I have a grand son that has been casting a rod and reel [ spin cast] since he was 4 yrs old. For Xmas I'm going to build him a 5"6" bait caster .The rod I picked out for him is a medium light action.My question is will this ML rod be more forgiving and eaiser to cast than say a M-- MH or H action rod.I will mate the rod with a curado 100 bantam and a small trigger grip.
Thanks for your time
Ken Blevins
So many questions , so little time

My only question is why a baitcasting rod/reel for a 6 yr old? A spinning setup would be much more forgiving, and is just as "grown-up" as a casting outfit. Also, the Curado 100B is actually harder to cast without overruns than the larger 200B (I have both). However, if the boy will be throwing heavy lures mostly or exclusively, then ok.

I don't know how tall he is, and what length rod he is used to casting, but don't be afraid to think about reducing the length of a blank a bit to accommodate his comfort range. Here's where you might want to mock-up a rod and let him cast it a bit before you permanently mount the handle. Or buy a heavier 5' ultra-lite blank for it's shorter length. The casting / spinning designation in this rod length, power range & line rating is fairly interchangeable, so feel free to choose either. Yes, a softer power rod with a softer taper (moderate or fast) should give a more forgiving cast for a revolving spool. Does that Curado have magnets?

A pistol grip for a 6 year old? Sounds like he's big for his age, strong or both. A pistol grip doesn't offer much leverage or much to hold onto if he hangs a big'un. If you can continue to teach him know how to hold a rod butt up in his left arm, with the rod butt up in his armpit, between his chest & his elbow, while he is retrieving a lure or fighting a fish, then he'll have more hold against a bass bound for cover. It may be a bit harder to cast at first than his lil'ole spincaster, though. But that's where you can sort that out by letting him play with / test cast a pistol grip verses a trigger-seat. In fact, an exposed blank / trigger reel seat might be even smaller than a pistol grip for his hands. And offer an extended butt section for those larger fish that you'all will be putting him on. ... And a spiral wrap will reduce the roll-over. LOL, -Cliff Hall-

Ken,

I don't know how old you son is but if he is interested trying a casting set up, get with it. The reason I say this, I started my son on an Ambassaduer 5000 when he was seven. Yep, he got some overuns, but you know what he almost wore the thing out standing on top of a pick nick table and casting until he almost wore it out. You would be amazed at how quickly he picked it up.

Later,
Gerald Mc

Ken - I guess the advice on when to start casting or the "spinning v. revolving spool" will run the gamut. Whatever is fine, as long as he's enjoying himself, and everybody else is safe and having fun, that's my advice.

After reading Tom Doyle's reply, I realize that I did all the actual casting of the lure or bait for my son until he was almost 8. He retrieved the lure and fought the fish, which I figured was hard enough and enough work for his abilities at the time. He never complained, nor did I, and we both caught fish. And we had less line snarls that way, lost fewer rigs & lures, never hooked anybody, and we never dropped a rod in the water. And I can't remember ever getting angry. We used spinning tackle, too. And when he was kindergarten-age, catching bream or our own shiners for bait, we used an old fly rod as a cane-pole, and just swung our bait into the bucket. That was fun, too. -IMO, Cliff- [I gotta go "KISS", or I'm overboard !]

Not quite on the subject but- Cliff- where's your sense of adventure? I always let my son do his own casting. Some of my fondest memories of fishing with my son when he was 6 was the sound of a three-treble hook crank bait as it whistled past my ear.. ..the breeze I felt across the back of my neck as a spinner bait passed within millimeters of my epidermis.. .the impromptu trips to the emergency room for hook removal !! Those were the good ol' days.

Yes, I spent lots of time removing terminal gear from trees and bushes but the key was NOT to get mad. The more he practiced casting, the better he got at it. Nowadays, even as a raging adolescent 14-year old, he still loves fishing and he's often in the front of the boat getting his dad's lure out of the bushes.

PK

Doing one of those right now actually on my favorite set up for these.

Mudhole finished special, cut down to 56", exposed blank trigger seat, 7" rear grip, 2 1/2" front grip, BTHG guides, with a Zebco micro 11.

The mudholes look great and while they aren't that sensitive, they can take all the abuse a 6 y.o. can dish out, they can cast a heck of a long way, are inexpensive, and can handle a very nice load for upgrading line weight later on.

The micro 11 reels are absolutely foolproof and perfect for small hands.

Sorry Tom

I was getting a "no server response" on each post. Didn't realize they were actually going through.

Heya, Pete - I guess I can be pretty boring. I guess my idea of adventure is being a threat to the fish, not myself. About as risky as I like it is, is the car gonna get me home and back? 'Cause I ain't got a cell phone and when I want to go night fishing for stripers at Rodman Dam in the Ocala Nat'l Forest, there is often NO BODY out there, and it is 3 miles to the nearest main road, and about 10 miles to the nearest house. And anybody out there who is NOT fishing is usually drunk. Needless to say, I don't take my son out there at night now, 'cause the ex-wife can make those bad boys with their big-toy trucks look pretty friendly compared to when she gets torqued out. (Doesn't seem to be a spiral wrap solution for that problem !) ... So I play my risks on the safe side, but thanks for your stories. Nothing like a few close calls to bond around. ... I'll just ake solace in the tee-shirt & hat my sister gave me after the divorce went thru: "Women want me. Fish fear me". -Later, Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL-