# a good rod for an eight year old



## humpyflyguy (Sep 10, 2007)

Okay everyone, I have been flyfishing for along time now, and my boy is wanting to get into it but I am not sure what would be the best size of rod for him. he is eight years old and he can fling my scotts like there is no tomorrow but I can tell he has troubles with them if they are for a long period of time. So what would be the best size for a little kid?


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## sparky00045 (Apr 1, 2008)

if you want to start him out on small streams and dry fies i would go with a 7 ft 3 wgh i have an 8 ft 3 wht and i just love that rodm you can fish small streams, where 12 13 inch fish will put a good bend and fight in the rod.
and they are very fast, and easy to cast, you can pick up a fly whip in the air a couple time, and drop it back to the water dry and floating high.

If any flyfishermen have never tried a 3 wt, give it a try you will love it

I find small streams in the unitas and just have a great time throwing drys, and the fish just eat them up.

Good luck


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## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

This sounds to be a good rod from people I talk to and cheap to.
http://roundrocks.com/rrcart/index.php? ... cts_id=654


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## doody (Apr 2, 2009)

***


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## icthys (Sep 10, 2007)

Well, you can't be free. FWIW, I was 8 when I got my first fly rod, it was a 7' 3wt. I would avoid a fast rod (unless it's free), moderate rods are easier to cast.


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## nightfish (Apr 29, 2008)

The Echo Gecko kids fly rod is tough as nails, casts well, fits a kid hand, and the colors are fun (and visible when it's leaned against a tree, dropped on the ground, or set aside like a kid tends to do).

http://www.rajeffsports.com/echo_gecko.php


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## sagecreeper (Mar 10, 2010)

TFO makes a great 7'6" 3 wt and they have a lifetime guarantee on the rod. A little piece of mind when starting out with a youngster.


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## Tony (Dec 28, 2007)

SAGE DS, or DS2. best beginner rod I've ever used, and one of my favorite rods of all time to fish with. Match it up with a RIO Mainstream, or other Weight Forward line, and he should have no trouble.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

This might sound dumb but when I started to fly fish (9 years old) my dad just bought me one of those 9' 5wt Scientific Angler combos you see (pretty cheap). It was tough to get used to for a while, but I had that fly rod for a long time. When I was 12 I upgraded the reel but kept using the fly rod. Since then I've upgraded the reel a couple times. About two years ago I slipped and fell and broke the fly rod right above the cork handle. I was pissed that my rod of 13-14 years had broke. I went out and bought a new one and loved it. My Father-in-Law decided to send in the rod to Scientific Angler to see if they would do anything about it and they sent me a brand new rod. I was very impressed with that and would recommend them to anyone. I would mention that a 7' 6" 3wt would be a great learner rod. Just easier on the smaller person.


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Ive taken kids out down all the way to 6 years old and a standard 9 ft 5wt worked just fine. A full size rod is the way you want to start kids out because a longer, heavier rod is going to be more forgiving for any casting flaws. Shorter rods are more difficult to learn to cast with because a shorter rod stays loaded for a shorter amount of time. The full size rod will have the extra punch for the little guys to push the cast out a little farther, or into a slight breeze. Also, once a kid learns the basic fundamentals of casting, they tend to whip the fly out harder and overload the rod. It is much easier to overpower a 3 weight and create tailing loops. Another advantage is that the extra length helps keep the shorter kids from hitting the water/ground back behind them when casting. The last difference is if they learn on a smaller, say 7' 3 weight, once the step up to a standard 8 1/2 or 9' 5 weight the timing will be totally different and they will have to learn the timing of the new rod from scratch and start all over again.


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## FlyfishingChimp (Sep 16, 2008)

I agree with Flyguy7, go with the longer rod. when I started fly fishing I started with a shorter rod (and then went to a longer rod and found it much easier to use and more forgiving.
I just recently took a trip to southern Utah and choose to take my shorter rod for space in the car, and I had to relearn the timing and how to cast for that rod.

When I was about 8 My dad taught me how to fly fish with out knowing it.
He taught me how on small streams, using my casting rod and mono-filament, to pull and hold a few lengths of line out, cast and strip like fly fishing.
It wasn't till I transitioned to a fly rod that I understood that those methods were fly fishing techniques and it was much easier to do with float line and fly rod.


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