Hunting & Fishing Kids Fishing Reel/Rod...Spincast

[19Scout77]

Although it goes against my nature, I want to buy my boy a spincast reel and rod for his third birthday. The last time I bought fishing gear was over 20 years ago, and it was Penn Internationals, so needless to say I am not current on gear...especially spincast as I have not used one since my first and only zebco as a kid in the 70s. I have done my research and it all looks like crap to me. I am looking for an ultralight reel, along the lines of the Zebco zo2. Research has found spincasts by Zebco, Shakespeare, Johnson, Diawa, Pflueger and Abu Garcia.

Does anybody have any actual experience with any of these Spincast reels?.. Please, no suggestions to try spinning/baitcast. Its for a 3 year old!

Thanks alot!

 

[justin amateur]

Finally, a topic in which I can honestly say I'm knowledgeable.

Any of the blister-pak Zebco kid model 202's will do the job.
Your 3 year old will outgrow it (or break it) in a very short time.
The kid pak 202's will catch fish. My daughter took everything from bass, bluegills and crappie
to yellowtail snapper, sea trout and bar jack on a wally world cheapo "barbie" zebco, right up until it
disappeared overboard on a trip to Everglades National Park. Something big took it out of her hands.

For fun a group of us adults had a yearly competiton using wally world 202's.
Using only what was included in the blister pak we'd have 6 hours to catch the most species
and or the largest and smallest fish. We'd catch everything from nurse sharks and mahi
to bass, alligator gar, snook, juvie tarpon and barracudas, some of hefty proportions
on what's supposed to be a disposable fishing system.

 

[kurt]

I would second the zebco 202 it is pretty durable and kids are tough as shit on stuff. At 8 now he has graduated to spinning reals pitching jigs on lake Oahe for walleyes but some days I think I should go back to the 202 after and hour of untangling shit.

 

[pizzamanny]

Zebco was one of the greatest things I owned in my entire childhood.

 

[sandwarrior]

I can agree with the Zebco, but I always have problems with the covered reel spincaster. Personally, I'd take the Abu Garcia. Their spincasters are as good as their bait reels....at least as good as they used to be. I'm running an Abu Garcia up here in Northern Idaho and it works pretty good in these small rivers and then when I need longer casts for the big rivers and lakes.

 

[Nuke Man]

Both my daughter's use Zebco 202's. Never have we had an issue with them. I would stray away from the cheap barbie type stuff though. My oldest got a Wally world barbie pole special when she was 2. Broke it within hours of opening it. Got her a 202 reel and an ultra light rod. Been using it for 4 years now without an issue. Got 3 now for them all. Littlest hasn't used hers yet.