Maybe just a little bit young for a baitcaster but you never know. I cut my teeth on Zebco 33's. I still have the ones I started with about 52 years ago and I think the older Zebco 33's are better built than the new one. I moved up to Spincast about the time I was 12 and did;t move to bait cast until I was in my 30's. I sure wish I had someone like you teaching me tho use a bait cast when I was a kid.
Let us know how the kid does!

I believe I was about 8-9 years old when I started using a bait casting reel on a regular basis. This was in the early 70's, and I started picking up one of my dad's Garcia 5000. The old Red Reel. I still have it.

To answer your questions, 1) he's not too young, and 2) you may have to buy the rod and reel separate to get a <6ft rod. There are a couple of rods listed on Academy's website that are less then $20. he may have to save up a few more bucks to cover a reel.

If he gets a nice reel that won't backlash easy, all the kid needs is alittle practice and he's good to go

At his age I was still throwing zebco's, at the age of 12 I got one of my dad's old abu garcia's to start learning with.

And I was also small for my age, I remember most of my rods being 6' and my first flipping stick was 6'6"

How old for my first baitcaster? I was 49, and I just turned 50 last month. It was time, and it took enough time and frustration to learn how to use it!

...wisdom

I started using mine around 7

Abu 5000d 1974 5/12 Skyline rod Hooked eversince, Black Flip tail worm.....

I had an old Langley with braided dacron line on a steel rod back in the mid-fifties. Wish I still had it; my dad gave it to me and taught me how to use it. I lost the whole rig in the Musi River in Indonesia in the early sixties.

Abu 6000 1969 model, 19 years old.

I'm 24 and just recently started using one.. I'd probably still be on spincast stuff if it wasn't for me having a nice Shimano Bantam 100 laying around. It's old school but really nice.. Doesn't have any of the fancy magnet breaking system.

I did have frustrating back lashes at first.. But once I learned how to properly set it up I could fish all day without a birds nest happening. Its quickly becoming one of my favorite reels to use.

I'd say any age is ok as long as they can understand how to set it up with each lure or jig and learn casting techniques with it.

My dad started me on a baitcaster around 7 yrs old. He bought my own baitcaster and rod when I was 8.

I was around 12 or 13, it was a South Bend.

As kid I used a Zebco, at around 35 I started fishing again and use Gracia 5000 still have it works great. At around 50 I started fishing again with bait caster, never got the hang of a spinning reel.

Abu 5000c 1975

I can remember using an old metal rod and some kind of silver bait caster with what was then old Dacron line,fishing for carp at Whitney inside my GP's boathouse,he had an big old wooden Cris Craft with a white merc on the back. My dad gave me my first bait caster an old 5000 and a used Ted Williams rod when I was 8. Still have it its retired now along with several of Dad's and GP's baits in a case