Fishing rod for a child

My 9 year old daughter has asked for a fishing rod for her birthday
and I don't know what to buy her. She wants to go lake fishing and
possibly out in a boat also - do you need different rods? I know
nothing about fishing and would be grateful for any advice.

That is tough. I would probably go with a medium or medium light (depending
on what you think she might catch) 6'6" spinning rod with a decent quality
reel.

For Spinning Reels:
I have gotten attached to the Pflueger Trion (Size 30), but I have a couple
Mitchells that are very good as well. I would stay away from any brand in
the cheapest category. Ones that hold up ok start at about $40 and go up (a
lot) from there.

For Rods:
How careful is she with her stuff? At the lower end of the price spectrum
for rods are Quantum Torsion and Shakespeare Ugly Stick. The Ugly stick is
the tougher rod for abuse, but the Quantum has a lot better feel and
sensitivity for its weight and price.

You mention lake fishing. What lake, and how deep?

It might pay to visit a few local tackle shops and bait stores to see what
kind of fishing people are doing in your area.

As to my original suggestion. I fished from 10" stocker trout to 12lb
stripers with a medium light action 6'6" rod and a medium size spinning reel
when I was a kid. I just adjusted line size as the need arose, and used the
rod and the drag to deal with bigger fish.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com




"Tanya" wrote in message
om...
My 9 year old daughter has asked for a fishing rod for her birthday
and I don't know what to buy her. She wants to go lake fishing and
possibly out in a boat also - do you need different rods? I know
nothing about fishing and would be grateful for any advice.

Hi Tanya,

Go to wally world or other department store and pick up one of those
spinning reel combos for about $20.00 (rod, reel, and line) and a spool of
quality fishing line. Replace the "junk" combo line with the good line.

Nine year olds are notorious for not being very careful with things. My
daughter, now 13 yoa, broke two of my favorite expensive rods inside of a
month. She sat on them in the boat and broke the tips off about a foot and a
half down. Couldn't be hers! I tried to use her for shark bait but she kept
scaring off the sharks!

Both daughters have used and abused them and they still work. As they get
older, more into fishing, and more responsible, Santa may bring them better
quality fishing equipment.

Unless you can throw away money, go for the inexpensive spinning combos!

Halon

"Tanya" wrote in message
om...
My 9 year old daughter has asked for a fishing rod for her birthday
and I don't know what to buy her. She wants to go lake fishing and
possibly out in a boat also - do you need different rods? I know
nothing about fishing and would be grateful for any advice.