Recommendation for a rig for a 12 year old....flats/inshore fishing

H@ystack

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Hey all, I want to get an "economical value" rig for my son for Christmas. Basically, I'm the type of fisherman that doesn't get the best, but I get the best Walmart offers. Haha. I use a few Okuma reels and Abu Garcia. Nothing great. My son is falling in love with the sport though so I thought I'd step up his game. I plan to get a penn battle spinning reel, probably 3000. I currently use Shimano Solara rods.....probably the best $20 rod out there. I've fished with some st croix mojo and g loomis greens and I would gladly save the money and use these. They're pretty versatile. I have 6'6" rods for me. I fish the mangroves a lot. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out what to get him.

I assume you can't go wrong with penn battle reel. I figure a 6 foot ML rod? Any suggestions on what you would get?

We fish in Florida, Gulf and Atlantic. Mostly go after reds, trout and black drum. He will do some freshwater but I don't want to get him too many rigs right now
 
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jerryjerry05

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Its great he's into fishing.
The Penn Battle is a good choice.
1st question: how good at taking care of his gear is he??
​They sell some cheaper rods, matched to the battle reel. They'd make a good combo.
​I'm a lot cheaper than you, WM had some combos 7ft and a cheap reel.20$
They are 3 years old and work great where I fish.
The had some $5 rods and reels.
​Bought the rods for the reels.
They actually work good.
​No trouble landing an 8# Snook.

My neighbors kid(16) loves to fish.
​But is absolutely horrible when it comes to taking care of his stuff.
​Another neighbor gave him Shimano Solara?? and a graphite rod.

We fish from the bank and there are lots of snags.
​He snags about 20ft. from the shore.
​He's yanking and pulling like he's trying to land an elephant.

I say you need to stop yanking that hard and go unhook the snag.
He say it'll come loose!!
​3 seconds later I hear a POP and see the top half of the rod sliding down the line towards the lure.
At first I think the rod came apart at the ferule and he'd be able to put it back together.
NOT
Broke clean off.
He ended up wading in the water and getting his lure back.

​Then he says: Can I use your extra rod????
That answer was NFFFFW.
 

H@ystack

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Baaahahaha....well no he's not reckless. Just to give you an idea I actually felt safe enough to buy him how own pair of Costas. He loved mine and got some for his birthday. He'll only use his stuff out in the boat with me.

I think a 6 foot rod is about right,right? 6'6" seemed like it was pushing it. Short pole for me and good for placement, but a bit much for him.
 

dingbat

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A 6' rod Is too short for salt water fishing. Penn Battle 3000 with 7 ft. Med.hvy #14-#18 rod.
 

H@ystack

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A 6' rod Is too short for salt water fishing. Penn Battle 3000 with 7 ft. Med.hvy #14-#18 rod.

Does that hold true for a 12 year old though. I guess that's where my confusion really lies. I know 7 is typically normal although I go shorter to hit mangrove pockets easier.
 

BWR1953

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Depends on how tall the child is. My 10 y.o. boy is 4' 3" tall and uses a 5' Shakespeare Ugly Stik. It's the perfect size for him. He can cast it easily and accurately. A 7' rod wouldn't work for him at all.

If a 12 y.o. is 6' tall, then a 7' rod might work well. But if he's only 5' tall it's probably too much.
 

dingbat

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Depends on how tall the child is. My 10 y.o. boy is 4' 3" tall and uses a 5' Shakespeare Ugly Stik. It's the perfect size for him. He can cast it easily and accurately. A 7' rod wouldn't work for him at all.

If a 12 y.o. is 6' tall, then a 7' rod might work well. But if he's only 5' tall it's probably too much.

The length of the rod has nothing to do with your height. A rod’s length is only limited to the angler’s ability (strength) and know how to use it your advantage

Saltwater fish are aggressive and get big. A kid needs every advantage they can get until they get some experience behind them. A longer rod can make up for some angling errors. Longer rods are better at applying pressure on a fish, give better casting distance, etc., etc. Bottom line, the longer the rod, the more control an angler has over a fish. This is especially important if your not fishing out in open water.

As a practicing Rod Smith, the minimum I'd recommend for a youngster fishing saltwater is a 6' "glass" rod with a strong preference for a 6-6" if they showed an interest in pursuing the sport. I started my two daughters out on 6'-6", MH (#14-17) rods. By age 10, they where comfortable using #30 trolling tackle (Striped Bass) with a fighting belt. By age 12-13 they took an interest in surf fishing and where throwing metal (lures) with 9'6" rods from shore.

Then came college and boys......lol
 

BWR1953

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The OP is talking about being able to accurately cast under mangroves and hitting pockets, typically with a light jig or whatnot. Not flailing a heavy weight for a long distance.

I fish the mangroves and docks and skip casting a 1/4 ounce jig under a dock or mangrove is a lot different than long distance casting with heavy stuff. Requires accuracy and finesse, not brute force.
 

H@ystack

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The OP is talking about being able to accurately cast under mangroves and hitting pockets, typically with a light jig or whatnot. Not flailing a heavy weight for a long distance.

I fish the mangroves and docks and skip casting a 1/4 ounce jig under a dock or mangrove is a lot different than long distance casting with heavy stuff. Requires accuracy and finesse, not brute force.

This is true. We try to wade out from the boat so we can skip under low lying mangroves. I don't fish open water a whole lot. I have a 7 foot and a 7 7 and I refuse to try to cast those when I need to "drop it in a bucket".....granted, it's a knock on my talent.

Basically I feel like I am freshwater fishing but for much stronger fish. Haha

Maybe I'll get him 2 rigs.
 
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