opinion for 9 yo

[89MJ]

I am looking to get my 9yo daughter a decent spinning rod/reel combo for her b-day that will be used for mainly soft plastics and light lures. I was at dicks and they have a combo with a shimano sedona 2500 with a 6'6M power, fast action rod (shimano but dont remember exact details) for $50. Will this be a good option for her? any opinions appreciated

[SHIMANOFAN]

I got my 7 yr old one of the Quantum AVS 1.0 series spinning rods and after he got used to the split grip he loved it. I used it to throw a few spinnerbaits and some soft plastics and found it to be a pretty nice rod for $40.

[Certified Public Angler]

sounds like a great starter combo 89mj

[Brute]

89mj,

I've got 2 of those exact combos on my boat ( along with a lot of other rigs) lol

IMHO a good set up for the price.

No complaints here.

[Grey Wolf]

Do you think the rod may be a bit long for her ?

[Sam]

I have ultra lights for the guys (ages 7 and 10).

One is 4'6" and the other 5' and both do well with the 4 pound test.

Of course, tangles do happen but they can cast them easily and all fish are great fights on the ultra lights.  

[Pigsticker]

I think the length will be fine for her. But if you want to be sure you can go down to a 6' spinning rod medium power fast action. Easily throws wacky rigged worms etc. etc.

[DADto4]

I have ultra lights for the guys (ages 7 and 10).

One is 4'6" and the other 5' and both do well with the 4 pound test.

Of course, tangles do happen but they can cast them easily and all fish are great fights on the ultra lights.

I bought my boys (7 & 12) the Quantum Snapshot SS on 5' quantum poles last year and they love them.They also throw soft plastics and lots of beetle spins on 4 pound line.

This is the best combo we have came across,also the best on durability.I think they were 40 bucks each.

[89MJ]

Do you think the rod may be a bit long for her ?

The rod she has now is a 5'6 and she has no problem with it. I will have her try my 6"6 and 7" first tho. Thats a good idea

[islandbass]

I think you made a good choice.

However, I think she is ready for a bc reel in addition to that rig you plan to get. I realize it could be the bait monkey talking.  If you're local shops carry the Daiwa strike force rods, look into them. They cost about $13.00 and they are surprisingly sensitive for their price and come in a varity of lengths in both rod types. This is what I got my daughter for her second casting rod.

On an experiment, I handed my greenie curado to my daughter when she was 6.5 and taught her the basics with one thought. No matter what happens, stop the spool from spinning BEFORE (highyly emphasized ;D) the lure hits anything, be it the ground, etc. It worked. Her first 8 out of 10 casts were without overrun. She will be 9 this month.

Also, the first thing she said after the first cast was, "Papi. This reel is so much better and easier to use than the other (i.e., spinning reel) kind."

All I can say is that is my little girl! 8-)

It also meant that she claimed the Curado BSF as her own :'( but it gave me an excuse to have to buy a new reel. ;D

[Bassboss]

Sounds great to me, but I would get a M action not a light!

[vicdotcom]

I might get slammed for saying this, but at 9 years old, I'd get her something bright colored with holograms on it.  Might even consider and Ugly Stick.  But even better yet, have her go and choose one out.  

I do know that better equiptment does increase enjoyment for us.  But from a 9 year old perspective, what they may thing is enjoyable is different than what we think.  How are you going to explain "sensitivity" or "smoothness" to a 9 year old?  Are they going to care?  

The main goal at this age should be to increase the ejoyment and love of fishing.  Not love of gear.  I know that if you buy cheap you probably buy twice.  But look at it from her point of view and what she would enjoy instead of grown ups telling them "whats good for you".  Let her choose out her own gear so she can be proud of it.  Or choose a setup thats almost exactly like yours.  So she can be proud of it like you are.

I think that the line is more important at this age than the reel and rod. I would go for a low memory line to make it more fun.

Well thats my input on it.

Vic

[89MJ]

I might get slammed for saying this, but at 9 years old, I'd get her something bright colored with holograms on it. Might even consider and Ugly Stick. But even better yet, have her go and choose one out.

I do know that better equiptment does increase enjoyment for us. But from a 9 year old perspective, what they may thing is enjoyable is different than what we think. How are you going to explain "sensitivity" or "smoothness" to a 9 year old? Are they going to care?

The main goal at this age should be to increase the ejoyment and love of fishing. Not love of gear. I know that if you buy cheap you probably buy twice. But look at it from her point of view and what she would enjoy instead of grown ups telling them "whats good for you". Let her choose out her own gear so she can be proud of it. Or choose a setup thats almost exactly like yours. So she can be proud of it like you are.

I think that the line is more important at this age than the reel and rod. I would go for a low memory line to make it more fun.

Well thats my input on it.

Vic

She actually had an ugly stick with a spincasting reel on it and asked for a spinning reel. So I got her a mitchell spinning combo for like $25. Her favorite thing, is to fish weightless texas rigged senkos and she is just starting to like throwing lures. She is actually good at it and has outfished me. :-X

[89MJ]

I think you made a good choice.

However, I think she is ready for a bc reel in addition to that rig you plan to get. I realize it could be the bait monkey talking. If you're local shops carry the Daiwa strike force rods, look into them. They cost about $13.00 and they are surprisingly sensitive for their price and come in a varity of lengths in both rod types. This is what I got my daughter for her second casting rod.

On an experiment, I handed my greenie curado to my daughter when she was 6.5 and taught her the basics with one thought. No matter what happens, stop the spool from spinning BEFORE (highyly emphasized ;D) the lure hits anything, be it the ground, etc. It worked. Her first 8 out of 10 casts were without overrun. She will be 9 this month.

Also, the first thing she said after the first cast was, "Papi. This reel is so much better and easier to use than the other (i.e., spinning reel) kind."

All I can say is that is my little girl! 8-)

It also meant that she claimed the Curado BSF as her own :'( but it gave me an excuse to have to buy a new reel. ;D

I actually scored 4 rods and reels at a yard sale, two which were a curado and a citica and I am thinking of letting her use the citica if she shows an interest. I got all 4 rods and reels for $10 and they all work great.

[islandbass]

89,

That is awesome. Just encourage her and don't force her. She'll definitely let you know when she is ready.

Just one word of warning... She might not give it back to you. ;D

The only thing you need to tell her is that her thumb needs to stop the spool from spinning before the lure or weight hits anything. The kids are bright enough to figure out the rest. 8-)

I'll show you how to make a leash to prevent them from accidentally dropping the rig into the drink.

[89MJ]

A leash is a good idea. especially since she will be holding the rod in a completely different way and since it is weighted on top instead of the bottom. I would really appreciate the info on how to do it.

[J Francho]

My 9 year old son uses a 5'6" pistol grip with an old "33" and a 6' Med Shimano Convergence with a Stradic FD 1000 spinning reel.  He has snuck a few casts in with a BC, but knew enough to tighten the spool down.  He is most comfortable with the pistol/spincast rig.

Big Al at 8 years old with a fish on one of casting rigs:

[islandbass]

J,

That is a great pic and confirmation that kids are more than capable when they are ready. 8-)

This is my "leash" system:

The components:

Shoe lace, a velcro rod rap, and a small caribeaner.

Attach one end of the lace to the reel foot of the reel after the reel is on the rod.

Attach the other end of the lace to the caribeaner and then the caribeaner to the rod rap. There should be a small loop on the rod rap for this.

The purpose of the caribeaner is to allow quick removal of the leash without having to undo the rod rap from the wrist. It is a convenience item.

The leash needs to be attached to the casting arm. It does NOT interfere with casting or fishing if the lace is long enough.

Here it is in action with my daughter:

Yep, here she is with an 8'6" rod and a casting reel jigging for salmon or whatever is willling to bite. Just like dad, she prefers LH reels but a friend was using the other reel.

I would love to fine tune it if such a thing were marketable. 8-)

[J Francho]

That's pretty cool, and CUTE!  With that rig, I would have all the confidence to hand a kid any rod while we're in the boat.  That's actually my biggest fear - losing one over the side.  God knows, I've done it as an adult, LOL.  A guy in my club chucked a GLX and TD-Z into the lake at the last TX.  That was a bummer, since the TX before, he broke a rod.

[islandbass]

That's pretty cool, and CUTE! With that rig, I would have all the confidence to hand a kid any rod while we're in the boat. That's actually my biggest fear - losing one over the side. God knows, I've done it as an adult, LOL. A guy in my club chucked a GLX and TD-Z into the lake at the last TX. That was a bummer, since the TX before, he broke a rod.

Exactly. The first thought that went through my mind was... Cast... "Ooos! Sorry Papi, I didn't mean to drop it."  ;D  :-[

And bye bye curado.  ;D Fears are now non-existant.