kids fishing rods

When you think of kids fishing rods the first thing that comes to my mind is a three foot long Snoopy pole with a big spin-cast reel. I had one of these as a kid and spent many a day on the docks near our boat, fishing between the pillars with some cheese.

Before you start your kids on the fly rod first try to build up the excitement of fishing in general. Make a big production of gathering their stuff and making sure they know what they need to bring. Take them to a bass or trout pond where you know you will catch some fish and try to keep it interesting. Don't get disappointed if they put the rod down and end up just playing in the water. Embrace it and make the day fun even if you don't catch fish. They will remember the experience as positive in the years to come and want to continue going with you.

My son still talks about a fathers day where we took belly boats to a high mountain lake to catch some native cutthroat trout. No fish were caught but we watched a dragonfly hatch, raced each other and learned a few casting tricks for kids. Now he looks forward to fishing with me in the summer and going along on our camping trips. I know he will take the joy of fishing into adulthood.