Thread: Advice

Needing advice on teaching kids how to use spinning reels
Any help will be appreciated!!!

Having battled this extensively in the last two years I will offer what I learned...

1st: the reel needs to be small(one of those zebco ice fishing/dock demon combos)
2nd: let them watch you for a good while.(depending on the age, they may not comprehend the proper use/mechanics)
3rd: don't let them swap back and forth between a baitcaster and a spinner until they are competent.

With Lizzylou a spinning reel(very small Abu 500 size? on a 5'6'' Shakespeare microlight rod) is ALL she has ever had, I started her a 2 when her motor skills were adequate. Even being the only reel she ever used, she wanted to flip it up and reel like the other kids around us. So I only took her to private ponds/lakes/creeks until she perfected the reel. after 5 or 6 trips she can use spinning baits, top water, and live bait. She landed a 1lb channel cat the other day, along with several stud bluegill and shell crackers.

My nephew is 9 and half brother is also, both have been deprived of a normal/outdoor/stable childhood like other kids. They knew little about fishing, and the only exposure was to zebco 33's with oversized hooks and bobbers and chicken livers. I don't own any small bait casting reels so the have to use my spinning reels. At first there was a learning curve to not turn the reel upside down. After a couple evenings they got the hang of it(unless they get excited with a fish on, then they sometimes revert to top)

Repetition and fun competition will be your best bet in training them. Once they feel comfortable reeling, slowly work them into casting. I still use two hands, my right arm is a bit lacking on the motor skill department so always aide the but of the rod with my left hand. Whatever works to get them casting accurately and safely.

Thank you sir Austin is 7 and knows how to use zebco 33 but he wants to use my spinning reels and bait casters like me. I'm not sure about the bait casters yet and I'm willing to help him learn how to use spinning reels because of the simplicity and strength of them

Most spinning reels are convertible to right or left hand retrieve (so that they don't have to reel upside down and backward to use their dominant fine-motor-skilled hand). So make that conversion first, is my advice. Casting reels? They can learn in the back yard. Start with only about 30 yards of line and tighten the resistance so that not even all of THAT line goes out. Have him throw a plug with no hooks on it, keeping his thumb near the line as it's coming off. Loosen the resistance as he becomes more proficient at casting without a backlash. It will take time, but learning how to cast with either a spinning or casting reel is something a kid can do in the back yard (if the backyard is not too small!).

If you are going to teach them to use a spinning rod, start them off reeling left handed---they will fumble a little to begin with, but will quickly adapt to left handed reeling, leaving the strong (right) hand for casting and catching.

What Haywire said unless they are left handed like me, then reverse it.

One of the best things my parents ever did was to have me learn right handed (I'm lefty). Not sure if it was intentional or not haha. Great advice all! I was planning on teaching my 9 yo how to use a spincaster while down at GSP this year.

Bait casting reels will never be mastered completely as long as I've been using them still backlash every once and awhile. When teaching what I did with my kids was to turn on more brakes than what I was using and tighten up on the bearing tension. Then made a cast and put a piece of tape on the spool so it won't backlash. Biggest problem on the pier is trying to throw into the wind or somebody walking behind and hitting your line when casting.

Make sure the rod has enough butt section so that they can hold on with their off hand while casting. One-handed casts are not easy to do, but adding that second hand on there really helps. My 7-year old son handles a spinning rod very well, good enough that I can turn away without having to monitor each cast. Sure, there will be mistakes, but hell I don't flip the bail every time either...

Thank you for taking your kids fishing!!!

Explain to them, as you show them, that it is making the line turn the corner around your finger that makes the line stay on the spool. If you just show them and don't explain about "turning the corner" a large percentage will try to hold the line rather than just hooking it after you look the other way (I've taught three children, one grandchild, my wife, an ex-wife (she was the most stubborn-bad sign), and several other children).