33 MAX Spincast Combo

I've used several Zebco Products over the years and often I find myself drawn to their products as they tend to offer very respectable performance and reliability for a great value..This Zebco Gold UL combo is no different... Starting with the reel it's very much a standard Zebco 33 micro in a trigger spin configuration but with an extra Bearing on the main drive shaft (3 total) and a machined brass main drive gear vs a standard pot metal alloy. The reel could easily be retrofitted with an extra Bearing (making a max total of 4) that you could strip from another 33 micro or order from Zebcos' parts department, and the stock single knobbed reel handle could be replaced with the dual knobbed versions from the standard 33 micro as well. Once I did this the reel was even smoother and helped to make sensing light tugs on the line just that much better and made for quicker thumb placement on the handles if I got caught with my thumbs off the knobs.The trigger will take some getting used too, I found if you placed the leg of the reel foot between your ring and middle finger and your index at the top of the reel seat the trigger placement felt more natural and was much nicer, as having your hand placed any lower the trigger felt almost too far and difficult to reach. The line capacity is very reasonable for it's size holding about 90-100 yards of a good quality 4lb co-polymer line; as co-polymer tends to be ever so slightly thinnner than standard mono and braid is unusable, So co-polymer pairs very well.The Drag on the reel is very much the same as on the regular 33 micro so don't expect too much in the drag department but here's a tip that might help your confidence in it. Periodically loosen the Drag and then reset it to where you want it, do this between every 30-50 casts as it can sometimes bind and almost feel like it's stuck. Do this and you'll save yourself alot of head ache on lost fish.Now then, onto the Rod...it's well...an ultralight so it's certainly not bullet proof, so please keep this in mind. I'll be honest I had to order 3 of these before I got one that didnt have the tip broken in transit. It length is just over 5 feet with a very even parabolic action making a nice even bend and distribution of stress throughout the blank rather than just the first 3 feet like a standard casting rod. The cork handle is a really nice touch and grips nicely to the hand, though it does get dirty under normal use and fishing conditions, so be aware if that could be a problem for you. The materials and the fit and finish are very impressive for a rod in this price range; The reel seat sits snug and stays tightly fitted to the reel. The handle is a fair quality cork veneer over a cork like foam material, its certain to handle plenty of use and still have that lovely cork asthetic (noticed it only on the foot of the rod from setting it down after several trips where it had worn). It has 5 steel line guides with no inserts which are a really nice gold color and they complement the theme very well.. though keep in mind they have an unusally large inner diameter as the lighter 1/32 - 1-8 oz jigs its rated for easily pull through the first and subsequent eylets...this may be the case because as I mentioned before it lacks the inserts and they are made of a thiner gauge steel than I've seen in Zebco rods before. Sensitivity and line management could certainly be improved by replacing them with smaller eyelets should you choose to do the work, as this rod doesn't require the larger eyes to accommodate a spinning reel but rather a trigger spin which could get away with casting rod sized eyelets. If this modification was made and maybe even adding an extra 2 or 3 eyelets to the blank to distribute stress, making it a total of 7 to 8 you could see a massive improvement to sensitivity and a noticable addition to casting distance.Of course do the previous at your own discresion as it brings me to the final point about the rod..it's very light, feels stout on the hook-sets, looks good, made well, agile and easy to control....but it's very fragile not like glass you can beat it up a little but no boat flipping allowed here on anything larger than half a pound or so.. unfortunately at the time of this review as much as it pains me to say after only a sweet month and half of awesome micro fishing sessions, the rod broke on me in three pieces not on a fish but a snag I tugged too hard on and over stressed the pole.So be smart and treat it nicely and if your willing maybe even tune it a little and you might be surprised what a good value this is for an ultralight combo.This item merrits my 4 star review and aside from it's eylets and delicacy could score a 5 if Zebco ever improved these characteristics.If you made it to the end I appreciate you reading my Review-E.T.

I absolutely love using this rod, it is a well-balanced, lightweight, and fun rod to use. I have taken it apart and put it back together, adding additional ball bearings to make it even smoother. I highly recommend to old and new fishermen alike because it keeps you in the game when you don't have to untangle your line every now and then.

I use this rod & reel combo exclusively for close quarters brook trout fishing in Rocky Mountain beaver ponds and small streams. Overall, I like it but it has a few limitations.Pros:- Lots of nice features: Cork handle, attractive colors, all-metal eyelets, reel handle can swap sides.- One handed casting with the trigger (the primary reason I bought it). No bail to flip with one's off hand. It's really good for doing a lot of casting in a short period of time.- Since the reel weight hangs down below the rod, I think it's a lot more comfortable design than closed faced reels that sit on top of the rod (like the  Pflueger Trion 6 Spincast Rod and Reel Combo ).- Light action but with a stiff backbone. It's plenty for me to catch 8-12" brook trout. It might be a little light to get good hook sets on larger fish or fish with tougher mouths. I don't have any problem setting the hooks using small rooster tail or Panther Martin lures.- Good sensitivity with smaller fish. Even small brookies bend the rod over a bit for an entertaining fight.- Tosses lightweight lures pretty well. I can toss 1/24th ounce rooster tails and 1/32nd ounce Panther Martins 25-30 yards.Cons:- I use swivels with spinner baits. If I don't, the line will rats-nest inside the reel...and I won't know it until it locks up on me or until casts start to get yanked short. Line twist is a risk whenever one uses spinners without a swivel; however, open face reels have the advantage in those circumstances because one can see that the line is getting screwy on the spool and fix it before it gets too bad.- It is a lower-end reel. It's definitely not the smoothest retrieve, but I think it's tolerable and it seems to smooth out with more use.- Retrieve ratio is average. I have to reel pretty fast to keep some spinners active.I'm glad I bought it. Of my 6 or so mountain rod/reel setups, this has quickly become my go-to choice.

As always the 33 is almost impossible to beat for the money. No fuss no tangle just works and casts great reel!

Great little rod and reel combo. I use it exclusively for bream fishing. Well made and casts very well. Sensitivity is very good. The only reason I give it four stars is that I use a slip bobber sometimes. The small about of string I use for the stop will not go into the reel. So if I’m fishing deeper than the length of the rod, I have to use another rod and reel. Besides that, this is a great little combo. I would buy it again. I have a spinning reel for deeper fishing and I always have it in the boat with me.

Good price

A nice light weight rod strong enough to bring in a good size fish. A good value.

Had to take apart and lube to get it reeling smoothly