Rod and reel for son

[gall]

So I took. My son out again today and he was catching left and right but he missed a lot cause he's using one of those spiderman rods and its so short I. Understand he's only 3 but also the reel is obviously garbage really grinds even after I greased and oiled it but off topic so my question is what do you think would be a good rod reel set up for young kid I was leaning toward a 5-5'6 ul with a 100 series spinning rod but open to suggestions I told my girlfriend wanna get him a st croix trout then talked me out of it ha wonder why 

[Catt]

Zebco 33 Platinum

All metal construction

4.1:1 gear ratio

5 stainless steel bearings

Continuous anti reverse

$32.00 Wal/Mart 

[d-camarena]

That^ 

Or a uglystick junior combo. 

I have one and i even use it myself sometimes

[frosty]

My three year old has that same rod (Spider-Man) it's definitely not the best! I have to cast for him most of the time and that reel drives me crazy!

[Angry John]

It depends on the target species.  My so is now 8 and I have been threw a lot of gear.  Had I had to do it all over again I would have him a cheap rod made.  The ultra light rods suck because they have no power.  Mhx has a bunch of shorter blanks made for pistol grip handles.  It may cost you some more money but to give them quality to begin with will rdeuce you fustration and his.  Have a 5'6" ml or medium made with a decent spinning reel in the 1500 or 2000 size.  This reel can follow him to another rod so don't cheap out.  All of the push buttons are junk and I tried a lot.

http://www.mudhole.com/custom-rod-building-blanks/mhx-rod-building-blanks/MHX-Freshwater-Rod-Blanks/MHX-Shooter-Series-Rod-Blanks

[gall]

The mhx isn't a bad idea and I was eyeballing the uglystick junior also  and frosty you know the exact frustration I go thru it drives me up a wall

[Angry John]

3 hours ago, gall said:

The mhx isn't a bad idea and I was eyeballing the uglystick junior also  and frosty you know the exact frustration I go thru it drives me up a wall

the reason i dont like ugly sticks is because you can never get an action that is fast.  They have one speed moderate.  Now if your fishing crank baits then thats not a bad thing to go with.  If your planning on using a weightless worm wacky then a fast is were its at.  The custom is not the cheap route.  In terms of value and improving the experience for you and your son then i feel its worth it.  My son is currently fishing a fenwich bass 610mlxf.

[new2BC4bass]

Three is pretty young, but I am glad to hear he is into fishing with his dad.  Not only his size but his strength is going to play a big part in his ability to handle longer rods and heavier reels.  In my opinion a spincast reel puts more weight on the top of the rod making it harder to hold it in the correct position.  You might want to consider an underspin reel for him to use for the next couple of years.  I have zero experience with an underspin so can't offer any suggestions.  Walmart carries quite a few and has several short rods.  Also look to Amazon.  I would change out the line before using the reel, tho.  Word has it the lines can be a little on the crappy side.  

[Collin W]

I just picked up a Shimano Sienna 1000 and a Scheels Pro Angler Rod. The rod is 5'3" UL. Picked it up for about $70. Have already caught a ton of fish on it.

[gall]

That's what I'm. Thinking an ul set up he's still at the stage of the good old worm and bobber as much as I wish he'd throw hardbait and soft plastic I figured I'd wait  a few more years for that ha. 

[fishnkamp]

gall let me give you a few workable ideas.  First if you ever want to get a MHX or any other custom rod built in our area, PA and MD, the man to go with is located in Bel Air MD. He is Tom of Tom's Custom rods.  His website is  http://www.tomscustomrods.com/  He is located probably 1 hour or a little more from you, but will help you build exactly what you want.  Tom is a friend of mine and he has been doing rod repairs and building custom rods since the 80s.

 

Now here is a combo you might want to put together, it is one my wife and I still fish with when we chase panfish. I have landed some decent sized bass and big white perch out of Lake Marburg and Pretty Boy Reservoir on these rigs.  I even landed a 2 1/2 pound walleye on it, so it is no junk rod.

 

We started with a pair of 5 1/2 foot light action Berkley Cherrywood graphite spinning rods. They also offer this rod in a 4 1/2 and 5 ft version ultralite version, all with a fast action tip.  The difference is in the line weights, the shorter rods rate for 1-4 pound line. The 5 1/2 footer rates for 2-6 pound line.  All of shorter rods are rated for 1/32 to 1/8, the 5 1/2 foot rods spec for 1/16 to 1/4.  Mine are pre HD versions and speced 1/16 to 3/8, however I think the rods are the same and they rethought the spec. I think a 3/8 would over power my rods.  Anyway, these rods often see bobber and worm duty, and we also throw lots of small spinnerbaits and mini crankbaits as well as just crappie tubes, grubs etc as well.  We matched them up with a small Abu Cardinal spinning reel and Suffix 832 braided fishing line (20 pound is the same as 6 pound mono in diameter).  I run a 4 foot 6 pound leader.  You could get this rod and an underspin reel and when your son gets older than just swap out the reel.  As I said we fish very expensive gear for bass and stripers but these rods are still lots of fun to fish with. another good bait to use under a bobber ( when maybe you do not want to mess with the nightcrawlers) is the Berkley Powerbait and Gulp line of baits in the jars.  My friend catches her own bait for her guiding business using some of these baits including the Gulp Alive Waxies, Pinched crawler and Angleworms.  Real wax worms and Gulp white wax worms look a lot alike. I have always liked using real wax worms for panfish since they are packaged in saw dust and are a cleaner bait to use.  They also stay good in a refrigerator for a while.

[kschultz76]

If a small spinning reel or under spin reel is what you want to use check this one out from Slider. 

 

http://www.sliderfishing.com/Slider-4-9-Fishing-ROD-with-Reel-Seat-Mid-Night-Blue-Rod2-Rod2-49Blue-Reel-Seat.htm

 

Slider used to make about 20 yrs ago a 5'2" graphite spinning rod with cork handle and no reel seat that you tape the reel on. It was intended to fish the 4" slider worms on their slider head hooks. I have one and it had a mod fast action to cast lighter baits but a surprising bit of backbone for a small rod. I no longer use it much if at all.

[NYWayfarer]

5 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

Three is pretty young, but I am glad to hear he is into fishing with his dad.  Not only his size but his strength is going to play a big part in his ability to handle longer rods and heavier reels. 

 

I agree 3 is pretty young. To young to consider going with anything costly. If you have a Dick's near you they sell a Daiwa Samurai spincast combo. The ultralight model will be a cost effective upgrade to the Spider-Man rod

[WRB]

When my son was 3 to 5 years old I made up a spinning rod with Zebco Omega trigger spin reel because he could use both hands to cast with. Today Zebco 33 Mirco Trigger spin combo looks very similar and should work for your son.

Tom

[22hertz]

Eagle Claw Featherlight rod and Daiwa Crossfire spinning reel.

 

The rod is durable and quality for an inexpensive price.

The reel is smooth without breaking the bank.

[Largemouth21]

On 5/13/2017 at 7:18 AM, Catt said:

Zebco 33 Platinum

All metal construction

4.1:1 gear ratio

5 stainless steel bearings

Continuous anti reverse

$32.00 Wal/Mart 

then stick it on an ugly stik gx2 6 foot medium casting. 

indestructible kids combo right there

[Lures'n'Liberty]

I love my Daiwa Goldcast GC80. For a 3 year old, I'd mount one on the spiderman rod and upgrade to the cheapest short baitcaster Walmart has when he breaks it or gets big enough to upgrade.

 

As far as the guys above saying Zebco 33, well, mom's first rod as a child was a 33 combo, purchased in the mid 60's. When she got bigger, grandpap taught my cousins to fish with it in the 70's and I used it throughout the '80s and early 90's and I brought it for my younger cousins throughout the '00s. I can say that this combo doesn't like heat much though, it finally died in the bed of my truck when it caught fire and burned to the ground in around '06-'07, so I'd venture to say it's a quality combo. 

 

[frosty]

3 hours ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

For a 3 year old, I'd mount one on the spiderman rod and upgrade to the cheapest short baitcaster Walmart has when he breaks it or gets big enough to upgrade

You can't mount anything to those rods, the reels are molded in. 

[Angry John]

I used the daiwa sliver cast on my sons second setup and the button was to high for him to use properly a 4.  On top of that it was heavy.  Best of intentions on my part but not a great idea...

[Firefish Alumacraft]

I have a Zebco Omega ( same as a 33 but ball bearings, metal construction, better gear ratios. ) will last a life time

[Lures'n'Liberty]

On 5/19/2017 at 7:32 PM, frosty said:

You can't mount anything to those rods, the reels are molded in. 

With enough duct tape, zip ties, and ingenuity, you can mount anything to anything.

[frosty]

1 hour ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

With enough duct tape, zip ties, and ingenuity, you can mount anything to anything.

Well played sir, well played! 

 

Don't forget hose clamps