My parents were from backwoods Mississippi, and they taught me to bass fish. Even though we lived all over the country as my dad was Air Force we always came back south as my grandparents lived in Mississippi, and we were stationed in Alabama a couple of times. My dad always used a creme purple worm and he outfished everyone! He taught me to use it and to think of the big bass as old cats, that needed to be teased with that worm.

 

Fast forward to now: my parents both have passed away, I'm newly retired, and I have a 10 year old grandson who does not have a father living with him, I'm his father figure. I no longer have any fishing tackle, etc. We live in a suburb of Birmingham, AL and I want to take him to our local Bass Pro Shop, buy both him and me a rod and reel, tackle box, and all the rest. Find some farm ponds, lakes, etc. (no boat) and teach him the joy of putting his electronics down and being outside fishing.

 

Things have changed a LOT since I grew up with my Zebco 33 reel and who knows what rod. I see us fishing mainly for bass, maybe sometimes for bream/bluegill. Looking for good rod and reel combos for both of us that will fit the needs. I cannot wait to see him reeling in a top water bait and seeing a bass hit it! Would love some recommendations. I'm fortunate in my retirement that I'm not worried about finding the cheapest equipment. Also, a reminder of what I need to load each of our tackle boxes up with!

 

Thanks!

Ok, selfishly, I have to ask. I was born and raised in Rankin County.

 

A Zebco spin cast might be a good starting point for your grandson, but you can’t ever go wrong with a spinning combo. 
 

As for Birmingham, I live in HSV. Your Bass Pro in Leeds is my favorite. There’s plenty of small streams/creeks where you can catch panfish, bass, and the like…

55 minutes ago, Smirak said:

Ok, selfishly, I have to ask. I was born and raised in Rankin County.

 

A Zebco spin cast might be a good starting point for your grandson, but you can’t ever go wrong with a spinning combo. 
 

As for Birmingham, I live in HSV. Your Bass Pro in Leeds is my favorite. There’s plenty of small streams/creeks where you can catch panfish, bass, and the like…

 

I’m in Trussville, my grandson is 15 minutes away in Moody. Howdy neighbor!

 

I was wondering where we could find some ponds and lakes we could fish without a boat.

 

I think I may, for nostalgia’s sake, get him a combo with Zebco’s current version of the 33.

 

For myself, I’m not sure if I should get a spinning combo or a bait cast combo. I see a lot of bass fishing folks with both. I know the hardcore bass guys tend to use bait casting reels, and I believe the technology has advanced enough to help with the backlash issues they had back a long time ago. But would the right spinning combo be a good choice for versatility?

 

Thanks.

If you’re planning to start with small soft plastics I’d start with a medium spinning combo for yourself. You’ll want to dedicate more time to helping your grandson than you will to learning to cast a baitcaster. I’m sure Bass Pro will have plenty of good options in whatever price range you want.

 

As for your grandson, I’d recommend taking him with you and letting him pick out his own. They make tons of color options that kids like. If he likes the rod and reel he’ll be more likely to get excited about using it.

 

Whatever you choose, I’m sure the time with the grandson will mean more than the equipment he’s using. Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions you may have on this forum. It’s full of good info, and great users.

I started taking my son fishing when he was 8. Got him a good spincast combo that he picked. 

A small tackle box with small lures like beetle spins, curly tail grubs, small hooks for bluegills and bobbers. In the beginning ,  I didn't fish but gave him all my attention .  

Get some live worms, use a bobber and he will have fun. Have patience!!

Take pics and vids!!

My son, now almost 29, has never stopped fishing, on his 3rd boat and salt fishes the Gulf and Florida Keys.

Howdy and welcome. Sounds like a lot of fun in store.

Welcome to BR and returning to fishing. 10 year old* can learn quickly to cast a spinning rod combo, not a fan of the spin cast reels.

Suggest starting your son with a 6’ Medium Fast rod size 1000 reel and 10lb Sunline Super natural mono line. Teach the boy to manually close the reel bail to prevent loops in the line.

For you the same spinning combo with 2500 size reel, same line with 7’ MF rod.

5” Senko will catch bass everywhere. A tackle bag is preferred today.

Staring simple with 1 lure for a year pays benefits later.

Senko can be rigged weightless, weedless wacky booked, Nail weight (Neko rig) or Texas weedless rigged like the Crème worm and cut in half 2 1/2” and used for a Ned rig,

Tom

* my son was 10 and used the same spinning combo for decade's.

Tom

Lew's LFS reel & H2O rod

 

Teach him now how to use a baitcaster & be done with it.

 

 

If your kid is playing baseball at 10, is he still in Teeball?