Customer Reviews

Zebco 11 Micro Fishing Fishing Reel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm going thru a bit of "180" now that I'm in my 40's.

I love my expensive fly rods, reels, and fancy tackle...but I take my TenkaraUSA rod and usually ony 2 flys and can fish all day - usually outfish my previous days or others with me. This set up is just a line and rod - no reel - really simple.

I also love all my expensive baitcasters - I have one that went almost $200...and all the latest and greatest rods...but it's really just a game of chasing gear trends that I may not play much going forward.

WHY?...a few years ago, it came time to take a nephew fishing. A bit of a troubled teen, I had to keep this simple and effective to stir his interest. I went to walmart and got a couple of these little "11" reels and 2 little ultra-lite rods. (Paid more than here on Amazon) The day came, and we drove to a little creek, and walked up the path...and since it was summer we wet waded about a mile or two of the creek with these little rods and just a few small micro jigs and 00 size Mepps spinners. He had never cast a reel before, but there's a reason we all start with push buttons - they are easy to master.

I chose this kind of fishing to keep him interested - I didn't think staring at a bobber would last long with him...actually, I have no idea on the bobber thing...but he loved moving, walking, casting, and reeling...and catching!...all the fish we did that day. I think he got 17 or so small creek bass and bluegill... He was "hooked" on fishing from then on. He's now prowling around small creeks on his own with this set up...and generally pulled "his head out" a bit in life...it's true what they say, kids that hunt and fish don't have a lot of problems!

Funny thing is...I too became hooked on how great these little reels performed! Yeah, it's kinda like the "33" most of use start out with...but it wasn't clunky, it casts a country mile, and the drag really works well. They are simple to clean and work on...I've got a few of these reels now. My largest fish to land on the small reel is a 4 pound smallie - the fight took around 10 minutes and I loved every second of it!

This reel will force you to scale down you line size, your rod, and your lures...what it ALSO does...it UPSIZE the fun factor! :)

This is a great little reel. Its great for keeping under the seat of the truck for those little creeks along the way and with a telescoping rod it makes a great backpack rig (or even for your bugout bag!). It is all you need to put some panfish on the campfire. The key difference I've found between the Zebco 11 and some of the other micro reels is that the Zebco actually works. I have two of these and have had no problems with them.

I bought two of these and both were non-functional, out of the box.

On the first one, the included line was tangled around inside the mechanism. I had to take it apart and unravel about 6 feet of line that was all caught up in the case. It's hard to explain, but it was basically wedged between the outer casing and the internal components, not just in the spool itself.

On the second one, the casting button was completely unseated on one side. The button has two small pegs which pivot inside of holes in the steel case. I had to take the bottom of the case off, bend the steel tabs that hold the pegs in place, reseat the button and bend the tabs back.

Both work great now and all the components seem pretty good, but this company has some serious quality control issues with assembly. It is pretty ridiculous that 2 out of 2 that I ordered were DOA, still sealed in the undamaged factory box. Luckily, I knew how to fix them, but most people who aren't mechanically inclined or perhaps know very little about reels would have had to return both of them. That is really unacceptable.

Still, they are great little reels now and they would be 5 star if not for the time I had to spend on fixing them. If you have some tools and are confident about taking things apart, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. If not, well, you might be rolling the dice.

I use this reel on a 6-piece shakespeare rod for a perfect lightweight fishing solution while backpacking. I've used it several times and pulled in some nice sized bass using spinner bait. No issues so far. Great value, hopefully it lasts awhile.

I love this little reel. It is light and fun and quick. I bought it to go on a short ultralight pole and use fishing from my kayak. It works great. I bought this one and the 11t micro underspin model. The underspin is a great fast and fun model as well. I replaced the 4lb red cajun line that came pre-spooled on this reel and replaced it with 6lb clear monofiliment. It still casts and retrieves very smoothly. I have caught a few fish with it and the drag also seems to hold and work well. All in all, it is a great little light and fun reel. I am satisfied and for 13 bucks, I'm sure you will be too.

For the money you can't beat this little critter. Easy to use, reliable and works great. Easy casting and great performance for the money. Bought another one for a back up in case I lose this one.