Fishing Pole and Reel for a 3 year old boy?

[idahoelkinstructor]

My son turns 3 this next month, this summer I want to take him fishing! Now I am a very very, avid hunter, hunting all big and small game that there is in Idaho. But when it comes to fishing I have never had the desire, I guess thats because I hate eating fish.[:'(] The most fishing I have done is when I was in High School and I went to hang out and fish with friends on a weekly basis. After high school I still bought a fishing licence because it was the thing to do. But I didn't go fishing anymore and now I haven't owned a fishing licence since 1999. I know that a lot of people think I am crazy, becaue here I live in Idaho with some of the best trout fishing there is in the west. But once you get to know me you'll understand that any free time is spent on the pursuit of elk, or dreaming, planning for next years elk hunt. Anyway back to my point I am clueless about fishing, but my wife (my wife loves fishing) and I want to take our son and baby girl (she will turn 2 in april) out fishing, just at the little ponds and streams around here in South East Idaho. My question is what is a good set up to use for children. I plan on using worms and other still bait, some lures maybe, but only if the kids can handle them though. I don't want cheap equipment that I would call a kids toy, and will give us problems. I believe in using quality equipment, like bows and guns, it doesn't have to be the top of the line, and most the expensive, but it does need to be reliable. Anyway if you have any ideas or advice with equipment, feel free to express them. Also if you have any tips for taking little kids out and fishing with them please let me know. BTW even though I don't like fishing that much, I am honestly looking foward to several fishing trips this spring and summer, and seeing my son and maybe my daughter catch their first fish plus more! Heck I will also most likey eat some cooked trout, in a frying pan over a fire just to be an example to my kids. I'll just make sure the fish I eat is a small one though!

[Knightia]

I catch a lot of rainbows here (the fish kind)- nice to catch but i dont like to eat them much.

I think if you go to walmart a zebco rod& reel combo could be had that should work- pretty cheap too. Closed faced spincast models like the 202& 404.&33 also johnsons etc zebco has been round a long time making reels. Or you could go up in price & type reel - but those closed faced reels seem good for children-
Good look to you& you son- bet you will have lotsa fun.
Take some picts

[Knightia]

I still use a bit but not always those cheaper zebos- have one from 30+ yrs ago

[jerseyhunter]

I'd go with Knightia and get the zebco although you may want to change the line to maybe 6lb trilene xt some number 10-12 hooks and a couple of split shot, and bobbers and you'll be set. Oh and don't forget to dig the worms. Good luck and enjoy. Doesn't matter if your Elk hunting or Fishing as long as your outdoors. And the plus side to fishing is that your family will be with you.

[VA HEAD HUNTER]

ugly stick has a youth model with a closefaced reel and it is indestructible.

[johnch]

I have taught my 3 neices and nephew to fish.
For young kids ,I like a cane pole till they are 10-12.
With a cane pole there is no casting and the 3 year old may be able to handle a 8' pole by himself.
Keep the the fishing trips short and fun .
After my little fisherperson got tired of fishing ,we went to play on the swings.( We started fishing in a local park with a pond ,over run with bluegill)

[mdrbowler99]

A good old snoopy pole.That is a zebco closed face pole with a snoopy reel.I think they make them in several characters now.I still laugh when I think of how my son set his down and a bass took off with the whole thing.He set it down to be like me,because I had set my pole down to reset his.We laughed our butts off.

[idahoelkinstructor]

Thanks for all the input from everyone, jerseyhunter I am a lucky man that my wife also loves to elk hunt too. My family has always been in elk camp with me, they might not be able to go out into the woods with me yet but I still get to see them everyday in elk camp! I don't know if I can post a elk pic in the fishing form? But I have a neat pic from a bow killed spike elk from 2003 with my 2 baby kids. If I can and if you people want I will post it.

[benhuntin]

This is the pole my 3 yr old uses. Slap a zebco 33 on the short pole and you have a toddler fishing machine. My son also uses a small 8 ft. bream buster.

[ELKINMTCWB]

If you want a pole that has a little fill and will bend a little to help the kids fight the fish you can go to an icefishing pole. My son is 4 and he has used icefishing poles for 1 1/2 or so. They have some good flexable ones this is way better than the poles with no flex at all.

If you want an ok real every one knows that sooner or latter kids will go to an openface real [spinning] SO if you buy the closed face real that the handle is on the same side as the spinning reals you will give them a head start.ABU makes one the abu2752 zebco allso makes one 11 t gold and quantlm allso mke one xlt3-cp.

All 3 reals are found in the cabelas catalog all 3 will teach the how to use there left hand to real andwork for a long time.

At 4 years old my boy now fishes alone I help very little.he can cast about 15 to 20 foot with the ABU on his icefishing pole.