Teaching my Daughter how to cast a baitcaster?

She is nine and can cast a zebco 33 pretty good. What size rod did you guys use to help the young ones learn a little better without getting them frustrated with it. Any suggestion's or tips appreciated.

I had an old 5-6 fiberglass rod that I used for a while w/o a reel first so she could get the motion. It was a pistol grip so her little arms weren't able to handle much weight. 6' w/long handle when we had the reel and weight on it. Longer handle made it much more controllable.

I learned with heavy weight, teaches you to use your thumb. Start short and work out from there.

Make a medium length cast and then place a piece of tape on the spool. That way when she casts and back lashes, it only messes up a little bit of line vs. the entire spool.

This is a great idea! All of my kids learned on a long handled 6’6” MH. I think it’s great that you’re taking her fishing! Making memories!

I've taught a hundred people how to cast their bait casters. Most folks don't adjust their reels properly to start. Also they don't fill their reel with enough line. This greatly reduces distance. Fill the reel to within 1/16" of full.

As a beginner, tie on a 1/2 oz lure that cuts thru the wind well, like a lipless rattling bait. Now tighten the tension knob under the star drag until the bait falls slowly when in free-spool. Now adjust the centrifugal brakes on the left side of the reel to about 75%. Depending on the reel, you may have to open the side plate of the reel to access the brakes.

Now the important part: Have her hold the rod&reel in front of her and rotate her wrist so the handles of the reel are pointing up. Tell her to rear back & throw the bait up toward the sky. She can take her thumb off the spool altogether when the bait is in the air. The moment she sees the splash she needs to stop the spool. It should go a good distance.

Just remind her, Handles Up-Throw Up.

As she gets more comfortable with the reel, loosen the spool tension a little at a time. Girls get this faster than guys because they listen to what you say better.

This too!

Make a long cast before she starts and put a piece of electrical tape on the spool then reel back over the top of it.

if you have an older model H2O mettle reel, those things cast great and have a small profile for little hands. The drag is not good, and they are only smooth for about 3 trips, but they do not backlash as much as other reels.

That’s how grandpa taught me too. I learned on a 5’6” pistol grip rod and a rattle trap

My dad taught me with a pistol grip and tied on a 1/2" nut in the back yard. Throw down a cardboard box or something as a target for her to aim at.

This is exactly how I have taught beginners how to cast.

I taught my wife and 2 of my kids at around the same age as your daughter in a day. I used a 6’9” all purpose Kistler LTA and a shimano core. My Wife had previously tried using an inexpensive pflueger to no avail. I don’t think a core is necessary, but I would get a decent 100 series reel like a curado 100. I think the small spool creates a lot of room for error.

Thanks for all the tips. Definitely going to use some of these.