Hey Plasma,
What part of Houston do you live in? I think I have an old Daiwa boron rod that may be just right for him. I think it was originally 5'6" but I broke off the tip when I hit a tree branch while setting the hook. I put a new tip on it & now it's 5'3". It is a pistol grip and a little stiff but it might be the size he needs. I think it is about 30 years old & I haven't used it in about 25 years. It is one of the most sensitive rods I have ever used. I think I have some old Berkley Stinger rods too. They are all graphite & I think they are 5'6 too & I think they are straight grip. They might be 6' long. They are old too but in perfect shape. If you're interested in them, let me know & I can arrange getting them to you.
Have a Blessed Day,
Mike

I found a old ambassador 5500 when I was about 8 or 9 at a garage sale that was mounted on some old nasty fiberglass rod.

I taught myself how to use it and caught abunch of fish

3rd grade I got an Abu5000, bought it with money from mowing yards, still have it, I used it on a Fenwick Lunkerstick. Never used spinning reels.

You might be on to something. We are up in the Jersey Village area.

I bought my first Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000 back in 1972. I still have it and use it to this day.

I checked & I do have the old boron Daiwa rod but it's a little shorter than I remembered. It was originally 5'3 but is now 4'8. It still may be ok for him. I also have the Berkley Stinger . It is 100% graphite, 5'6 & has a straight handle. The handle is not very long so it should work. I also have a Berkley Bionix . That was my favorite rod for a long time. It is super light but somewhat stiff. It has a pistol grip and is also 5'6. This was considered one of the better rods in it's day. It is also 100% graphite. If you p.m. me or email me, we can figure out how I can get them to you.
Have a Blessed Day,
Mike

I started with a Zebco 202. I decided to change to a baitcaster the day that the Zebco could not bring in a large bass. That bass hit a topwater lure twice during the same cast and both times he pulled the drag. Cranking the handle was useless. I guess if I was more experienced I might have landed the bass. After missing that fish, I picked up my grandmothers Ambassador 5000, at the age of about 10.
I started my son at age 8 with a bait caster. That is what Dad used, so that is what he wanted. He picked up the technique in no time.

Mike

Bass Pro has their Megacast rod and reel combos on sale for $44 this week. I have one that I bought on vacation just to throw out a bit and it's actually a pretty nice setup for $50. Spool up some 10lb. mono for him and let him throw out a texas rig. I do this when my girlfriend wants to fish and it works out really well.

Teaching my wife right now. She doesn't want a bait caster or spinning reel so she went with a zebco combo. She had problems casting it so I grabbed an old one in the garage and it worked better but still no distance. At the lake the other day I broke it so rode to the marina and they had cheap combos for sale. I picked up one with a Short, medium action rod and that was all that out took.

Get a lighter action and tell him to aim for the top of the trees. When he does catch one it will be a neck of a fight for him on a li
ghter rod.

My 4 year old uses a bait caster. Actually he has for a year. Just what you're used to and practice with.

oldest bait caster working 16 years old . Calcutta 100 from Smitty's

My first baitcaster was a used Ambassaduer 5000 that cost me $20. Caught lots of small catfish from a local pond. I was probably 8 or 9 years old at the time.

Not sure how old I was but I just remember being in 1st or 2nd grade and wanting to bring my reel in for show and tell. My first baitcaster was a bantam with the spool release button on the handle side on the frame. My dad got it for me because he got tired of buying me all the kids stuff combos and then I'd end up destroying them on whatever fish I was catching. That bantam lasted a long time till we went out to the Texoma dam while the OK side was open. We destroyed all our gear on those stripers and had to buy some heavier gear.

My dad taught me how to use the reel by kind of tricking me. I guess he set the tension knob to a medium size rattle trap. Then told me to never touch that knob. Only mess with the magnet adjustment on the other side. Then he'd always hand me what lure to use which were all in the same weight class so all I had to do to adjust for them was the magnet brake.

It wasn't till I was a lot older that I asked my dad about why he told me to never touch the tension knob and he just started laughing. He pretty much said he didn't want to go though all the trouble of teaching all that so he kept it simple. Then he said well you still learned how to use one though right??

My first rod and reel was an uglystick spinning combo. I still have it today 14 years later and I have caught everything from trout to bass to catfish with it. I don't think you can go wrong with a light spinning combo. I started seriously bass fishing with a medium action spinning rod, throwing 1/8th t-rigs and I caught tons of fish, enough to get me hooked. A baitcaster is great if he wants to go flip docks with 15-20lb flouro, but I think he may be a little young for that.

i was 6 and it was a old 5000. with the reels now days 5 or 6!