rod/reel rec's for youngster--Shimano Sedona opinions?

[Gunga Din]

My daughter, Juls Jr., is turning 11, so like any good dad I'm getting her a new rod/reel. I got her a $39 Shimano Stimula 6' rod and feel pretty good about that. Now I'm questioning the Sedona 1000 reel I bought for it. I'd like to get the cheapest good quality Shimano reel to put on it, and the Sedona seemed like the lower end of their nice reels.

Any experience with the Sedona, or other recommendations? Thanks.

ps: I call her Juls Jr. because she's an intense little fisher person and can last all day on the water with me (my boys lose interest fast). She's always been held back by the kid rod she's had, so...

[Juls_WI]

She sounds like a cool lil dudette!! ;-)

We sell the Sedona's at the baitshop I work for and we have never had any complaints about them. That's about all I can say, because I have never used them personally.
Give it an honest try. There is no need to spend a fortune on fishing equipment just to catch a fish! You made the right decision in getting her something better than what she was using though. It is much easier to teach and keep the kids interest in the sport if they are not confronted with the frustration of using crappy stuff. Think about it...what do you buy yourself? Alot of parents think the kids wont take care of it, because they probably never gave the kid something worth much to really care about taking care of in the first place. (does that make sense?) I'm not directing this statement to anyone in particular. #####, my first rod was a widdled stick with mono tied on it. I whipped it around like a fly rod until dad said...get your butt over to that pier and sit down! (then he reluctantly put a hook on it) hahahah That's the pier where I caught my first bluegill at age 4.
I sat on that pier from morning until dinnertime...cracking open clams found on shore to use for bait. The next time we went up to the cottage...dad had a real rod for me. He took the time to teach me how to properly use it. I'm sure I had my share of messes, but he is a quiet and patient man.
Teach your children well, and maybe you get to fish with them when they get older. I just got off the lake after a day of fishing with my dad today. He caught his first walleye today! (He's a fly-fisherman you see...;-))
Well this is long enough...you get my drift! I'm sure she loves the new gear dad gave her!

I hope the Sedona works out for you! keep her interested...and let her use your good stuff when she is fishing with you. 11 is old enough to take care of things responsibly...but keep in mind accidents do happen..like very expensive rod and reels going over the side of tha baot!!...LOL

Juls

[Eyez]

The Sedona's a good reel. I own one, my brother owns one, and my dad owns one. Never had a problem with them.

Eyez

[Bob G.]

My dad and a buddy of mine has a Sedona and they are holding up just fine. Seems like a good buy for the buck. Great job teaching your daughter how to fish.

In a couple of years, I bet she'll be asking for the keys to the boat instead of the car. LOL

[Gunga Din]

Your pop sounds like a class guy. If that rod/reel go overboard, next thing she'll be learning is scuba diving! :) I have my kids using Red Rhino spincast reels, which are pretty decent considering. But she's at the point where she's held back by her equipment, so...

Over the 4th at Lake Powell we were chasing striper boils, which tended to stay a long cast away. She couldn't reach them, so I'd cast to them with my Loomis/Stradic, hook one and hand her the rod, then I'd take her pole and cast to them. We had a blast and I never thought twice about handing her my sweet rig. The boys were happy to sleep in. :)

We pulled up to a point to fish for bass and before I had my rod rigged she had three bass in the boat--two largemouth and one smallmouth!

[Juls_WI]

You sound like a "class" guy too...;-)

Your children are very lucky! Making memories to last a lifetime is one of the pleasures in this life.

Juls

[Gunga Din]

Took her to a new lake and when we caught huge chubs off crawler harnesses we started pulling cranks. Here's the results: h t t p://www.climbing-guides.com/fish/ali-bt1.jpg. After catching this one we made one more pass which resulted in h t t p://www.climbing-guides.com/fish/ali-bt2.jpg. No, they're not walleye, but brown trout count too!

[Juls_WI]

Great photos Gunga Din! She looks very happy indeed! ;-) You should post those on the kids corner of Walleye Central. Send them to Scott or Zach and they will probably post them for her. She would probably get a kick out of that..;-)

Juls

[Neal/Co]

Nice fish. Are there alot of browns in Starvation? I have always heard it was a good walleye lake, but have never heard it mentioned as a trout fishery before.

[Gunga Din]

>Are there alot of browns in Starvation? I have
>always heard it was a good walleye lake, but >have never heard it mentioned as a trout fishery before.

Big (up to about 10 pounds in recent years) browns, walleye, and small bass. It's overloaded with walleye right now, and they're about to crash because they deplete the forage base almost completely every year--except for those big 1 lb chubs. It also has good populations of 10 pound walleye.

If Glendo dries up, Starvation is a lot closer!!! :) (to me, anyways)