Get a new Zebco rod or reel on sale at Amazon starting at just $8. Shop deals on our favorite combos, including the Zebco 33, Dock Demon, and Roam.

However, there’s one style of reel that’s less prone to user-induced issues — spincast reels. The ease of use of closed face reels makes them perfect learning tools for the angler just starting out.

The Zebco 33 Platinum is the most advanced model in the series. It has four stainless steel bearings and an all-metal body, which is why it costs more than some other Zebco 33 reels.

In June 1949, the first 50 hand-made, closed-face fishing reels rolled off the production line. The bomb business was phased out in 1954, about the same time the legendary Zebco 33 was introduced.

Above: The 12,000-square-foot “fishing reel” home, built for R.D. Hull in 1969, is up for sale for $6 million in Rogers County. Courtesy ...

By the end of 1949, the first Zebco reel, the "Standard," rolled off the company's production line. The first reel carried the name of Zero Hour Bomb Company. In 1956, the name was shortened to Zebco.

Zebco was bought by the Brunswick Corporation in 1961 and continued to innovate the fishing industry with new reel and tackle designs. Location Currently not on view Credit Line Brunswick Corporation, ...

But it’s the reel that got away that gets him down. Houston can remember the first Zebco reel he saw. It was a Zebco 33 and built as solid as the 1950s into which it was born.

Sports Zebco reels can last for decades, but only with proper maintenance Published: May. 27, 2012, 3:40 p.m. By Michael C. Bolton ...