best rod and reel setup for 12 year old child?

[Otter]

If the kids were really young, I'd start them out with a short baitcasting rod and a spincast reel. However at their ages, as REW indicated, they would soon outgrow the outfit. For throwing lighter lures, an open faced spinning outfit would be the ticket. Personally, I wouldn't go with ultralight, because once they advanced beyond the trout on the farm pond, they would once again have outgrown the outfit. I'd say medium light would give them a good time with the pond trout and still have enough oomph to handle some walleyes or other larger fish when they decide to try that. Shimano makes some excellent moderately priced outfits, but so do a lot of other companies. Your best buy typically, is to get a combo rod/reel outfit, and these are offered at Cablela's, Bass Pro, and most local sports shops. In addition to being cheaper than buying the rod and reel separately, they are usually fairly well balanced. Good luck!