We knew this day would come. One of the Underground's tax deductions is just old enough to make an
attempt at fly fishing (though let's be real, we'll be lucky to fish ten minutes before the rock skipping begins).
Bright yellow glass makes for a good spinning rod. Will it work for fly fishing too?
Adding to impetus is that one of Little M's posse is consumed with fishing. Last week at preschool he handed me a note (he'd dictated it to his mother). It asked me to take him fishing because "he has a lot of best friends, but they're all four."
The man who says "no" to that is a cold-hearted bastard. (I'll cop to "selfish bastard any day, but cold-hearted?)
Read More Tips for Your First Kids Fly Fishing TripHere's the problem.
I've got nothing for them to fish.
The Indestructible-But-OK-If-It-Isn't Gear Quest
I've got fly rods up the wazoo.
But given the measured-in-microseconds attention span of a five year-old -- and the sharp-edged environment surrounding most fly fishing streams (sharp-edged rocks, sharp-edged trees, other five year-olds with sharp-edged fly rods, etc) -- I'm not handing out no-longer-made Phillipsons.
Especially given that I've got to equip
both tax deductions (no way the younger sister gets left behind) and the note writer.
I turn to the Undergrounders for help.
So far, the frontrunners are the
Eagle Claw "Featherlight" line of fly rods. They're available in a 6'6" 3/4wt and a 7' 5wt, they're fiberglass (and presumably tough), and when the inevitable moment comes where a five year-old proves they're not indestructible, it's only $25 or so down the drain.
Critical Bonus Feature: They're bright yellow. Neon even. Kids love bright, and a bright yellow rod should be easier to find when someone sets one down and wanders away.
The 6' fiberglass spinning rod incarnation of these rods has proven the ideal fishing rod for the
Kid's Fishing Day trips to the hatchery.
Today's Pop Quiz
- Has anyone cast the 6'6" and 7' Featherlight fly rods? Is one better suited for use by the Underground's newly-formed Institute of Destructive Testing && Rock Throwing
? (Keep in mind we'll be using 5wt fly lines).
- Any other suggestions?
- Any longtime fly fishermen can unearth a handful of 5wt fly lines, but expendable reels are another matter; what's the cheapest, bestest, most kid-friendly fly reel you've seen?
See you ducking four foot-high backcasts, Tom Chandler.
Read More The Underground Picks the Dozen Best Fly Rods of All Time Period