Fishing with daughter (what to get?)

J

JiffyPark

Joined
Aug 9, 2010
Messages
126
Hey guys,
When my daughter is old enough, I want to take her down to the folk's farm pond and catch some bullheads and largemouth. My question is, what rod/reel combo? We will be using bait, and catching fairly small fish. I don't want the typical Mickey Mouse/Lady Gaga Walmart combo. About a 5' rod and a Zebco 33? My daughter is pretty little.
Thanks for the help everyone. :)
 
JiffyPark, I don't know if you have a Bass Pro Shops or Cabela's in your area or close, but I would take a drive and check with the sales people. Most of those guys are pretty experienced in all phases of fishing & there are a plethora of rods, reels, line, etc. out for children. I started my son out on a St. Croix spinning rod & reel when he was 7, fished for nothing but bluegills and the occasional small catfish. When they are small, it's all about quantity, not quality. As long as they are catching fish & interested, the rocks will stay on the bank where they belong . . . . :D
Good luck with your search, & good for you for wanting to get your child involved in the outdoors . . . :thumbup:
Be safe.
 
Take my advice, let her pick out the one she wants. It will probably be the pretty pink Barbie pole. That's ok, those things can take a beating. It will mean that much more to her if it's HER fishing pole. Let her have fun and get into it.

Then in a couple of years, she'll want to upgrade every year until she's using your stuff and out fishing you.

My 3 boys are 6, 8, and 11. They love fishing. They all started with whatever pole they wanted to use. Honestly though, they never wanted the kiddie poles. They wanted to use "the same stuff that you use, Dad." They all got started with the same Zebco 33's that I started with 30 years ago. I had to retire those reels last year. They're in a box of retired gear, with some other stuff that I'll never part with.

Now they are getting more into having their own stuff. I pretty much let them get what they want, with a suggestion here and there. They are starting to understand what better quality gear is. They want to upgrade every year now, LOL. Now they are getting into spinning reels and such.

Their pride of ownership in their gear was cool to see. "Where is MY rod? I don't want to use THAT one, I want MINE." It is important to them to be using the stuff that they picked out. It makes them happy and the outings more enjoyable for them. That in turn makes ME happy.
 
Cabelas and bass pro as I am sure walmart, an dicks have a rod reel combo little over 2 feet. With most of your super hero''and barbie as well that work great for little ones. I started both mine out at 2. They have caught catfish, bass and bluegills no problem. The size is easier for em then the standard kids poles most of us grew up with. I have some of those too. The shorter ones obviously dont cast as far but for ponds etc there fine. I also have the bigger kids combo versions i'n shaksphere which has held up
Well. Garcia has some nice models I have been eyeing too. My 3rd old daughter wants their girls pink model when she gets a little bigger right now she prefers the little one. My son dosnt care what he has as long as a pole is i'n his hands. Stay away from the rods that rolin martin endorses that you can launch the bait. Absolute junk! Had one for my son an it broke
Second time out. I sent it back and paid for return shipping of a
New one. That was bout 3 years and they haven't
Sent the new one. Hope that helps.
 
This thread sould be moved to the Great Outdoors arena, where you have hundreds of fishermen reading. This is neither practical nor tactical.
 
In before the move...

I suggest you look into small open bail models before settling on the usual zebco style push button reels. While they are (slightly) harder to master, my experience is that most kids get it quickly and push button reels inevitably become a tangled mess when used by children. The open bails are much easier to maintain.
 
Barbie pole. It catches more fish than any pole I have ever used. I have no shame borrowing my daughter's! ;):D
 
JiffyPark said:
Hey guys,
When my daughter is old enough, I want to take her down to the folk's farm pond and catch some bullheads and largemouth. My question is, what rod/reel combo? We will be using bait, and catching fairly small fish. I don't want the typical Mickey Mouse/Lady Gaga Walmart combo. About a 5' rod and a Zebco 33? My daughter is pretty little.
Thanks for the help everyone. :)
Click to expand...

You absolutely came to the right place, because long before she's catching her first fish, she needs to consider what firearms and personal protection devices she's going to need. Fishing can be extremely hazardous. I know you know this, or you wouldn't have posted in Prac-Tac. Well, have no fear. I'm sure most of the guys here will have a full list of body armor, magnums with hot loads, the sharpest and deadliest knives that any child ever took to the family farm, as well as camouflage, counter-electronic measures, lasers and first aid kits.

Yep, welcome home. We'll make her the safest and deadliest kid in the nursery.
 
Let her pick sounds like a good idea to me. Even if the fish aren't biting, she'll still have fun with her toy.

Just like everyone who like to ask which knife and what gun and which caliber. In the end, owner satisfaction rules the day.
 
Hi JiffyPark -

I bought my oldest granddaughter a nice combo at Gander Mountain.

The nice thing is that it was pink and chrome, but it is a decent quality rod and reel that she will be able to use for years.

I paid $40 for the setup.

She loves it, she is almost 8.

My 4 year old granddaughter Emily uses her own "spiderman" set, that is what she wanted. She can also use one of my old Zebco 33 setups as well, that is what she used before I bought the spiderman rig for her.

I have 10 Zebco 33's, all rigged idetentically, and I like to invite people to bring their kids over to take them to our lake and let them fish. The kids love it and a couple always catch a nice bass.

My good friend Mark and his two boys -
DSC_2342.JPG


this is Emily, with a Zebco rig - she insists on casting by herself -

DSC_2462.JPG


She has caught several nice bass - here is one example -

DSC_2470.JPG


best regards -

mqqn
 
Hey guys,
Thanks for all the help! I have a lot to consider. I grew up fishing and would love to introduce the sport to my little girl.
It makes sense to get her a rod/reel combo that she likes. I appreciate all the help and suggestions. You guys are great!
Jiffy
 
I agree with letting her pick her pole. I let my daughter pick hers, she went with a Zebco Scoobie Doobie Doo.....she loves it. And yes those dang little poles catch some fish!!!! she out fishes me, more than I care to admit:o

Don't rule out a cane pole, kids love em, and easy to use. The biggest thing let her have fun, so she loves to fish, skill sets can come later.:)
 
I have to say, one of my happiest moments as a Dad was when my youngest daughter graduated from high school and came to me and said, "Dad, before I go off to college, take me camping and fishing." Molly is not the outdoor girl like the other daughter and son are. She was a good sport about having to tag along on our family hikes and outings in the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia, but never went backpacking like the others.
I took that chance to do it right and plan a trip I always wanted to do too, a two day canoe float on the Virginia section of the New river for smallmouth bass.
I ended up buying her a Daiwa closed face spinning combo from the BassPro. I wanted a higher quality setup then a Zebco and more selections in the rod weight and length. The Daiwa combo gave me several.
We had a blast and I think I had more fun putting Molly on fish then I did catching them.

s7_115367_999_01
 
Short pole is key. My take aways from perch jerkin with the kids are:

- Crimp the barb down on the hook. (Someone (probably you) will likely have a hook headed your way and it's comforting to know you can extract it without too much "to do")
- Keep the lines short. (We fish off of the dock and the floating dock)
- Although I took the two kids fishing, I could only manage one pole.
- Kids are tough on the gear and the barbie floating pole is strong.
- Have fun, cheese works and my kids like feeding the fish almost as much as catching them.
 
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