Kids Fly rods

[Blacksn95]

Good morning!!.. My oldest son (10) wants to get into fly fishing and wants a rod and reel to start off on.. any suggestions on whats out there?? Would a 4 or 5 weight be ideal to start on?

[pikergolf]

Is this for lakes, larger streams or creeks? I would go for a 5wt for the former and a 4wt for the latter. If the answer is yes to all go 5 wt. TFO would be a place to start for an outfit.

[orvisman]

Redington has a youth combo with rod, reel, and line in the 200-300 dollar range. They also had the crosswater combo which is very good, but I don’t know if they offer it anymore. Five weight is good for these parts. Don’t let the fishing shops try to upsell you, but don’t go el cheapo either. A good combo is affordable and great to start with. Plenty of time in the future for more expensive stuff. Learning to cast properly is way more important than the rod anyway.

[densa44]

Many many years ago I started with a $10 glass rod dt silk line and a phleuger reel.

There are many of us timing out and their equipment is for sale on Kijiji. If you see something that you might want. Ask these fellas and get some great advice

My grandfathers advice; careful wading is more important than long casts, and presentation counts more than the fly.

Welcome.

[Blacksn95]

Thanks everyone, I will look for a 5wt for "do it all" duties. TFO looks to have a bug launcher for kids but I may just keep an eye out for some used equipment as per above. Just wasnt sure if the learning curve would be a bit harder with a med/fast action vs a medium action rod made for kids. I had him practice casting my 6wt Sage Pulse and he had a hard time loading the rod..

[orvisman]

How do you like the pulse? A few years ago I was looking into getting a new rod and that was high on my list. I went with something else from Orvis, but I think I might look into purchasing a Sage next year.

[cranky]

Ive seen folks on here give away stuff to young fellas before. Like Densa44 said in your thread some older guys are @bout runout of time,who knows might give away something to a young fella. But you would have to be local to them shipping is a big bill and lotsa work for old timers. just suggesting you never know.???
You’d have to put where you located for @nything like that to happen.lots of generous folk on here.

[Blacksn95]

Originally Posted by orvisman

How do you like the pulse? A few years ago I was looking into getting a new rod and that was high on my list. I went with something else from Orvis, but I think I might look into purchasing a Sage next year.

I've had it for many years.. i bought it at the recommendation by a friend after i tried a few of his rods.. Overall i feel it isnt a super fast rod but i like them like that.. its very smooth and good a presenting dry flies.. i use it more than my other one an older Sage DS..

[Blacksn95]

Originally Posted by cranky

Ive seen folks on here give away stuff to young fellas before. Like Densa44 said in your thread some older guys are @bout runout of time,who knows might give away something to a young fella. But you would have to be local to them shipping is a big bill and lotsa work for old timers. just suggesting you never know.???
You’d have to put where you located for @nything like that to happen.lots of generous folk on here.

This is why I love this place.. its.much more close knit.. I actually in BC now.. I lurk on here as theres more.going on on this forum and people actually reply with some good knowledge and advice... Im really excited that my son is wanting to learn to fly fish.. I never had that opportunity with my father so this is a really excited to taking him on some trips..

[graybeard]

I was in the same situation as you.

Initially, I picked up an older fiberglass fly rod/reel/case and some flies at a garage sale for $10.
My son began to learn to cast from on-line tutorials and then over to the soccer field to practice.

He learned how to care and maintain the gear with no big investment.

He now has a nice 5 weight set up from TFO. He is amazed that with 50% less effort he can cast much further and no fatigue like he experienced with the older rod....mind you he is older and stronger now...

One other thing, this new interest makes it easier to buy at his birthday and stuff his stocking at Christmas.

Nothing like using the older gear to appreciate new technology....but it doesn't come at $10....

Good luck

[CF8]

I would look at an Echo Gecko, or a TFO Bug Launcher. All 3 of my kids have fished the Gecko and they’re amazing. Smaller grip size for kids’ hands and a light swing weight that allows them to cast with proper mechanics rather than trying to “muscle” a full size fly rod. At the age of 10 a full fly rod will mess with the learning curve of proper casting motions. The Geckos also have a small fighting butt on them that acts like a second handle to learn to roll cast with and control the rod with a second hand.
They really are a great learning tool and one Id highly recommend for a learning youngster.
Plus, you’ll have fun stealing and casting with it too. They also have no problem handling some decent fish.

[Blacksn95]

Originally Posted by graybeard

I was in the same situation as you.

Initially, I picked up an older fiberglass fly rod/reel/case and some flies at a garage sale for $10.
My son began to learn to cast from on-line tutorials and then over to the soccer field to practice.

He learned how to care and maintain the gear with no big investment.

He now has a nice 5 weight set up from TFO. He is amazed that with 50% less effort he can cast much further and no fatigue like he experienced with the older rod....mind you he is older and stronger now...

One other thing, this new interest makes it easier to buy at his birthday and stuff his stocking at Christmas.

Nothing like using the older gear to appreciate new technology....but it doesn't come at $10....

Good luck

Thanks!! My son has been watching youtube daily and asking about casting.. I'll prob bite the bullet and get him something decent and geared towards children , that way he will learn a bit faster vs having a bigger learning curve..

[Blacksn95]

Originally Posted by CF8

I would look at an Echo Gecko, or a TFO Bug Launcher. All 3 of my kids have fished the Gecko and they’re amazing. Smaller grip size for kids’ hands and a light swing weight that allows them to cast with proper mechanics rather than trying to “muscle” a full size fly rod. At the age of 10 a full fly rod will mess with the learning curve of proper casting motions. The Geckos also have a small fighting butt on them that acts like a second handle to learn to roll cast with and control the rod with a second hand.
They really are a great learning tool and one Id highly recommend for a learning youngster.
Plus, you’ll have fun stealing and casting with it too. They also have no problem handling some decent fish.

Thanks for the advice, I will take a look at both of these rods. The main reason I was asking about what rod was the concern of learning curve with the heavier or longer rods... even as a grown man it took me a while to learn, though I feel with my son he will learn pretty quick as it seems im the slow one these days when learning new things lol..

Vince

[Sundancefisher]

Check out FB Marketplace for cheap fly rods and reels to get you started.

Rods with warranty is great and TFO has an office in Calgary.

Sage warranty is not as good as it once was.

[MartinB]

Cabelas CGR, 5wt, 7ft is a good low cost starter rod. I have an Eagle Claw 6'6" 3 or 4 wt as well which is also a great creek rod and very low cost.
Redington's are great but spares can get scarce. If you are in the Calgary area TFO is the one to buy. Excellent warranty, great rods and you won't need to upgrade.

[BungMan]

Originally Posted by MartinB

Cabelas CGR, 5wt, 7ft is a good low cost starter rod. I have an Eagle Claw 6'6" 3 or 4 wt as well which is also a great creek rod and very low cost.
Redington's are great but spares can get scarce. If you are in the Calgary area TFO is the one to buy. Excellent warranty, great rods and you won't need to upgrade.

This.

[chucky]

+1 on the Echo gecko.
I've got one for each of my sons (6 and 8) and they're great rods. Easy to cast, nice medium action to feel them load. And they're great fun to use yourself when they just want to catch grasshoppers...

[densa44]

In the olden days, the choice of fly lines was a big deal. Dt, weight forward, sinking tip, sinking line and line weight to match the rod. Have all these issues been resolved?

For me it’s a weight forward shooting head and in a bright colour so I can see it. I use a 9 foot tapered leader with a 2x tip. I only fish dry caddis flys and hoppers. I hope to try a nymph dropper soon.

[Mr Flyguy]

Originally Posted by densa44

In the olden days, the choice of fly lines was a big deal. Dt, weight forward, sinking tip, sinking line and line weight to match the rod. Have all these issues been resolved?

For me it’s a weight forward shooting head and in a bright colour so I can see it. I use a 9 foot tapered leader with a 2x tip. I only fish dry caddis flys and hoppers. I hope to try a nymph dropper soon.

There's no issue here. Just depends on the situation at hand. If I'm fishing for tarpon in Florida not likely I'll be packing a 3wt 8 ft rod. Likewise if I'm on Stauffer creek not likely I'll be packing a 9wt 9 ft rod.

[petew]

Originally Posted by Blacksn95

Good morning!!.. My oldest son (10) wants to get into fly fishing and wants a rod and reel to start off on.. any suggestions on whats out there?? Would a 4 or 5 weight be ideal to start on?

you can get a nice 4pc, graphite rod, reel ,line,backing,and a good case for just over $100. all in. That will include some fly boxes,a few flies,leaders, forcepts etc from Max catch .

I have been using these for the past few years with no trouble , even casting huge 2/0 streamers over 6" long to pike and walleye on these rods from 4wt to 8wt.
The extreme package is a bargain that works.
I started fly fishing in the late 50's and still havee my glass rods from then.

I have Fenwick, and TFO gear too and the Maxcatch is every bit as good a rod .
here is a link for you. https://www.maxcatchfishing.com/fly-...eel-combo.html

If you look in my Trad Reviews at www.peteward.com you will find a few reviews of the max catch gear.

For a 10 year old I would start him with an 8'6" 4wt,
Pete

[Ribolovac]

Have 3 redington 5 weight minnow combos. About $270 which I pick up on sale at fishing hole for about 200. Goes on sale a couple of times a year. Great for smaller hands, comes with case, 8 foot rod, good reel, line, etc.. often get out fished by the kids. 😉Can handle all fish and I am sure they will pass down to their kids or just keep in their quivers. Our first one has been going strong for 4 years and is still in perfect working order.