I'm not sure where to post this so will just post this in few places and see what answers I get. But I was referred to this forum so here we go!

I'm looking to buy rod/reel/lures for myself and my two young boys. They are age 7 and 4. Which brand do u suggest. I'm a ROOOOKIE! AND thats an understatement. grin I did get advice from a fellow fm'er last summer but thanks to my feeble brain, I couldnt remember which brand it was that he suggested!

Will be fishing for bluegills, bass, etc (small fishes).....when my boys get older and have more experience, will get them hooked on musky fishing.

Hey Peachy, you should look through the other posts you did of this. There was a lot of great rod advice given.

Sandmann....Yep I saw these....Never hurt to get more than plenty of advice!

No it doesn't, and there is a ton of advice out here. Good luck getting the kids out. Let us know how you do.

The Shakespeare Ugly Stick is hard to beat - can't break it,a combo costs $30 at FF and so when they drop it over the side you won't be out all that much.

It is pretty tough to beat an Ugly Stick. It's sort of like fishing with a club, but there you have it. They are close to indestructible, and I know people who have TRIED.

For a newbie, I say if you can't find it at K-Mart, or Walmart, you don't need it.

That will limit your choices, but also prevent you from spending to much until your skills and tastes grow.

For baits I would get them set up with some slip bobbers first. If they are into casting you cannot beat a safety pin type bass spinner bait. Get some chartruese, white and my favorite, chartuese and blue. Spinnerbaits are easy to cast and retrieve. Bass and pike love them and they are fairly weedless.

For baits I would get them set up with some slip bobbers first. If they are into casting you cannot beat a safety pin type bass spinner bait. Get some chartruese, white and my favorite, chartuese and blue. Spinnerbaits are easy to cast and retrieve. Bass and pike love them and they are fairly weedless.

2 posts? I've noticed this before sometimes. How does it happen?

This is pretty good advice. I used stuff from there for a lot of years. For beginners, they have everything you will need to hit the water and get some fish.

I'm not sure where you are from, but if you're in southern MN, stop by our store. We will take the time to show you the different combos that are available based upon the ages of your children and assist you in your decision.

If you're not from southern MN, I'll suggest you also look at local tackle stores. There are many good local tackle stores that can assist you.

Good luck in your choices. Nothing more relaxing than a day at or on the lake catching a few panfish.

Joe

I guess that Joe really has the best advice. The local guys are probably price competitive and you just aren't going to beat the ability to get up to the minute advice on what's working and where. My recent experience proves it - Gulp, minnows and crawlers weren't producing for the 6 year old and things were getting a bit dicey. A couple bucks worth of waxies and the advice from the local guy had the kid smiling in no time at all.

The good old spin cast reels like Zebco's are easy for youngsters and first timers to use. I personally now hate the feel and the drag on a zebco but they will still catch fish are reasonably priced. I also havent bought a rod that cost less then $70 lately. They make fishing much easier untill you get the hang of casting. Thats what I learned on.

Support your local bait shops or the only place to buy tackle will be Wall Mart.