This is a great beginner rod for small kids. We bought it for our 5-year-old daughter for Christmas and she loves it. It looks like a toy from the outside but it really works like a full-fledged rod and reel. Within minutes my kids were casting it 20-30 feet into the lake. You can attach real hooks and bait to it, but my kids like casting the little orange plastic fish it comes with just as much. Unfortunately we haven't caught any real fish yet.

My father-in-law bought this for my son. He's 2 and we used it this fall for the first time, and caught a largemouth bass! The casting is very easy with a simple push button hold and release. My son couldn't cast it yet, but I could (I'm not a fisherman) and he was able to reel in several fish we caught! He didn't want to touch the fish, but the rod is fantastic.

I was fishing off the coastal waters of Florida when my first mate John brought out the Scooby Doo set up. The size and proporation were excellent for my matey. Rrrrrr.....he caught a marlin.