Getting a child to fish can be a hard sell. To be good at fishing requires patience and experience both of which are in precious little supply when you’re young, but there’s no better time to learn than the present.
Getting them fishing can be incredibly rewarding for both you and your child can be a special experience, so getting them the best kids fishing pole is a wonderful way to spark their interest and getting them casting a line into the water.
In order to find the best kids fishing rod, we have created a buying guide to guide you through the process as well as looking at the kids fishing pole reviews to come up with a list of the best items on the market. Once you’ve read this guide you’ll know exactly what to get so you can start creating those special memories.
OUR TOP PICK
Shakespeare Youth
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
EDITORS CHOICE
Lanaak Tackle Box
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Whole startup kit
- Full tackle box
- Easy to cast rod
BEST VALUE
Plusinno
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Different colors available
- Telescopic rod
Reel Combo Spincast Rod with Tackle Box
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Different color options
- Telescopic rod
- Full tackle box
Shakespeare Youth Ugly Stik GX2 2-Piece Rod
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- A more advanced youth rod
- Machined aluminum spool
- EVA grips designed for small hands
Zebco Splash Boy’s 402 Spin Cast Reel
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Simple feel use
- Bright and colorful design
- Soft grip handle
YONGZHI Spinning
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Available in blue or gold
- Changeable handle
- Made from carbon fiber and fiberglass
Kid Casters Jimmy Houston
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Training rod
- Plastic hook
- Can be used as a real rod
Kid Casters Standard No Tangle Telescopics
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Hello Kitty or Paw Patrol design
- Includes hook, plug and swivel
- Spin cast reel
IEBIYO
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Collapsible rod
- Soft rubber handle
- Portable carry bag
How To Choose The Best Kid Fishing Pole – Buying Guide
Weight
Of course a lot about this guide comes down to how old your children are and how experienced they are at fishing and whether they have had a small amount of fishing in the past or just doing it for the first time. Here we have a mixture of entry level poles as well as rods which are a little more sophisticated.
There are also a mixture of weights too and you want to ensure that it’s not going to be easy for your child to handle as obviously handling a rod is a lot more than the ability to be able to lift it up, you need to be able to cast if confidently into the water with one hand and have enough control of it to do it without training your arms.
Trying to find this point with children is obviously difficult because you don’t know precisely how strong they are but getting a rod that is too heavy not only adds to the danger level as they won’t be able to cast the lure correctly but it is also much more likely to put them off and decrease their enjoyment levels, so it’s best to err on the side of caution.
Length
Length naturally links in with weight as a lot of the same principles apply in that if you get it wrong then the child will find fishing a lot more difficult and the safety levels will start to decrease as well if they start finding it harder to cast the line.
Some of these poles are very short in length which is obviously not ideal when it comes to fishing in the most effective way but it might be the best thing for your child at this stage of their development. As they get older and more experienced they will be able to move up on to better and bigger rods.
Also with length is the factor of how telescopic the rod is. Fishing rods are notoriously difficult to handle at their full size so being able to reduce that is important. Some do this a lot better than others though as some of these products have vast distances between their full length and their retracted one. One that retracts back to a smaller size will be easier to handle for your child.
Ease Of Use
There are a few aspects of a rod and reel that can take adults a long time to master, so inexperienced kids need to have life a bit easier when they are starting out. The engineering of a rod is a wonderful thing but children are a lot less likely to care or understand exactly how they work so the moving parts of a child’s rod are kept down to a minimum.
One of the key features to look for is a rod that has a line that is unlikely to get tangled when you are trying to fish. This is something that adult anglers can struggle with and it can be frustrating so having a more simple system is a good way to avoid this.
We see other key features being used too such as having a one-button push reel which strips back the mechanics of a reel down to their basics. While some children will be more interested than others, the likelihood is that your child is just interested in getting a fish at the end of their line and don’t care much about anything else.
In this list we have a range of rods which are all in various stages of expertise and you’ll know which one your child will be able to figure out as the rods become harder to use as they get more advanced. It’s always important to point out though that anyone, and not just children, get turned off something quickly if they find it too difficult.
You might also like: Perfect Crankbait Rods
Handle
The importance of the handle is one of the most underestimated parts of a rod as you can take it for granted how important it is to how comfortable the rod is and how easy it is to hold. Not only does a child’s fishing rod need to be designed for smaller hands but it also needs to not hurt their hands after a small amount of use.
One of the best ways to ensure this is to have an EVA foam handle as this is a substance that is soft to touch but is very strong so it’s not going to break easily. Other options can be good too such as a rubber handle as this will be easier to touch as well.
The importance of a handle grows with the length of the rod. A shorter rod will be much easier to use so there will be fewer demands on your hands whereas a longer rod will add a lot more stress so if you’re looking to get a rod of any decent length then you need to make sure that the handle is very comfortable to use.
Durability
Durability is at the heart of the reasons to buy or not buy a product and you want to ensure that it’s well-made. Children, of course, can be quite heavy-handed so rods can easily be broken if they are not a high enough quality. The poles that we have mentioned here have a range of various levels but the more advanced ones are the type that simply have to be well-made.
Then it comes to fishing rods, fiberglass and graphite are commonly used materials due to their level of strength and durability with carbon fiber being the next level up in terms of quality. If you want your children’s rod to last for a long time then you want to ensure that it’s being made out of the best materials you can possibly get.
Portability
Having a fishing rod that is easy to carry is also important as fishing rods can be notoriously difficult to handle so having one which can fold down to a small size is ideal and also one that comes with a carry case can be useful as well. You don’t want a product that is going to be too difficult to transport otherwise this could take away from the fun that your children are meant to be having.
FAQs
Q: What Is The Difference Between Rod and Pole?
Not a lot, and a lot of people use the term interchangeably as I have done here but there is a technical difference between the two. A pole is essentially fishing with a fixed amount of line that is at the end of a pole.
This term comes from those days of just tying a line to the end of a bamboo stick and throwing it into the water. A rod is a more sophisticated option but these days a pole can just refer to something that is just a simplified version of a rod. As both terms are used loosely, it’s nothing to be too bothered about.
Q: Should I Get A Combo Of Rod And Reel Or Separate Rod And Reel For My Child?
The answer to this question comes down to how comfortable your child is with a fishing rod and how much experience they have. If they are very young and doing it for the first time then getting a combo would probably be a good idea as it’s a more simple option but as they get a little bit more advanced or a little bit older then getting them separately would be a great option.
Q: Are Kids Fishing Pole Safe For Use?
As you have seen here there is a wide range of options available for a wide range of different abilities. These different options aren’t just for different levels of ability but they also offer different levels of safety as well.
You’re the best judge of how your child can be trusted with a more complex reel or lures but all the products we have reviewed here are all quality products and as safe as can be. Fishing, as with any activity, comes with its dangers so you always need to be vigilant to safety, but these rods will give you all the safety that you need.
Q: Can A Fish Pull The Child In The Water?
This is something that you really don’t have to worry about as the types of rods that they will be using, lures they’ll be throwing and the body of water that they’ll be on means that it’s not as if they’ll be hooking a huge tuna at the end of the line.
A child is much more likely to let go of their rod before any trouble. If they are struggling though, then it’s simple enough just to go and help them out or cut the line so you never have to worry about them going into the water. After a little bit of experience your child will quickly learn how to react when a fish is at the end of their line but until they do, it’s not too dangerous and you’ll always be there to help them out.
Q: How Strong Are Kids Fishing Rods?
This can depend on what level rod you are buying but naturally the more advanced you get, the stronger they are going to be. We have reviewed fishing rods here which are essentially just smaller versions of a genuine adult model and are made out of the same materials, so they are going to be incredibly strong.
The more basic entry models that we have reviewed here won’t have quite the same level of strength but this isn’t required as they won’t be catching fish of any significant size. All the products that we have reviewed here are more than strong enough to be safe and solid when they are in your child’s hands so you don’t have to worry about them breaking.
Globo Surf Overview
Getting your child out to the water and getting them engaged in the fishing experience can make for brilliant days but finding good fishing poles for kids can be a challenge, as trying to work out their level of ability and strength can be difficult to judge. Fishing rods for kids come in a wide range of different materials and levels of difficulty so a lot of choosing the best little kids fishing pole comes down to your judgment of where they are on their stage of development.
There are many great water activities out there for children and while they could love being on a learning how to swim, there is something special about the bonding experience that can be made from being out on the water and learning how to fish. In order to get to that going though, selecting the children’s fishing pole that most suits them will keep them engaged and interested.
Finding the right youth fishing pole then involves ensuring that the weight and length of the fishing rod aren’t too much for them to handle and that the reel is going to be simple enough for them to use. After that you’ll want to be making sure that the handle of the fishing rod is easy to use and the rod is well—made and easy to carry. Once you have checked off all of these points, then you’ll be ready to get the top rated kids fishing rod for your child.
Hopefully this buying guide has given you all of the information you need to head out there and buy your child a fishing rod with confidence. Once you put the right fishing rod in their hands then you should be able to start your adventures on the water and start your child on a journey into falling in love with fishing.