Ozark Trail 5WT 8ft Graphite Fly Fishing Rod Combo
I saw this combo first hand and had a chance to cast it a while back. It is nothing short of phenomenal. I noticed that a local Wal-Mart had them in stock just the other day and they are still available on-line also.
I've cast a number of other budget rods including Echos and Redingtons and the Ozark Trail is as good or better than any of them. It is definitely better than Orvis Encounters by quite a bit (the Encounter is terrible IMO). It is probably most comparable with the Echo lifts, if not a little faster action. The OT rod is very plain with an all metal reel seat, no trim wraps, etc., but I don't think you will find many $100 rods that perform better. The rod is a nice moderate action that performs well at realistic casting distances. It doesn't have any weird attributes like poor balance, heavy over-all feel, or strange action. As a bonus, the included reel is mostly aluminum and much better than those found in a lot of other budget outfits. Additionally, when I cast this combo, I did so with the line that came with it and found that the line matched perfectly to the rod. The only real drawback is that the 8' 5wt seems to be the only available configuration and as some may have noticed in my past posts, I advocate for 9' rods for beginners.
This is a really impressive budget/beginner setup. It might not have the flash or cosmetics to attract as much attention as rods from real fly fishing brands, but the performance stands out. I know some will scoff at buying a wal-mart brand fly rod but this outfit is the real deal. Any decent caster will recognize the value in this rod once they make a few casts.
Ozark Trail 5WT 8ft Graphite Fly Fishing Rod Combo
I saw this combo first hand and had a chance to cast it a while back. It is nothing short of phenomenal. I noticed that a local Wal-Mart had them in stock just the other day and they are still available on-line also.
I've cast a number of other budget rods including Echos and Redingtons and the Ozark Trail is as good or better than any of them. It is definitely better than Orvis Encounters by quite a bit (the Encounter is terrible IMO). It is probably most comparable with the Echo lifts, if not a little faster action. The OT rod is very plain with an all metal reel seat, no trim wraps, etc., but I don't think you will find many $100 rods that perform better. The rod is a nice moderate action that performs well at realistic casting distances. It doesn't have any weird attributes like poor balance, heavy over-all feel, or strange action. As a bonus, the included reel is mostly aluminum and much better than those found in a lot of other budget outfits. Additionally, when I cast this combo, I did so with the line that came with it and found that the line matched perfectly to the rod. The only real drawback is that the 8' 5wt seems to be the only available configuration and as some may have noticed in my past posts, I advocate for 9' rods for beginners.
This is a really impressive budget/beginner setup. It might not have the flash or cosmetics to attract as much attention as rods from real fly fishing brands, but the performance stands out. I know some will scoff at buying a wal-mart brand fly rod but this outfit is the real deal. Any decent caster will recognize the value in this rod once they make a few casts.
Cougarbaby
Well-known member
tomgamber
Well-known member
Could be wrong, but thinking Ohio.
Well I guess it wont hurt to tell ya..
Its in Ohio, tuscarawas county
EchoRidgeElder
Active member
So, what flyrod did grandson get for Christmas?
I bought him Redington crosswater, 9'5wt
A fly box that I loaded up and a pouch full of leaders. He was extremely happy!
EchoRidgeElder
Active member
Excellent! Good call! And, some very great additions. Way to go Grandpa!
Thank you!
tomgamber
Well-known member
