Need Help w/ 7 Year Old Sons Setup (Beginner)

[MamaLu]

Hello there! My sons Cubscout den is going fishing Sunday at the Harbor and neither of us have any fishing experience whatsoever aside from the YouTube videos I have watched.

My question is if any of you can recommend a good rod and reel for him and myself? I am so overwhelmed with all of the choices! Thank you for your time! ????

 

[Bruce424]

A good startup for his age would be a push button spincasting reel. A 4-5 ft Medium power casting rod. Easy to use simple and straight forward. Size 6 hook with a earthworm. Underneath a float.

[DogBone_384]

50 minutes ago, Bruce424 said:

A good startup for his age would be a push button spincasting reel. A 4-5 ft Medium power casting rod. Easy to use simple and straight forward. Size 6 hook with a earthworm. Underneath a float.

X2

[Darren.]

2 hours ago, MamaLu said:

Hello there! My sons Cubscout den is going fishing Sunday at the Harbor and neither of us have any fishing experience whatsoever aside from the YouTube videos I have watched.

My question is if any of you can recommend a good rod and reel for him and myself? I am so overwhelmed with all of the choices! Thank you for your time! ????

 

Welcome aboard!

If you live near any local fishing shops, they'll
probably have some gear to get you started.
Often times locals know the spots to fish and that
sort of thing.

Or you could go to a Dick's Sporting Goods, 
Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Gander Mountain and
find a lot of beginner combos, some even have
gear and lures to start with.

[new2BC4bass]

Welcome to the forum.  Yup, a spincast will work fine for both of you.  Couldn't be simpler to use, but if you plan on fishing on a regular basis, I would prefer to see you both learn to use a spinning reel for a couple reasons.  I started with one at six and if your son is really interested in fishing, and has decent motor skills, then a spinning reel for him isn't out of the question.

Spincast reels are extremely simple to use, but are top heavy.  A spinning reel is normally held between two fingers and hangs down.  You don't have to hold the handle hard enough to keep the reel from flipping over because the weight is already on the bottom.  Better balance, too.  However, my son-in-law and his father prefer spincast.  Can't talk the son-in-law into even trying one of my outfits.  Spincast reels also have slower retrieve ratios.  Meaning you do a lot more cranking to get the bait back in for another cast.

Zebco makes decent spincast reels if you decide to go that way.  Do a search using "spincast".  Select "This Forum" from the dropdown menu when you type the word in.  Several threads on spincast reels and first reels for very young fishermen will come up.  Heck.  Here.  http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/search/?q=spincast&type=forums_topic&nodes=12   Enjoy reading. 

The Pflueger Trion is a pretty good reel.  Price about $40.  My first reel was a Mitchell 300.  They make an Avocet RZ for $30...model AVRZ-2000 would be a good size.  Don't know if there are any big name stores near you, but many sell their own house brand rods and reels.  However, I am not familiar with them.  Sometimes they are made by name brand makers such as Diawa or Quantum.

A quality rod for cheap is the Berkley Lightning or Lightning Shock.  I prefer the original.  About $40.  

Also check for a Berkley Cherrywood or Berkley Amp at local Walmarts (or Dick's Sporting Goods) for low cost rods that aren't too bad....especially for the price.

[loudcherokee]

I'm going to go against the crowd here and recommend a spinning reel, specifically a Shimano model with the quick fire trigger cast system. Super easy for a beginner and you won't be out much money if he doesn't take to fishing.

Most spin cast reels under a certain price point,  in my experience, aren't worth the trouble and could turn some off from fishing. At 7 years old he's old enough and should have the dexterity to learn a spinning reels operation fairly quickly, and the Shimano trigger cast makes it that much easier.

LC

[buzzed bait]

zebco dock demon....  nearly impossible to mess up or break and they get the job done!  It's what my 4 year old nephew uses when we go.