Zebco 33--A Reel for the Ages

Just think about how many boys and girls of all ages have been introduced to the sport of fishing with a Zebco 33 reel. To get some idea, consider the fact that more than 40 million of these reels have been sold since the first one left the factory 67 years ago--in 1954, to be exact.

Among those who have owned one is 2018 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame inductee Gary Klein (above, left). Born in 1957, Klein often walked the shoreline of Lake Oroville, CA, as a kid. He also spent time at the family cabin on Lake Almanor and, while using marshmallows and salmon eggs under a bobber, reeled in many a trout with a Zebco 33.

"My dad was a fireman, and if he was busy fighting a forest fire, then Mom would take my two younger brothers and me fishing," said Klein. "Maybe she just thought it was easier to take care of us if we were fishing, but I can tell you for sure that pretty much every weekend of my childhood was spent hiking, fishing or camping, and a Zebco 33 was part of every trip."

His sentimental attachment to that reel had Klein considering use of a Zebco 33 during his 30th and final appearance in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic on Alabama's massive Lake Guntersville. He was serious enough about the idea to put in some practice at a Bassmaster Open on Lake Amistad with a 60th anniversary Zebco model "33." He mounted the reel on a 7-foot medium-action Quantum Smoke rod, with a 1/4-ounce red crankbait tied to it. And he also made his first cast on Day 2 of the 2014 Classic with a Zebco 33 reel.

Maybe you've forgotten, too, what happened June 23, 1973. To refresh your memory, that's the date when Dave Zimmerlee (as seen on the cover of Sept.-Oct. 1973 Bassmaster Magaine right) shook up the bass-fishing world (and touched off the second biggest rush to California since the gold rush days) by boating a 20-pound 15-ounce largemouth at California's Lake Miramar...on, yes, a Zebco 33, using 10-pound test line. The reel was a birthday present from his aunt and uncle in September 1972. They gave him a Wright McGill rod to go with it for Christmas the same year. The bait? Night crawlers rigged on a treble hook.

It's a well-established fact that Zebco 33 spincast reels are an excellent choice for the beginning fisherman. Its many variations have lined the shores of countless lakes, streams, rivers, and farm ponds, but it began as an inspiration in a grocery store in Roten, TX. R. D. Hull, a watchmaker and inventor, had tried unsuccessfully to market his first anti-backlash reel, The Lashmaster. He got another idea while watching a strand of packaging twine fall neatly from a spool.

Hull's first reel was a double-spool model he modified from a South Bend design. From a small pool of investors, he collected $52,500 in start-up funding, dubbed his reel the Lashmaster, and quickly went out of business. Undeterred, he continued his search for the perfect anti-backlash design. With the supermarket twine as inspiration, he built a sample reel and asked his investment team for more money.

For the first spincast reel, Hull used a dozen nails to form a hub between two wooden discs. A long bolt through the middle served as a spindle, and a Folgers coffee-can lid fastened to the front wheel provided a handle for reeling in line. The crude working model would cast without backlashing but made a poor impression on R.D.'s former backers. In 1947, they turned him down. But he believed in his concept and continued to look for partners.

In 1948, the Zero Hour Bomb Company of Tulsa, OK, was looking for a new product to sell. Their mainstay since the early 1930s had been a time bomb designed to open up failing oil wells. The patent on that product was about to expire. R.D. pitched his new reel design to the troubled company, and they cut a deal. The first reel produced by ZHB in 1949, was the Standard. It sported the famous closed-face design that would lead to the 33. Standards and their successors in 1953, the Model 22, were the first reels marketed with the acronym ZEBCO.

In 1954, the Zebco 33 spincast reel debuted, selling for $19.50. The improved design was an immediate success. By 1956, reel manufacturing had become so important to ZHB that it ceased production of oil-field materials and changed its name to Zebco.

Unfortunately, that name change didn't occur until "after" they had shipped one of the reels to the then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower. As the story goes, Secret Service agents saw the words "Zero Hour Bomb Company" on the package, threw it into a tub of water, and called the bomb squad.

Today's Zebco 33 Authentic is still patterned after the original 33. The simple and rugged reel has ball-bearing drive, thumb-wheel adjustable drag, and double stainless-steel covers. A recommended line weight of 10 pounds puts it in the medium fishing class.

Redesigned in 2004, the Zebco 33 Authentic includes an ergonomically correct casting button. Dual ceramic pins improve the line pickup, and bearings, drag system, and gear train also are modernized. An Auto Bait Alert gives audible notice that a fish is tugging on the line, and the new 33 carries an extra 45 yards of 10-pound test. Both the 33 Platinum and 33 Gold offer improved performance in the same classic style.

As if we needed any proof that "what goes around comes around," Zebcos, along with Abu Garcia and Shakespeare reels, are now made in China. But quality still can be had. According to one spincast review, the ZO3Pro is the best of the bunch. It sells for around $65, considerably less than most baitcasters. With seven bearings, a 3.4:1 gear ratio, and a triple-cam drag system, this reel is a top-notch product.

Some portions of text came from works by Alan McGuckin/Bassmaster, Ray Scott/B.A.S.S., and James Young/Gone Outdoors.