Kit for sprogs

[Steve Walker]

My nephew and niece have decided they want to take up fishing - inspired, would you believe it, by watching Robson bloody Green! My sister wanted to get them some kit and sent me some links to stuff she had seen. Depressingly, it's the same old crap that I got lumbered with at that age. Being the kind uncle I am, I told her I would kit them out. So I have been on the cheap tackle trail!

 

Go Outdoors had some ten foot RonThompson float rods for a tenner which looked promising, but when I gave them a wiggle they were heavy and stiff. They had another ten foot float rod from NGT which felt much nicer and was still only £12.99. So two of those were purchased . Next the reel. They had a Shakey omni 30RD for £12.99 which seemed ok, but they could only find one. I grabbed a few floats, couple of spools of line, some barbless hooks to nylon and a packet of shots.

 

I nipped into my local carporium in search of another small reel and a landing net head. They had some unbranded reels for 13 quid, but they were a bit shonky, so I grabbed a Drennan red float reel. 20 quid, but light and sturdy feeling. Found a small landing net head, they can have one of my old handles. Now they just need a disgorger and some bait (and probably an unhooking mat ) and they're ready to roll.

 

Surprising how cheaply you can do it, I thought.

 

 

 

Only worry is the non-matching reels - they're going to fight over them, aren't they?

[Matthew Simmons]

My nephew and niece have decided they want to take up fishing - inspired, would you believe it, by watching Robson bloody Green! My sister wanted to get them some kit and sent me some links to stuff she had seen. Depressingly, it's the same old crap that I got lumbered with at that age. Being the kind uncle I am, I told her I would kit them out. So I have been on the cheap tackle trail!

 

Go Outdoors had some ten foot RonThompson float rods for a tenner which looked promising, but when I gave them a wiggle they were heavy and stiff. They had another ten foot float rod from NGT which felt much nicer and was still only £12.99. So two of those were purchased . Next the reel. They had a Shakey omni 30RD for £12.99 which seemed ok, but they could only find one. I grabbed a few floats, couple of spools of line, some barbless hooks to nylon and a packet of shots.

 

I nipped into my local carporium in search of another small reel and a landing net head. They had some unbranded reels for 13 quid, but they were a bit shonky, so I grabbed a Drennan red float reel. 20 quid, but light and sturdy feeling. Found a small landing net head, they can have one of my old handles. Now they just need a disgorger and some bait (and probably an unhooking mat ) and they're ready to roll.

 

Surprising how cheaply you can do it, I thought.

 

 

 

Only worry is the non-matching reels - they're going to fight over them, aren't they?

YUP - but thats not your problem - it's mum and dad's!

[Steve Walker]

So long as they sort it out before I have to take them fishing, we're sorted!

 

There's a little water literally over the road from their house, but membership sounds expensive and it would seem it's been recently filled in with pasties

 

From their facebook page, before:

 

 

now:

 

[Ken L]

Thanks for that Steve. I've taken my nephew out a couple of times and he's struggled with the length of a standard match rod.

Looks like Go Outdoors is the place to find something a bit more suitable.

[Leon Roskilly]

My grandsons (aged 3 & 4) use a Middy 4 metre carp whip (you can start them off on just a couple of sections).

 

Cheap as chips and great fun hooking rudd and pasties at the local carp puddle.

I wish they were around when I was a little one (I used to get so frustrated with the line tangling every few minutes or so).

I expect that they'll be using them with buzzers and a bung at the local trout pool soon, catching their own dinner

Edited May 10, 2014 by Leon Roskilly

[Steve Walker]

I did strongly consider the margin pole option, Leon, for reasons of simplicity and ease of use, but I think this will give them a bit more flexibility. And if I could learn to cast at that age, so can they!

[Vagabond]

I started my grandchildren on bushpoles, taught them to fish stealthily and close in. Taught them some watercraft

 

Next I introduced them to basic Nottingham-type reels - taught them how to handle better fish (tench up to 5 lb; carp from the margins)

 

With those two basic skills they are off and running to fish on their own with reasonable chance of success.

 

As soon as a kid gets hands on a fixed spool, all the focus switches onto how far the reel will cast.

[Peter Waller]

These might be worth looking at:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW-JARVIS-WALKER-JOHN-WILSON-COARSE-FISHING-11ft-FLOAT-ROD-/321069254022?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Fishing_FishingRods_EH&hash=item4ac1380586

I have several JW Prime 11' float rods, suspect they are similar, even I use them, when the grand-kids are not about.

[Matthew Simmons]

These might be worth looking at:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW-JARVIS-WALKER-JOHN-WILSON-COARSE-FISHING-11ft-FLOAT-ROD-/321069254022?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Fishing_FishingRods_EH&hash=item4ac1380586

I have several JW Prime 11' float rods, suspect they are similar, even I use them, when the grand-kids are not about.

I've got one of those and use it (occasionally) successfully with a pin floatfishing on the Blackwater - can also double as a ledger rod on small rivers - great value.

[wunnus]

I used 3 metre whip rods with 5 children (as dad and uncle). Cheap, no tangles and you start fishing almost immediately. When we moved to waters with bigger fish I elasticated the rods, moved to 4m rods and used 10ft match rod with basic reel.

It depends on how good the child is to untangle, unhook and bait up and how much time you want to spend on this.

Those that caught the skimmers loved it and always wanted to go more. Those that caught a decent fish 5lb + seemed to lose interest rapidly.