[CnMbowhunter]

My son will be turning 6 in a month. He wants to learn how to flyfish and I have thought about getting him his own set up. It would be nothing too expensive, just a basic 6 or 7 footer. I figure if he doesn't follow through I can use it in tight confines of some rivers.

Couple of questions for you guys...

A) Would you or have you set you kid up with a flyrod at this age?

B) If so, what would be a good/cheap option?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Lance]

I know this may sound odd but it's generally recommended that you go with an 8' rod for youngsters. The amount of leverage they get out of it surpasses the concerns of it being a longer rod. If you are really concerned, you could drop back to a 7' but the 8' is standard. There are a couple of youth kits offered now that are 7'6" rods. Back when the composite rods and glass rods were so much heavier it was a bigger problem but now all of the graphite rods are so light..... I bought my daughter an 8' 5wt rod from Gander when she was 7 she's caught trout as well as a steelhead on it. It was a little awkward at times but as her muscles learned the motion it came along.

The Cortland kit is the least expensive "youth kit" I could find today. It's about $85. You could always try to find a really cheap composite rod in a shorter length that he could beat up but since it's composite the overall rod will be heavier and will be much more akward to use, even in a 6-7' length.

 

[CnMbowhunter]

Thanks for the info Lance! I figured that since he was small, he would need a short rod, but you said makes sense.

I appreciate the help!

Chris