Last month I had the kids with me on the Saturday that was casting clinic day for a local fly fishing club, and my daughter who just turned 9 wanted to try, so I handed her my rod and handed her off to the instructor and after about 5 minutes was already exceeding my pathetic efforts ("No, dad, do it like this! You look like a robot! :p).

Ever since, she's been saying she wants her own fly rod, and my 9-foot 5 weight is probably a bit large for her, even though she's tall for her age. I'm thinking of getting her one for Christmas, but she has a tendency (as many kids do) of trying something and not sticking to it (karate, ballet), which is fine up to a point - you have to try things in life and see if they are for you or not - hence my dilemma. On the one hand, I don't want her to have a crummy rod and be discouraged, but I don't want to spend a lot of money and see her give it up, either.

So, things being considered:

-TFO Bug Launcher 7 foot, plus an old reel and old 5WF line I have in a box. I also have a 5 sink-tip on that reel at the moment if that would load the rod more easily.  Cost: $80 now and would require getting her a reel, line, and backing if she sticks with it.

-LL Bean Angler II outfit (7-foot 5-wt, reel, backing, line, leader). Cost $69

-Eagle Claw Featherlight (7-foot 5-wt) with the old reel and line mentioned above. Reviews of this rod are not terribly favorable, but most are also comparing this low-cost glass rod to much higher-cost graphite, which isn't exactly apples to apples, so I'm not sure if this thing is a piece of junk or not (although at this low of a price, maybe yes?). Cost: under $25.

I'm sure I'm not the only dad or granddad here who has faced this dilemma, so I'm seeking your sage advice (but no, she's not getting a Sage, hehheh).  What would you do/have you done in this situation?