Yes, it is cool that Danny and Lizzie, at five years of age, waving around that fly rod. That is the ultimate goal for many. It is the symbol, the means toward acceptance in the, ah fraternity. For kids, I advocate a different approach, a reverse approach. Place the emphasis on the fly and forget the mechanics of the rod and casting; at least on outings.

The fly becomes the focus, hold on, on the end of a leader with a casting bubble. All propelled out via a spinning rod and reel. Whoa Nellie! Nope. My three sons have an avid appreciation for fly fishing. All can throw a long line via one hander or two hander and they all started with spinning rods/reels.

Years ago, I learned this technique for fishing mountain lakes. I intro’d my sons with this technique rather than slip sinkers, trebles and Power Bait. The kids had enormous success and soon had great confidence in dry flies and wets. The back cast and roll cast were not necessary. Sure there were tangles and loops and sideways casts, but in the end it was and is a successful way to teach a kid to have confidence in a fly and to see the take. In time, the practice and introduction of the fly rod and all the intricacies of the presentations can begin. All my sons were adequately using a fly rod on streams and lakes by 8 or 9 years of age. Not perfect but catching fish.

The above picture (sorry for blur) is of an almost 7 years old son that caught & released this beautiful rainbow while using a Humpy propelled by a casting bubble via a spinning rod/reel. This was a memorable moment. Note, he was wearing a bucket hat from the Little Fort Fly Shop in B.C.

A few year later, the same angler has advanced to a tube, a fly rod and even greater confidence. As the years have progressed, he has built upon those early successes (and failures) and lucky for him knows a gazillion things more than I did at his age. Consider slowly implementing the fly rod. Use the spinning rod and casting bubble. Even nymphs can be used with this setup along the edges of lakes in shallower waters. Keep the leader the length of the rod at most. Small little 5′ rods require a shorter leader. One hangup thing: when the rig is cast, the bubble, if weighted or filled with water, will precede the leader and fly. This can cause the fly/leader to hang back and wrap around the mainline. When the rig lands, usually a few cranks causes the casting bubble to come back closer to than the fly. Then let it set and teach kid to start slow cranking retrieve and pause, retrieve and pause. Keep slack and wind bow out of the line. Once the fly is on the water, keep the rod tip to the surface…sound familiar?